Texas Governor Wants To Amend The Constitution So States Can Ignore The Federal Government

[vkkv]

Source: Huffington Post



Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Friday proposed a series of amendments to the U.S. constitution that would permit states to override the Supreme Court and ignore federal laws.

One of the proposed measures would allow a two-thirds majority of the states to override federal regulations, while another sets the same threshold for overturning decisions by the Supreme Court. The governor also wants to change the Constitution to block Congress from "regulating activity that occurs wholly within one state," and to require a supermajority of seven Supreme Court votes before a "democratically enacted law" can be overturned.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/texas-constitutional-amendment_569018cce4b0cad15e64c589

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Um, I thought that conservatives want us all to ABIDE BY the CONSTITUTION more STRICTLY...

Dem. FL Rep Cummins is right.. TX = "crazy state".

[truthisfreedom]

1. Hey, a guy can dream, right?

The things repukes say to pander to their base.

[roguevalley]

40. Texas has a lot of traitors lately. What a clod hopper this guy is.

[NV Whino]

2. The Texas governor is an ass.

[TexasBushwhacker]

61. And a hypocrite

He's always been a big supporter of tort reform, including limiting malpractice rewards in cases of permanent paralysis to $250K. But when a tree fell on him 30 years ago, leaving him a paraplegic, he sued the homeowner and their tree service company To date he has received approximately $6 MILLION. He says that different though.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

70. I think it was 10.5 million.

That he lives off of. But everyone else needs tort reform. Damned hypocrite.

[jalan48]

3. I think we need to get the majority of states to vote to give Texas back to Mexico.

[glinda]

24. I am for that.

[GeoWilliam750]

25. The demographics are shifting, and it may not be long before Texas goes from red to blue

Unless massive voter suppression is successful - which is a real possibility.

Would hate to abandon all of those decent people to the tender mercies of the nutcases.

Get Out The Vote. Monitor the polls. Paper ballots (a little less easy to hijack than electronic votes).

[MisterP]

33. and a turnover in party leadership--we need more Anns

[Joe Shlabotnik]

43. Monoliths fall eventually.

Up here in Canada, the province of Alberta recently ousted 42 years of Conservative domination for the NDP. The times, they are a changin.

[ananda]

49. They have been saying this for years ...

... and yet here we are, redder and crazier than ever!

[lastlib]

36. But they have to take Poppy & DimSon, too.

Of course, that's a terrible thing to do to Mexico, but they'd fit right in with the criminal element down there.

[treestar]

52. Mexico called and said "no thanks"

[RKP5637]

54. K&R!!! n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Ignore with one exception: in case of emergency!

[christx30]

12. Yup, next hurricane

or unregulated gas plant explosion levels the town, Texas will be there wanting some FEMA money.

[LiberalElite]

55. And when they think they don't get it fast enough-

they'll have another reason to blame the gubmint.

[kentauros]

41. I know you're being facetious, Peggy,

but it's an unfortunate fact that far too many of my so-called "fellow" Liberals on DU would more than happy to see the federal government be conditionally compassionate when it comes to helping only certain areas of the country. They still haven't figured out that you win hearts and minds by being compassionate to all, not just the people you like.

[atreides1]

46. Really

"They still haven't figured out that you win hearts and minds by being compassionate to all, not just the people you like."

You can't win the hearts and minds of fanatical zealots, no matter what you do! There are SS veterans who still believe that their "cause" was right and just...and it's been 70 years since the end of the war!

And how do you explain the continued existence of the KKK or the Neo-Nazi groups? Fanatics minds cannot be changed, and they see compassion as weakness to be taken advantage of...and that's exactly what they will do!

[kentauros]

63. The majority of the populace are not fanatics.

nt

[sharp_stick]

5. Has there been a treasonous

state of the confederacy that hasn't tried this bullshit in the past?

These fucking shitheads need to lose some Federal funding...Might be a good time to start moving military bases back up North and making sure that Federal money goes to actual American States.

[SheilaT]

6. Didn't we fight a war over this some 150 years ago?

And didn't that side LOSE?

Honestly, I'm all for cutting lose states like that. They'd be amazed at how much they actually depend on federal largesse just to survive.

[rurallib]

7. I thought so, but for being losers they sure do get their way a lot.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

50. It's not rebellion to amend the constitution by constitutional means.

[onecaliberal]

8. Don't fucking call us after your natural disaster either.

[vkkv]

10. Many of us feel the same, but those who don't just might send an alert about your post...

From one Calif. to another..

You might want to delete and re-post something a bit more eloquent...

[christx30]

15. Speaking as a Texan for the last 40 years,

I apologize for our disgrace of a governor. Wish it was Wendy Davis in office. And I totally agree with you. Texas loves to want to ignore the feds, but ready to accept every dime of federal money we can get.
And any time there is a school bond election, the people can be relied upon to vote against it. We're closing schools right and left. There's actually a proposal to put ads on the sides of school buses for extra money (this comment brought to you by Dominos Pizza. We're not cardboard and tomato sauce any more). It's absolutely sick.

[vkkv]

16. Get out the Vote!

The Gerrymandering is KILLING you guys.

How else does Gohmert keep winning???

[kentauros]

42. Gomer wins because he represents (North) East Texas

(also called West Louisiana.) He doesn't represent the whole state. You're thinking of Cruz and Cornyn.

East Texas is considered "a whole 'nuther country" by the rest of Texas. Just like many other states that have Redneckistan halves to their states, such as Washington and California.

[onecaliberal]

21. I'm sorry. Christx30.

It's folks like you living there that keep me from wishing they'd drop off the planet.

[elmac]

9. That would be great

if we could ignore Texas too. Oh, wait, I already ignore Texass.

[vkkv]

11. !!!

Yeah, but they STILL manage to make the news... bummer.

[pangaia]

13. If memory serves, a majority, or at least a very large percentage,

of those fighting against Santa Anna were not even from Texas, were not Texians and were not Tejanos
So, Abbott, you owe the rest of us big time. Just shut up.

[DhhD]

19. Most all Texians received headright grants of land from the Republic of Texas that were accepted

by the US upon statehood in 1845.

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mpl01
snip
The Republic of Texas made many headright grants, that is, grants given on the condition that specified requirements be met by the grantees. Under the Constitution of 1836 all heads of families living in Texas on March 4, 1836, except Africans and Indians, were granted "first class" headrights of one league and one labor (4,605.5 acres), and single men aged seventeen years or older, one-third of a league (1,476.1 acres). By later laws "second class" headrights of 1,280 acres to heads of families and 640 acres to single men were granted to those who immigrated to Texas after the Texas Declaration of Independence and before October 1, 1837, and who remained in the republic for three years and performed the duties of citizenship. "Third class" headrights of 640 acres for heads of families and 320 acres for single men went to recipients who immigrated to Texas after October 1, 1837, and before January 1, 1840. In 1841 "fourth class" headright certificates of 640 acres for family heads and 320 acres for single men were granted conditionally to residents who immigrated to Texas between January 1, 1840, and January 1, 1842. A total of 36,876,492 acres was granted by the republic in headright certificates.
Much more at link.

[pangaia]

29. Very informative.

I knew somebody would know a lot more that I do about it all.

[Baitball Blogger]

14. Oh. You mean, they want to formalize what they're doing already?

[SmittynMo]

17. Just let them secede

and be done with them. They've pretty much been living in their own world for decades now anyway.

[hobbit709]

18. Hard to believe that out of our last 3 governors, George was the smart one.

[DhhD]

20. Abbott is a lock step with Ted Cruz to replace a Democratic Republic with a Dominionist Theocracy.

They propose to replace the US Constitution and Bill of Rights with the Dominionist interpretation of the Holy Bible of the Seven Mountains.

It is the crazy state. I live in it.

[davidpdx]

22. How did he ever get through school let alone pass the bar exam and than get elected governor?

This is like the sequel to a bad movie:

First there was GW Bush, then Rick Perry, now the biggest fuck up of them all.....Greg Abbott

[Tennis Magnet]

26. I'm wondering how he lived past his bar mitzvah age.

[DhhD]

56. Abbott sees himself as a Catholic Right Wing Apostle. Catholic Priests are joining the Dominionist

Movement along with other leaders:
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/dominionism-and-religious-right-merger-complete
snip
We noted a while ago that Jim Garlow, who serves as Chairman of Newt Gingrich's Renewing American Leadership is a Seven Mountains advocate and close friend of Lou Engle, so it is no surprise to see him featured on the front page of Pray and A.C.T's website ... but it is surprising to see Gingrich's organization openly aligning itself with Engle's new organization - and it is even more surprising to see all of the other Religious Right leaders who have also climbed on board:

Jim Garlow, Skyline Church & Renewing American Leadership
Chuck Colson, Founder Prison Fellowship & BreakPoint
Che Ahn, Harvest International Ministry
Vonette Bright, Co-Founder, Campus Crusade for Christ, International
Bishop Keith Butler, Founding Pastor, Word of Faith International Christian Center
Kristina Arriaga, Executive Director, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
Jim Daly, President & CEO, Focus on the Family
Lou Engle, TheCall to Conscience, TheCall
Father Joseph Fessio, Editor in Chief, Ignatius Press, San Francisco
Maggie Gallagher, National Organization for Marriage
Professor Robert George, Princeton University
Professor Timothy George, Dean, Beeson Divinity School
Jack Hayford, Founder and Chancellor, The King's College and Seminary
Mike Huckabee, Former Governor of Arkansas & Host, The Mike Huckabee Show
Bishop Harry Jackson, Jr., High Impact Church Coalition
Alveda King, Silent No More Awareness Campaign
Richard Land, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
Ron Luce, Founder, Teen Mania & Battle Cry
Bishop Richard Malone, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland (Maine)
Eva Muntean & Dolores Meehan, Co-Founders, West Coast Walk for Life, San Francisco
Penny Nance, Concerned Women for America
Tony Perkins, Family Research Council
James Robison, Life Outreach, International
Samuel Rodriguez, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
Alan Sears, Alliance Defense Fund
Chuck Stetson, Let’s Strengthen Marriage Campaign

- See more at: http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/dominionism-and-religious-right-merger-complete#sthash.renlKEfe.dpuf


A huge network of Theocrats is rising to take down the Constitution.

[jmowreader]

68. I think the tree hit him on the head too

[Cassiopeia]

23. When R's say they want to abide by the Constitution

they mean the Second Amendment.

Everything else could be scratched out and they would finally be happy.

[3catwoman3]

27. That is the only part of the Constitution...

...they know about or care about.

[mindwalker_i]

28. Can't they just become the lone-star state again?

If they don't want to obey the national government, then get the fuck out of the nation. Open-ccarry to their hearts-content and shoot each other.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

30. no surprise

serious mind problems on display

[Fuddnik]

31. I want to pass a law that says we can ignore Texas.

[dflprincess]

32. So he wants a 2/3 vote of the states to overturn the Supreme Court?

We already have that. It takes a 2/3 majority to add a new amendment to the Constitution and an amendment may be written to overturn a decision by the court.

[Jim Lane]

35. Currently it takes 3/4, not 2/3

Also, the amendment would first have to be proposed by Congress (2/3 in each house) or by a new convention.

Of course, getting into this level of detail is somewhat superfluous. Abbott knows this will never happen. He's just posturing for the base.

[dflprincess]

67. OMG I knew that

I feel incredibly dumb to have made this mistake (Civics was always my strong suit.)

Thank you for correcting me gently.

[Scalded Nun]

34. Don't expect anything resembling normal coming out of this state

The really sad thing is that not too long ago we had lots of reasonably smart, common-sense type folks.

Some died off, others left, and a ton turned to the dark side.

It is enough to make you cry.

[lastlib]

37. This dipshit needs Barbara Jordan to teach him some constitutional law.

(hell, we ALL need Barbara Jordan! She could lay some good Texas whoop-ass on this MOron and his ilk.)

[former9thward]

66. What constitutional law?

What he is proposing is in the Constitution (Article V) which allows a convention to change the Constitution to anything they want.

[Odin2005]

38. Did these idiots not learn about the failure of the nullication BS in history class?

[DonCoquixote]

39. I apolgize to all the liberals in texas

and I will be the first to demand all liberal texans be allowed in, but if Texas wants to be separate so bad, I am tempted to let them, and then see Mexico reclaim it's former land so fast it will make heads spin.

[LTG]

44. Texas potentially has a much more powerful tool than their imagined right of secession

If Texas really wants to screw with the balance of political, conservative power in the U.S., they have at their disposal a potentially very powerful weapon. While their annexation agreement does not contain the mythical right of secession it does, as I understand it, have a right reserved to Texas to divide itself into 5 separate states. I believe it had something to do with maintaining a balance of slave vs non-slave states in the west.

It would appear that Texas has the right to unilaterally establish the borders of 5 separate states, from the area now making up the state of Texas. The U.S. government would then have to admit them, adding 8 new Senators to the Senate. House seats, being allotted by population, would probably not change. Divided properly this would add 3 and possibly 4 new conservative "Texas" states to the Union. It wouldn't really affect Presidential or House elections much, but it could heavily impact the Senate.

At least that's how I recall the agreement reading. If they don't have the right to leave, they must just decide to stay and screw with the rest of us.

[cap]

45. Poland tried this with a one nobleman veto

It did not work out well for the country.

[Vinca]

47. How will they feel when we relocate NASA, military bases and other installations,

relocate the Border Patrol agents, cut off disaster funding and all subsidies, stop sending Medicare and SS checks and bill them for use of the Interstate highways . . . for starters? Ignoring the federal government cuts both ways.

[Hugin]

48. Is there no end to the hatred of the US for some?

I invite them to leave and live anywhere else.

I'm quite sick of their making this an unhealthy and dangerous country.

[still_one]

51. Idiot. Sorry Texas, but the last several govenors have really been embaressments to your state

[RKP5637]

53. The way I read this he wants, in essence, to overthrow the federal government. He's a jerk!!! n/t

[EndElectoral]

57. I thought that conservatives want us all to ABIDE BY the CONSTITUTION more STRICTLY...

No, just the way they as a party interpret the constitution.

[lark]

58. So, we can get rid of Citizens United?

Can we pass a law that our federal taxes can't be used for the war machine? There could be a silver lining, lol. Of course, this will never happen. TX just likes to act stupid and pose for their tealiban.

[kimbutgar]

59. Secede already

The fed should close the military bases, pull out any federal property and let them build a wall to to their texasnustan country, give sane people a year to get the hell out of the state.

[sinkingfeeling]

60. When can the federal government cut all spending of government money in Texas?

[valerief]

62. I think they call that secession. nt

[JCMach1]

64. Fuck you Abbott, we fought a Civil War over this same shit...!

[LiberalLovinLug]

65. So

No National Guard service
No any armed forces service, Marines, Navy, ....
No Social services
No Federal food inspectors or product safety inspectors
No FEMA
No US flags, stars n stripes.
No support for Olympic athletes
No National anthems, like This Land is Your Land
No....

Okay then. I wonder how many Texans would like this.

[raccoon]

69. Texas, just secede and get it over with. nt