Only for a Woman
Only for a Woman ....
You know, we really shouldn't be surprised that it was a woman fighting for women's rights that leads our Texan neighbors to this kind of idiocy:
Texas lawmakers spent months searching for ways to cut state expenses — and then racked up around $1.6 million in new costs during two special sessions.
Now they are on the verge of facing a third special session, if Gov. Rick Perry keeps his word to call them back if they fail to pass a crucial transportation funding bill. It’ll take a political miracle for the bill to be approved today after the House failed to approve it Monday.
“Most people [run for office] based on the assumption that this is what they will do for five months out of the year,” said state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth. “Now, the fact is that [lawmakers] have had to make a trip to Austin every week since December.
“There is a high level of frustration among members,” he said. “It’s interfering with people’s lives, and now there’s a chance we could go back for a third.”
That frustration may be spilling over into other areas, as some lawmakers are sounding off how much it costs the state each time they are called back to work.
Each special session, which may last up to 30 days, costs around $800,000 once the 150 House members and 31 Senate members receive $150 a day for living expenses, as well as a small travel allowance.
“I am upset at the cost,” said state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake. “I think we need to remember why we are having this extra special session. One state senator, in an effort to capture national attention, forced this special session.
“I firmly believe that Sen. Wendy Davis should reimburse the taxpayers for the entire cost of the second special session,” he said. “I am sure that she has raised enough money at her Washington, D.C., fundraiser to cover the cost.”
(Tinsley)
Only for a woman could someone think up the idiotic notion that a legislator ought to reimburse the state for a successful filibuster.
Then again, imagine that idea applied in Congress.
Of course, here's the thing:
• Governor Perry calls special session to settle a transportation bill. Republican legislators attempt to make the session about abortion; Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis successfully filibusters the legislation.
• Legislature gathers for a second special session. Republicans ram through the anti-abortion legislation.
• Legislature gathers for third special session, intending to finally settle the transportation bill that warranted the first special session.
— Rep. Giovanni Capriglione thinks Wendy Davis should pay for the second special session, since the legislature that came together in the first special session to settle a transportation bill failed to pass the anti-abortion legislation it wanted, needed a second session to do so, and now everyone is tired and grouchy about having a third special session in order to finally deal with the transportation bill.
Thinking of Congress, I would remind that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell once
filibustered his own bill. I wonder if we might start charging Republicans for the human damage they cause in the U.S. and around the world by filibustering the Senate into paralysis.
I mean, you know, I would think anything and everything from parliamentary immunity to basic human sense should be sufficient ot explain what the hell is wrong with Rep. Capriglione's suggestion, but, hey, you know ... she's a woman. So why the hell not?
Here in Washington state, some people saw it coming, but it was too late to do anything about it, so many voted for the Democrats in two state senate races, hoping it wouldn't happen. And after the new session began, the pair rolled caucuses, ceding the state Senate to Republicans and paralyzing the government even worse than when Democrats had a supermajority and refused to use it. But here's the thing about that: Last year, the state was found to be in constitutional violation of its obligation to fund the schools properly. One effect of the newly-empowered Republican majority is that we now have to have a long, drawn out argument—one that is
never settled either way—about whether it is worth the money to fund the schools. Owing to Rep. Capriglione's suggestion, perhaps we ought to bill Sens. Tom and Sheldon, and take the billion-plus dollars we're obliged to put toward additional educational funding out of their hides.
Oh, right. State Senate Majority Leader Rodney Tom wants to
fine every legislator for special sessions. Which is an odd thing to suggest when one's whole purpose as Majority Leader is to keep the entire legislature in gridlock.
Still, though, at least Tom's idea would be fair insofar as it applied to everyone. And the entire session.
Rep. Capriglione of Texas? He just wants a special rule because Sen. Wendy Davis is a woman. Seriously. And don't even try to jump on that uncertainty bandwagon; the extraordinary suggestion here is that a man filibustering any special session diversion having anything to do with anything other than women's issues would earn such a suggestion. This isn't even
look at the birdie. This is
look at the bitch, and hate her for being the bitchy bitch bitch-bitch that she is. This is pure hatred. This is Texas pride.
I mean,
never mind that the whole thing could have been avoided by Texas legislative Republicans
doing their damn jobs and settling the transportation bill in the first place. Really, how
dare that
woman make them spend a
second special session ignoring their damn jobs in order to go after
women!
This is one of those things where you think Capriglione, whose nickname really ought to be "Prig" after this—
Hey, Prig! Wha's shakin'?—must necessarily be playing some long-awaited performance art opportunity and ... well, that's just the thing. In Tom's case, he can always fall back to making a joke. That one, at least, is well established in the Evergreen State. And, you know, since their work year is already over?
Never mind. It's just one of those things. Like the dude who fingerbanged a couple firearm-safety demonstrators on his way into a fundraiser headlined by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH). Good one, dude. You just "shot" someone who lost her mother to gun violence, and whose father barely survived the hit on a third person, a friend whose neighbor held some sort of idiotic grudge. Oh, and also someone whose daughter survived two bullets to the head during the Virginia Tech massacre. Yeah, maybe next time he can wank at a couple of sex abuse survivors. You know, it just goes over wrong, and maybe there are just some times certain jokes are bound to fail.
Capriglione cannot, it seems, hide behind humor. But if at some point his staff decides to try that tack, well, really, consider the context. This is the biggest
fuck you he could give Texas women, the biggest flex he could give his manhood, without actually whipping it out.
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Notes:
Tinsley, Anna M. "Two special sessions likely cost Texans more than $1.6 million". Star-Telegram. July 30, 2013. Star-Telegram.com. August 3, 2013. http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/07/29/5039090/two-special-sessions-likely-cost.html
Santos, Melissa. "Senate leader suggests fines to speed work". The News Tribune. July 9, 2013. TheNewsTribune.com. August 3, 2013. http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/07/09/2671234/senate-leader-suggests-fines-to.html