Seniors, children, women, teachers, immigrants, the list of rancor our governor has towards various groups of people continues to grow. One example of Abbott’s heartlessness is the infamous freeze of 2021 that killed over 200 Texans with the elderly being the majority. Then Abbott disgracefully awarded us the title of having the 2nd deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Let’s not forget his ban on Critical Race Theory which limits a teacher’s instruction on the topic of race, past and present, in our country. Furthermore, there’s his blatant attack on the rights of the LGBTQ community. Finally, Abbott has created the harshest abortion laws in the country leading other states to follow and eventually leading to the death of Roe vs. Wade. These are just some of the reasons why Texas needs to go blue this November. Governor Abbott’s irresponsible actions, in-actions and prejudices have led Texans to untimely deaths, constraints of liberties and even food shortages.
Let’s begin with some Texans who have died under Abbott’s watch. The first sad event was the deadly Texas freeze of February of 2021. So deadly in fact, that according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 246 people were killed. Nearly 60 percent of those people ranged in age from 60 to 99. Abbott’s response was to lay blame on ERCOT. However, Abbott is the one who appointed the Public Utility Commission that is supposed to regulate ERCOT. These regulators along with Abbott knew that the turbines and gas wells weren’t properly weatherized. However, instead of spending money on fixing the power grid to protect the needs of Texans, Abbott chose to prioritize the needs of the electricity providers. This is just one example of how Abbott would rather take care of big business than the people of his home state. Another example would be his loyalty to Trump and the NRA over the safety of Texans, especially that of our school children. Case and point, the tragic Covid deaths of school children and the horrific shooting in Uvalde.
In the fall of 2021, Covid cases started to rise, but our governor ignored them. Instead, he made it hard for any school district to mandate masks. He even went on to say that if any school district shut down or forced its students and faculty to wear masks, they would have state funds taken away. Why? Because Abbott was scared to lose Trump’s support. His political ambitions were more important than the lives of Texas school children. The result? Within the first two weeks of school, Covid cases among students in Texas rose to 50,000. By September 3rd, 2021, 59 students had died and Texas led the country with the most student deaths. Fortunately, by the spring, Covid cases did begin to improve. Of course that did nothing for the lives lost in the fall and Covid wouldn’t be the only threat to school children. No, our governor’s political ambitions and love for the NRA would be the nail in the coffins of 19 elementary students and 2 school teachers on May 24, 2022. To date, the massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas is the second deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. A record like this isn’t something to brag about. Furthermore, a month later on June 13th, a gunman entered a summer camp near Dallas terrifying children ages 4-14 when he fired his gun towards them. Fortunately, police responded quickly and the only fatality was the shooter. Still our governor hails the almighty NRA making only minor improvements on gun laws. For instance, how is it still legal for an 18 year old to buy an AK 47 but not beer? How does that make sense? This kind of leadership is setting our state up for another tragedy. Our governor is ass backwards and so are the citizens that vote for him. Everyone speaks of being “woke,” in our country, but I think a great many Texans are still sleeping. If our governor is so intent on giving Texans all their liberties, then why isn’t cannabis legal? Because there’s no money in it for him. While he would gain the respect, admiration and votes of the everyday hardworking Texan, like teachers and nurses, he’d also be considered super cool and gain the votes of the younger generation, like Millennials, and Gen Zers. Sadly, the respect and admiration from these groups is nothing compared to the money from big pharma and the alcohol industry, along with right wing conservatives and other extremist groups. Again, it’s all about political ambition and money for Abbot. I can’t understand how Texans are blind to this fact.
Next on Abbott’s hate list are women and the LGBTQ community. For instance, Abbott hails the rights of Texans to carry guns, wear masks or get vaccinated, but those rights don’t pertain to women and their bodies. Instead, it’s an all out war on women in Texas. Abortions are illegal after six weeks. Unfortunately, most women don’t even know they’re pregnant then. Furthermore, Abbott wants private citizens to report anyone suspected of seeking an abortion after the six week period. He’s encouraging this type of vigilante behavior by awarding a bounty of up $10,000 if the suspicions prove to be true. Even an Uber driver can get into trouble for taking someone across state lines to get an abortion. Does Abbott want to peg neighbors against neighbors and create mobs? What of the LGBTQ community? Their rights are slowly being taken away, as well. Abbott wants to have families investigated for child abuse if they’re considering gender affirming care for their trans children.
Last, are the immigrants that Abbott has a great disdain for. He even recently authorized the National Guard and the Texas Department of State Troopers to arrest and return immigrants to ports of entry on the Mexican border. Also, he used taxpayer money to charter busses to drive these immigrants all the way to D.C. Even the president of Mexico is calling Abbott’s actions immoral. While Texas clearly has an immigration problem, there has to be a humane way to handle it. Not only has Abbott shown just how prejudiced he is of these people seeking sanctuary, but he’s even causing food shortages by holding the trucking companies hostage at the borders.
Our freedoms and liberties are not guaranteed. If we turn a blind eye, we can lose them. We must be proactive and aware. Because even if you don’t fall under one of the ill fated categories such as women or teachers, it’s only a matter of time before Abbott comes for your rights. After all, no one ever thought Hitler would be a real threat until he took the lives of some 6 million Jews. Let’s not give Abbott any more power than he has and let’s not be dictated by a Nazi/Communistic type of regime. Let’s vote blue and secure the rights for all Texans.
