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The idea is that legislating should not be a full time job. So legislators meet every couple of years and consider how existing law has worked for the people of

The idea is that legislating should not be a full time job. So legislators meet every couple of years and consider how existing law has worked for the people of the state and then change the laws as needed. The governor can call a special session if something pressing needs to be addressed. I think it is a good system, we see the effects of politicking being a profession in DC, also when you're spending all your time making laws you tend to make too many of them. Texas isn't perfect and has a few unjust or otherwise inappropriate laws, but their system works for them and the hundreds of thousands of other people who move there every year.

vb6sp6 5y ago
It's a bad system imo. State house reps only make 7200 a year. Which means legislators need other income. And they also need 6 months off every two years. The only people I know that can do that are extremely wealthy.
- brailsafe 5y ago
  I haven't made 7200 in the last year or worked at all, and I'm poor af as result :)
- betwixthewires 5y ago
  Well, you can disagree with it if you want, but look at the results. They seem to be happy with it, and I do like the idea that making laws should not be a full time job. What sort of system do you think makes more sense?
  - vb6sp6 5y ago
    Results of what? Texas isn't some magical place that works better than any other large state. And you could make the argument that it can be worse than other states. For example, hurricane Harvey brought on major flooding in 2017. It took them two years to come up with something to try and help (prop 8 2019) because they aren't there working.
    - betwixthewires 5y ago
      The standard of living in Texas is higher than the national average, the rate of poverty is lower, the cost of housing is lower, the tax burden on lower incomes is lower, the infrastructure quality is higher than most states, the cost of that infrastructure is lower. I can find you a plethora of ways in which Texas is better functioning as a state than comparable size economies as well as national average, and I can find you ways in which it isn't also that probably need attention, but you want to see the real result of the differences in the way the state is run, look at interstate migration patterns.
      - vb6sp6 5y ago
        Texas ranks 37th in Poverty Rate at 16.0%(poverty rankings by state). The Poverty Rate of Texas is slightly higher than the national average of 14.6 Texas has one of the lowest literacy rates Approximately 5.2 million Texans were uninsured last year, or about 18.4 percent of the state's population. That's double the national average of 9.2 percent. The 2021 Report Card resulted in a Texas GPA of a “C”. It graded 12 individual categories of infrastructure. Energy received the highest grade earning a “B+,” yet the wastewater and levee networks need additional support having both been graded a “D.” So I'm not really seeing the greatness despite more people moving here.

vb6sp6 5y ago

It's a bad system imo. State house reps only make 7200 a year. Which means legislators need other income. And they also need 6 months off every two years. The only people I know that can do that are extremely wealthy.

brailsafe 5y ago
I haven't made 7200 in the last year or worked at all, and I'm poor af as result :)
betwixthewires 5y ago
Well, you can disagree with it if you want, but look at the results. They seem to be happy with it, and I do like the idea that making laws should not be a full time job. What sort of system do you think makes more sense?
- vb6sp6 5y ago
  Results of what? Texas isn't some magical place that works better than any other large state. And you could make the argument that it can be worse than other states. For example, hurricane Harvey brought on major flooding in 2017. It took them two years to come up with something to try and help (prop 8 2019) because they aren't there working.
  - betwixthewires 5y ago
    The standard of living in Texas is higher than the national average, the rate of poverty is lower, the cost of housing is lower, the tax burden on lower incomes is lower, the infrastructure quality is higher than most states, the cost of that infrastructure is lower. I can find you a plethora of ways in which Texas is better functioning as a state than comparable size economies as well as national average, and I can find you ways in which it isn't also that probably need attention, but you want to see the real result of the differences in the way the state is run, look at interstate migration patterns.
    - vb6sp6 5y ago
      Texas ranks 37th in Poverty Rate at 16.0%(poverty rankings by state). The Poverty Rate of Texas is slightly higher than the national average of 14.6 Texas has one of the lowest literacy rates Approximately 5.2 million Texans were uninsured last year, or about 18.4 percent of the state's population. That's double the national average of 9.2 percent. The 2021 Report Card resulted in a Texas GPA of a “C”. It graded 12 individual categories of infrastructure. Energy received the highest grade earning a “B+,” yet the wastewater and levee networks need additional support having both been graded a “D.” So I'm not really seeing the greatness despite more people moving here.