San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Don’t forgive failures
After Democrats in the Texas Legislature made an unexpected dramatic exit from the state Capitol last week and blocked Senate Bill 7 — the controversial voting bill — and House Bill 20 on bail reform before the deadline, Gov. Greg Abbott had this to say: “It is deeply disappointing and concerning for Texans that neither will reach my desk, and thus remain emergencies in Texas.”
When it comes to emergencies, Abbott is the last person to call.
The February arctic blast that caused massive power outages, burst pipes, and hundreds of deaths certainly tested the governor’s ability to manage an emergency situation — and he failed miserably. He could do nothing more than shuffle the blame to other agencies and their leaders — some of which he had appointed — for their inability to allow or correct a disastrous condition, which to date is still unresolved.
Texans should be equally disappointed in Abbott’s inability to govern.
John Kepler
Fooled by lawmakers
“Stupidity” may be defined as doing the same thing repeatedly — but each time expecting a different outcome.
The Texas Legislature and our governor coldly swept aside hundreds of deaths in Texas, millions of homes and businesses left without power, storm-related bankruptcies and losses to the Texas economy of $9 billion.
They say it will never happen again.
Meanwhile, the Legislature passed House Bill 4492 to authorize “bonds” that will be paid off by electricity consumers — the victims! — for at least a decade.
And the profiteers? They are gleefully depositing their ill-gotten windfall at the bank — billions taken from their many victims.
It is said that wise men learn from others’ mistakes, ordinary men from their own mistakes and fools from neither. If we are not governed by legislators complicit in a heinous February crime, we can only conclude that we are
governed by fools.
G.L. Lamborn