The Senate Health and Human Services Committee just passed the “Choose Life” license plates bill by a 5-1 vote.

Dallas GOP Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, said he’d support an amendment that would create a license plate advocated by pro-choicers – who want the state to sell plates advocated both sides of the issue – if they can get the votes for it. But since the votes aren’t there for it, the bill will hit the Senate floor as is.

via Choose Life plates speed through Senate committee | Trail Blazers Blog | dallasnews.com.

The Derp, Derp legislature continues.  This was sad news, as I’ve met John Carona and didn’t think he was a total d-bag.   My bad.

BTW, did you know that Texas is going to require ID’s from all voters…except for Tea Party folks?  Yup, that’s the plan…

AUSTIN – A House panel is debating legislation that would require most voters to present a photo ID before casting a ballot.

The bill, being heard Tuesday in a special House committee, has already cleared the Senate and is on the fast track for approval in the Legislature. Democrats and civil rights groups say the legislation would erect new voting hurdles for minorities and the poor. Republicans say it’s needed to combat voter fraud.

The bill exempts people over 70.

Read more: http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/House-takes-up-Texas-voter-ID-bill-1036425.php#ixzz1FNg4HFKw

You know how it is, separate rules, but “equal”.  Should work just fine, like it did last time.

What other fine ideas are they throwing around in Austin?  Let’s take a look..

As proposed, House Bill 2012 would create tough state punishments for those who “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly” hire an unauthorized immigrant. Violators could face up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.

But it is an exception included in the bill that is drawing attention. Those who hire unauthorized immigrants would be in violation of the law — unless they are hiring a maid, a lawn caretaker or another houseworker.

That’s to make sure future gubernatorial candidates don’t have to pass jail on their way to the statehouse.   See…it’s just fine to hire illegals, but only as servants.   Can we brand them with little Mexcian-stars too?  That will make them easier to round up when the next inevitable step is taken after de-humanization.

Other silliness?

Leo Berman [R] himself has filed a number of immigrant-related bills this legislative session. One would make English the official language of Texas, a move that would save millions in printing costs, he said. The law wouldn’t affect schools or ballots, he added.

Aaah, how nice, and doubleplus feelgood for the teatarded and totally useless for the rest of us.   I’m guessing this guy didn’t notice the census.   Or the research, but whatever.

Another bill would place an 8% surcharge on all money wired from Texas to Latin America. About $480 million could be collected from money sent to Mexico alone, the representative said. The proceeds would be earmarked for state hospitals.

This is pretty slick…get a bunch of cheap, underclass workers with no chance of assimilation, make it illegal to talk to them in their own language, and then rip them off when they try to wire the money home.     Add in the extra 6.2% (well, 4.2% this year) that everyone with a fake social security number pays (they pay into the system, but never pull out), and you see why this quote came next…

Amid all of these tough proposals, why the large exception to Riddle’s bill on hiring unauthorized workers?

Riddle did not return repeated calls for comment. Her office said she would not comment on the bill because it could still be modified.

In a interview with the Texas Tribune, Riddle’s chief of staff, Jon English, explained that the exception was to avoid “stifling the economic engine” in Texas.

This, BTW, is an economic engine driven by cheap labor.   The plan, as it stands, seems to be to try and set up a permanent underclass down around these parts.   I’d guess it’s going to be a rather dismal failure, but then again, when has any government run by Republicans not been? (serious question…I’d love to see the record for *other* governments run by a single party of Republicans…like Texas is now…it led the U.S. into our worst economy in a century)

And as a final cherry in the you’ve-got-to-be-frickin-kidding-me news from Texas.  Here’s out geographically challenged longest-serving governor ever…

During a sit down with reporters on Monday, the Texas governor incorrectly identified Juarez — located across the Rio Grande, and border, from El Paso — as “the most dangerous city in America.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/50368.html#ixzz1FNkmd7ve

So we’ve got a legislature that is doing its best to turn actual Texans into an underclass, and a Governor who uses Mexicans dying by the thousands as a reason the President isn’t doing his job protecting Americans.

It’s a great state, really it is, but it seems many have forgotten what makes it great.