THE WATER COOLER
For the ninth year in a row, the Texas Lyceum Poll has produced a nonpartisan survey aimed toward providing the public with a time series as well as specific data points on issues of interest. One-thousand Texans were surveyed either in-person or on the phone. A few highlights:
62 percent of Texans support lawmakers’ approval to spend $800 million on border security.
50 percent oppose legalizing marijuana but out of that group, 57 percent support decriminalization.
49 percent support gay marriage (up 29 percent from 2009).
31 percent of Texans “don’t worry at all” about climate change or global warming.
Stefanie Nicole: Now if only half of Texans would actually take the time to vote, this state could change.
Jason Luebbe: Good. That either means we have a lot of those with a 1950s mindset passing away or we have more humane Americans moving to Texas.
Alfred Zambrano: I stand for both gay marriage and legalization of marijuana. Marriage is marriage, no matter who you are. Herb is Mother Earth’s gift. Peace, love and happiness to all.
Mark McCarthy: Get used to it, tea party. Texas is changing.
Janine Stewart Hendricks: Lots of people from California and other liberals are coming to Texas to avoid taxes and take advantage of what we have to offer.
Joe Hewitt: The tide moves slowly. Over the past 10 years, people have had more exposure to gay people and their fears have lessened a great deal. Some people are unable to change their minds because a religion dictates what they’re to think; but there are others who are religious and not so rigid. Eventually, it will wind up like any other case of a minority slowly achieving rights: there will be a few leftover haters, but the majority will side with what’s fair.
Mark Evert: Not surprisings as the libertarian movement continues to be the fastest growing ideology.
Nick Mollberg: To those opposed to same-sex marriage, enjoy your shameful place in the history books alongside those opposed to interracial marriage.
Courtney Rutledge Urukalo: I would love to see the questions in the poll, not just someone’s interpretation of a poll.
Davey Meuth: There is a reason people are moving to Texas. It’s for guns, freedom and God.