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Today’s Stories
GREG ABBOTT is becoming increasingly boxed in on education. This increases the odds that a school choice bill will pass next year. The strength of the measure is TBD.
This isn’t a new phenomenon, but the trend is accelerating.
Bobby Francis O’Rourke is attacking the Governor over the subject in rural Texas. This is smart politics, of a type at which the challenger occasionally hints. This could, potentially, be a potent issue in the hands of a Democrat with less baggage.
In the context of the 2022 general election, however, the Democrat does have that baggage. Thus, his attacks on vouchers are unlikely to connect.
This brings us back to the next session.
Suppose Democrats throw everything they’ve got at Republicans in rural Texas over school choice, and the Republicans win. In that case, those Republicans will have (a lot) fewer excuses to kill the bill.
Next step: Make Abbott commit to calling a special session if it doesn’t pass in the regular.
For additional signs that this issue is shifting, see the next item.
(anti-)“PARENT” PAC, the educrat front group, conducted a poll on various education issues. According to the poll, school choice enjoys plurality (near majority) support among Texas voters.
It’s impossible to overstate the brutality of that finding for the pro-status quo crowd. They can’t even spin the issue as being unpopular in their poll.
TRAVIS COUNTY looks like it’s doing something sensible of all places.
The county commissioner’s court is refusing to back down from a demand for an outside audit of the local hospital district’s arrangement with UT-Austin. The county suspects the university has failed to meet its commitment to provide indigent health care and is looking for proof.
It was always preposterous for taxpayers to (further) subsidize (at the local level) the medical school of the second wealthiest university in the world (which is already subsidized at the state level).
Taxpayers might have a way out after all.
Hit the Links
Conservatives are Coming for No-Fault Divorce
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