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Today’s Stories
TEXAS VS. WOKE WALL ST., the economic cold war, got a little hotter.
Dan Patrick sent an open letter to Comptroller Glenn Hegar asking him to place BlackRock's investment firm at the top of companies boycotting Texas energy investments.
During the 2021 legislative session, Patrick spearheaded the passage of SB13, a bill prohibiting state pension funds from investing with woke firms that have signaled they are going to stop financing fossil fuel companies.
A none-too-pleased BlackRock operative was making the rounds in Austin this week as a result. This is a good start, however:
This should have started ten years ago.
Much more needs to be done now.
Just one example: Everyone agrees that social media companies censoring conservatives is bad. There are strong cases that the new Texas law (or mucking around w/ Section 230 at the federal level) will produce unintended consequences worse than the original issue.
But there’s nothing, except lack of political will, to stop Texas’ public pension funds from divesting from Facebook. Don’t get us started on the University of Texas’ endowment.
Truthfully, however, using pension funds, etc., to undertake rearguard actions against yesterday's bad actors won’t cut it. Texas needs to become a global haven for capital. As that happens, due to our sheer size, it can impact events far beyond our borders.
What’s happening with Blackrock is a great “proof of concept,” but more is needed, and all it takes is the political will.
TED CRUZ discussed school choice at TPPF’s policy orientation’s final lunch today.
His remarks were noteworthy for their forthright acknowledgment that school districts are the largest employers in rural communities.
While this is an obvious point that’s been true for ages, it’s not been discussed this openly. (AC)
SCOTUS has again delayed the left’s attempts to halt Texas’ Heartbeat Law. This is the second bit of good news this week. Yesterday, SCOTUS refused again to fast-track a challenge to the law, instead sending it back down to a lower court.
Also, the constitution is silent on the issue of abortion, despite Elana Kagan’s uneducated claims to the contrary.
ELAINE AYALA, a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, is confused about the Republican dominance of Texas.
In an intro to an article about how Bobby Francis O’Rourke can win in November (he can’t), Ayala suggests redistricting is why Democrats aren’t in power in the Lone Star State.
John Cornyn, in 2020, who represents the entire state, won by a 10 point margin. Donald Trump won by nearly 6 percent in an election that was 100 percent about defeating the bad orange man.
Bobby isn’t running for a gerrymandered seat, and his opponent isn’t Trump.
Weird reasoning aside, the two points for hope for Ayala appear to be O’Rourke’s fundraising prowess and cold weather.
Will Bobby Francis match the $79 million he raised and spent in a losing effort in 2018 to Ted Cruz? Perhaps, but Democrats will be defending more important seats all over the country, and 2018 was a pick-up environment for Democrats.
The second hope is rooted in an obsessive fascination and betting that the current cold snap will trigger PTSD that will last until November, and Texans will blame incumbent Republicans for a once in a hundred-year weather event.
Sounds like we’ve got a winner political strategy.
Hit the links
The Arnolds are starting a Houston non-profit news site
Kids skip school, pretend it has to do with COVID
East Texas Democrat Official Pleads Guilty to Voter Fraud
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