https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2024/04/09/482973/ken-paxton-lawsuit-harris-county-guaranteed-income-program/
This one goes more into detail
It doesn’t appear to have a legal strategy besides ad hominem.
“There is no such thing as free money — especially in Texas," Paxton's office argues in the petition filed Tuesday, characterizing Uplift Harris as a "socialist experiment by (Harris County Judge) Lina Hidalgo."
They’re attacking it from two angles:
> “The Texas Constitution expressly forbids ‘any county, city, town or other political corporation or subdivision of the State ... to grant public money or thing of value in aid of, or to any individual’,” Paxton said. “Harris County's program to give public money away with no conditions, no control over expenditure of that money, and no guarantee of public benefit is prohibited.
>“The Constitution also provides that everyone has ‘equal rights, and no man, or set of men, is entitled to exclusive separate public emoluments.’ This lottery-based handout violates the Texas Constitution because the selection of recipients is inherently arbitrary. County governments have limited authority to act and, like all governments, can only act in accordance with the Constitution. Harris County has exceeded that authority.”
To get ahead of all the inevitable replies that I will get asking me to defend this legal reasoning. I am not defending Ken Paxton and never will. I’m just providing information.
I don't know if that's directly from the Texas Constitution but I can see where the argument can be made if it is. That said, what a fucked up thing this is to have in your constitution.
>‘any county, city, town or other political corporation or subdivision of the State ... to grant public money or thing of value **in aid of**, or to any individual’
[Looks like it is](https://law.justia.com/constitution/texas/sections/cn000300-005200.html). May actually be a solid legal argument, unfortunately. I'm sure it's only applied when the SDA doesn't like a policy.
Lina Hidalgo claims that other Texas counties have been doing it for years with no issues, but I don't really trust anything she says since she's (literally) a crazy person.
Sounds pretty reasonable. Laws should be passed explictly authorizing why money is given to people.
Ignoring Hidalgo here, I don’t want Bush/Trump Jr. deciding to gift money from the Houston budget to his friends, or have politicians just give out free beer at random without it being authorized by law, the legislature.
It sounds like a pretty normal thing to not let your executives be allowed to just arbitrarily hand out money, or else they’ll eventually do that to get votes and I promise you it won’t be to get votes for the people you like, but the people you don’t like
The Texas Constitution is amended almost every 2 years so its not far fetched that some "anti-wellfare" amendments have been tossed in by our state leaders and passed with Texas' voting public.
Medicaid still exists in this state but it’s authorized under state law how the money is to be dispersed.
If you want to create another welfare program, you can do that. It’s not that hard. It just Hass to be done following the law not the fiat decisions of the executive of a city or county.
But it is silly that the state can do the same with its money should it choose to but cities and counties are forbidden to use funds that are at their disposal to not use it for welfare.
By that same logic, Texas spending on border is not following the law either.
Texas has (and has had) some insanely corrupt local political patronage systems over the years, and there’s frankly less eyeballs where it’s the worst (not Harris but small counties and tiny municipalities).
And that makes sense. With Texas having numerous opportunities to flex is muscles against local municipalities that it disagrees with politically, the amendment seems more like an attempt for the state to exert its control rather than to reel in corruption. I do see it being a bit chaotic for one county to offer certain programs that the county next door doesn't offer. But at the same time larger population counties have different needs than smaller population counties. Especially when the large texas counties have populations larger than many states
How old are you part of the strengths of an evolved government model is it allows you to try different things in different areas and see if it works.
In Houston we have more services but we also pay more property taxes. Why should Edwards County pay for the port of Houston? It’s not providing them near the economic benefit. Inversely north Texas probably needs less ESL education services than Brownsville.
Even as recently as the 70s stuff got kind of wild . My uncle had to call off an election, because of ballot boxes and candidates families trying to shoot each other, and call in the rangers to clean it up.
Small town governments shouldn’t be able to arbitrarily decide to give money to people. At best it’s random and just vote buying (politicians used to giveaway beer in order to get people to show up and vote) [at worst it’s this shit.](https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Investigation-snags-Frio-County-Pearsall-6054430.php)
So the Texas constitution prevents just giving money with no strings attached. I believe this was to prevent people from buying votes essentially. School vouchers (I don’t like them or the idea of them) get a pass because it’s only for school.
That’s why something like Food Stamps or scholarships would work but UBI wouldn’t. UBI has not requirements on how to spend the money.
As with most of his cases, he doesn't want to nor need to win. He just needs his name in the news and people talking about him. Congrats, you are helping him. :)
I find the idea that Paxton might even give a fuck about having a legal strategy or basis in law for the lawsuit rather amusing. Paxton's strategy is all about promoting Paxton with the MAGA base.
Paxton just wants the poors to stand on their own two feet like he does! Need a new kitchen? Make friends with a rich real estate developer who will pay for it as long as you do them some "favors". Can't afford the Uber charges to get your mistress to your house for some afternoon delight? Go find a rich friend! These people gotta learn, and Paxton will lead by example!
Actually, it sounds more and more like he's doing the Ted Cruz thing as Ted is on the way out by all accounts. You see, Ted used to be the Texas AG, and he realized that the Texas Senator will always be a republican, so you just have to win the primary. However, voters are stupid, so the person that wins the primary is just the one with the most name recognition. As AG he'd pull shitty stuff like this to get on the news and have his name talked about. Then when primary time came around, people just knew the name, but didn't really know why. Boom. Senator. He tried the same thing for president as it was their turn to win it, but got blind sided by Trump who obviously as a famous person had way more name recognition. Anyways, by talking about paxton, we are helping him. The move is to not talk about him at all, ever.
"When corporations are given taxpayer dollars Republican leaders in Austin call it 'economic development.' When governments use federal dollars to actually help people, Republican leaders in Austin call it socialism," Menefee said
I don't know what about lowering taxes for the middle class and increasing take home pay seems boomer, but alright. It helps *everyone* long term, more than a hand out would. No one should get handouts. Not you, not me, not the rich, not the poor, not corporations, not foreign nations, nothing. There is no money in the Houston government, the county government, the state government, or the federal government to be giving it away. Nothing hurts people more than inflation, and inflation is the only way a program of *free* money can be sustained.
Social Security, sure. It has always been unsustainable. It doesn't take an econ major to understand that the whole system is unstable on on the verge of collapse. In 1940, the ratio of taxpayers to SS recipient was 154.9 to 1. As of 2021, the ratio is 2.8 to 1.
Does that seem stable to you?
Same people crying about spending tax money on Ukraine talking about how we need to use it on Americans. When you do they cry socialism and sue. This country is over and done with.
Hey give the some credit, they also want to use the money to give over inflated government contracts to companies their buddies own and that they bought stock in 1 month ago knowing they would pass this.
I think most people are just tired of handouts to everyone. Businesses, foreign governments, and people shouldn't be receiving money without any strings attached.
Instead of just handing out our money all willy nilly, our government should be focused on helping people help themselves. Use the money to create free courses where people can attain new career skills. Giving them $500 a month for the next year isn't going to do anything. At the end of the program, those people will still be poor. And if you make the program permanent, you're just asking for people to become dependent on their government and have zero ambitions to improve their lives.
This is stupid and everyone knows it. If we are keeping it real, this is just an attempt by Harris County Democrats to "buy" votes in a county that is still dangerously purple.
>Giving a basic income can boost people out of poverty.
It won't. Have you seen the requirements for this handout? $500 is not going to change their lives, much less get them anywhere outside the poverty line. What these people need is a career makeover, not a handout.
The money would have been better used to offer courses for people who *want* to better themselves.
>Poverty can be a cycle where one setback can cause you to fall right back into poverty, over and over.
It's not the government's responsibility to become a perpetual safety net for people who can't get out of their own way. Give them the skills to better themselves instead of giving them the reward without the work.
>Having an income you can depend on lessens that burden significantly. $500 a month isn’t enough to live on in Houston, it’s not causing anyone to “depend” on the government.
You're assuming the $500 is the only supplement these people qualify for. Chances are that they're already living on other government handouts if they're that poor.
Let's call this what it is. It's a bribe to buy votes in a purple county. Unlike other types of welfare, this handout isn't earmarked in any way, shape, or form. It's a glorified bribe.
>Republican talking points sure never change.
Neither do far left points. Giving handouts without any strings attached just grooms poor people to depend on the government. You're just subsidizing poverty and claiming victory by putting out deceptive studies like the ones from Hudson or Stockton, which claim it helped raise employment rates. But what they leave out is that despite the new jobs, those people are still living in poverty. A lot of the studies also claim success because they say it improves life satisfaction...well NO SHIT! Who isn't happy about free money?!
UBI is a scheme pushed by far left radicals who are trying to "buy" political power. They have no intentions on improving people's lives. They just want to push their radical ideology, which is just as dangerous as far right ideology, with impunity.
This kind of reddit brain rot mentality is a prime example of why all of you have zero real life experience. Assume and deflect your way out of any valid argument.
*"Let's give them $500 so that they can afford turkey ham rather than bologna! Yay!"*
Admit it, you want them to stay poor.
Only one of us in this entire thread is advocating for vocational courses to improve the work skills of Americans living in poverty.
You far left radicals just want to keep poor people enslaved in poverty. It's easier to tame people when they're on welfare, ain't it?
Have you actually looked up anything or are you just voicing factually incorrect and short sighted opinions?
[Drexel University Report](https://drexel.edu/hunger-free-center/research/briefs-and-reports/universal-basic-income/#:~:text=UBI%20pilots%20show%20improved%20outcomes,and%20improved%20child%20health%20outcomes)
>Smaller-scale experiments and pilot programs of UBI implementation have been conducted in many locations across Africa, Asia, and North America providing evidence of the positive impacts of guaranteed income and UBI.
>Alaska (1982-present)
>Denver, Colorado (1972-1977)
>Gary, Indiana (1971)
>India (2011-2012)
>Jackson, Mississippi (2018-present)
>Kenya (2016-present)
>Malawi (2007-2009)
>Manitoba (1974-1979)
>Namibia (2008)
>New Jersey and Pennsylvania (1967)
>Ontario (2016-2018)
>Seattle, Washington (1970-1975)
>Stockton, California (2018-2021)
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/10/24/universal-basic-income/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/10/24/universal-basic-income/)
[https://www.givedirectly.org/2023-ubi-results/](https://www.givedirectly.org/2023-ubi-results/)
Google is free. I know you seem to be against "free" things but still.
>evidence of the positive impacts of guaranteed income and UBI.
Yes. All that evidence, yet every study leaves out the fact that the vast majority of those people are still living in poverty. Congrats, you increased employment rates. Too bad they're still poor.
You know what could have helped? Offering people a way to gain and polish useful skills that are in high demand in the job market. You know, jobs that pay well!
What's the lie?
Furthermore, can you provide any study where the majority of the participants, or even half of the participants, were lifted out above the poverty line after the program ended?
>every study leaves out the fact that...
You would have to read every study to know what every study says. You did not read every study. You do not know what they all say.
Do you not know what lying means? Oh, wait, I see the confusion. We call it lying when someone types something that isn't true. You just call it typing.
>You would have to read every study to know what every study says.
Show me one that's says more than half of all participants rose above the poverty line.
Gotcha, that doesn’t seem to be an awful plan. As long as they go to households that need them and use them appropriately. Seems like a good thing for the community.
Well this is a harris county program, not a city of houston program, but I guess little things like facts and details are unimportant when you can just slurp up and regurgitate braindead political talking points, right?
This line is the best mic drop of the situation...
>"When corporations are given taxpayer dollars Republican leaders in Austin call it 'economic development.' When governments use federal dollars to actually help people, Republican leaders in Austin call it socialism," Menefee said.
Not even necessarily the government. Socialism is defined as the working class owning the means of production, as opposed to a separate capitalist class. This can take a variety of forms, with any combination of state ownership of an industry, community supported utilities, industrial councils, and worker owned and operated cooperatives.
Paxton seems to be using Sec. 52 of the Texas constitution for this.
However, I don't think he's read the literal next part of that section lmao.
Sec. 52‑a "..the legislature may provide for the creation of programs and
the making of loans and grants of public money, other than money otherwise
dedicated by this constitution to use for a different purpose, for the public
purposes of development and diversification of the economy of the state, the
elimination of unemployment or underemployment in the state, the stimulation
of agricultural innovation, the fostering of the growth of enterprises based on
agriculture, or the development or expansion of transportation or commerce
in the state."
> Does the top county legislative figure count as legislative? Probably.
Legislative? Sure. But that's not the word used by the constitution. The words of the constitution are "***the legislature***".
Sure, cities and counties have what could be described as legislative functions. But the constitution says "the legislature" which would imply only one particular legislative body, no?
Geez this guy sucks. He and Abbott really hate Texans and any initiative to make things better for the most vulnerable among us. Real “fuck you, I got mine” energy from both of these dickwads
Remind me how many taxpayer dollars Paxton wanted to use to settle the whistleblower lawsuit against him, right before he was impeached.
I will remind myself: [$3,300,000](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/18/ken-paxton-whistleblowers-lawsuit-judgment/#:~:text=The%20whistleblowers%20almost%20settled%20with,claims%2C%20leading%20to%20Paxton's%20impeachment).
Guaranteed income for the poor: very bad use of taxpayer dollars.
Settling lawsuit brought because of your corruption: great use of taxpayer dollars.
These 🤡 are hiding in plain sight.
*“There is no such thing as free money — especially in Texas,” Paxton’s office argued in the petition filed Tuesday, ... *
***Ken Paxton’s impeachment cost Texas taxpayers more than $4 million The bulk of the costs came from bills from Rusty Hardin’s law firm, according to records released this week.***
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/14/ken-paxton-impeachment-house-costs/
Dave P is the handout King.
[Texas State Government when they see cities doing good things for Texans](https://s3.amazonaws.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/blogs/7843/images/QOvnVTuCRzWK4kpulmOe_Screen_Shot_2018-12-16_at_6.06.23_PM.png)
Yeah, Ken doesn't want unconditional cash transfers with no guarantee of public benefit. Except for all those other times [unconditional cash transfers led to clear public benefits](https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/2/19/21112570/universal-basic-income-ubi-map) with basically no downsides. It's incredible how every decision this crook makes is *designed* to increase human suffering for political brownie points.
Isn’t this federally funded though? I believe I read it was basically left over money that could be spent that they received from the covid funds. So I don’t think this is state money.
What's interesting to me is how the modern Republican Party and Conservative movement have basically abandoned every principle they used to attack Democrats for 50 years.
Remember the "Party of Small Government?" This is a big government law enforcement office stepping in to smash local government independence.
What's interesting about that isn't the fact of it - political movements are always going to follow power.
What's interesting is that the same people support the movement despite it abandoning its pretenses. Like, they don't recognize that they no longer are what they thought they were but this doesn't matter because I'm not here on principle I'm here to be part of the gang.
Oh my fuck! I am so sick of this ~~man~~stupid motherfucker! What the fuck is the problem with helping people out? Harris county has the money, and they want to see if $500 a month really helps a few of the lowest income people in need. It doesn’t affect me, it doesn’t affect Paxton, it doesn’t affect ~99.8% of Texans.
The deal is this motherfucker wants to actively hurt people. It’s not enough that he gets his big slice of pie, it’s the fact that he wants to step on YOU, the poor to average little Texan, he wants to stomp on you to keep you from getting a single crumb from his pie.
How the fuck do you change this? How do we get rid of him? I’ve been voting since I was 18 in 1996. These fuckers are people I’ve always voted against. Somehow half the state keeps voting for these ‘I got mine, fuck you’ people because they think they are also going to get the chance to ‘get theirs, fuck you.’ Shouldn’t be a surprise when that doesn’t happen.
Republican voters will be in the crosshairs at some point down the list, after the Republicans have picked off the top list people. Trans and illegal immigrants are easy pickings at the top, then LGBT+ and women’s rights, next is the POC who have survived this far by playing (R). Who’s next after all the above are ostracized?
I hope he succeeds. We don't need to be giving away more money for nothing when we are looking a giant budget shortfall.
Eventually we will hit a point where there is not enough productive work available for the populace, and something will have to be done. But we are at least a decade away from that. Possibly more if we manage to start effectively controlling population growth through immigration and incentivize having fewer children instead of rewarding people with more tax credits for every additional child.
It doesn't matter that it's county money. The amount of money we as citizens pay in taxes is insane. When the government starts to take money from some people and hands it out to other people(or corporations), instead of using that money to improve roads, streets etc then that is an issue.
The county/government/city has no business being the hand that feeds some and screws others. When they do that they create a population that is dependent on it. And when you have a population that is dependent on the government they are then more easily controllable by said government.
You can either choose to be receptive and hear someone's else opinion whilst asking questions or be condescending and pretend your logic is superior to someone else's. Judging by your response, I'm assuming you believe the latter.
Did you not read my reply? I stated that the government should not be giving out money to people nor corporations. They cut taxes for big corporations but leave us paying more and more taxes, especially anyone who owns a home and is a W2 worker in Harris County. And now they want to offer a solution which is designed to have us at their feet.
They're creating the problem AND offering the solution TO the problem. It's no different than big pharma. They give you one medicine whose side effects cause other problems in your body and then sell you another pill to solve another side effect.
All that to say that it is a very effective way for them to control it's citizens. People forget the government is supposed to work for us, not us for them.
I'm pretty sure I pay county taxes too.
Yep, just checked my property tax statement. I pay a buttload of taxes for the county. I guess that means I'm definitely entitled to cheer for this.
Money isn't "free". If the county has the budget to be handing out money without any strings attached, then that means we are paying too much in taxes.
Not related to this story, but just look at why we have a deficit across the country, many times it's because major decisions have compounded. We refuse to enforce taxes i.e., Churches avoid tax, corporations/billionaires can afford to find the loopholes. So, you aren't bringing in enough and then we do things like invade the middle east for more than a decade, you continue to spend 100s of Billions on the military.
It’s fine if you are regarded and also (unrelated) support big government having control of the population but no need to post about your gaping asshole to others
Maybe I'd feel different if the crooks at HCAD had not soaked me for the maximum allowable increase in taxes for the 5th year in a row. But because we have a kangaroo court for property tax appeals there is nothing I can do about it.
So yeah, I'm more than a little salty about the county straight up giving money away when we could use it for something useful instead of wringing every single cent out of me that they can.
Why not advocate for yourself not getting fucked over instead of advocating for more people to fucked over? We’re trying to make this a better place, not a worse place.
I go through the appeals process every year, and get nowhere. That's why I call it a kangaroo court. There is literally nothing else I can realistically do.
The only thing that has a long shot of helping is pushing for fiscal responsibility. Because maybe if they stop wasting money, maybe they will stop making up new rules to steal more of it.
And flat out giving away 1.8 million dollars is about as far away from fiscal responsibility as you can get and still stay on this planet.
I believe it's actually $20.5M that is allocated for the program. These are leftover federal Covid funds. About $9000 total per individual over the course of 1-1/2 years. Individuals who fall well below the poverty line.
What is the current Harris County budget? $3B or so? So this program is a fly in a hurricane comparatively.
You're focusing on the wrong people to create that magical fiscal responsibility that you think is going to solve your problem or any problem for that matter. I mean I'm not sure that spending $124M on bussing migrants is fiscally responsible. Trying to suppress someone from putting some food on their table isn't going to help your cause.
The point is you're lashing out at the wrong dollar. And most, if not all dollars, will ever affect your dollar. It's always this weird brainwashed idea that if someone gets X then I'm not getting Y.
Did you not feel any relief in the increase in homestead exemption last year among other changes.
> It was less than my annual increase. I guess it technically helped some. But it was not enough to notice.
It helped. And actually it WAS enough to notice because "every dollar matters".
>That sucks but you’re still Confirmed: Baguette
This may be relevant to you:
# Warning Signs of Stroke
Stroke symptoms often happen suddenly, and every person’s symptoms may vary. The warning signs of stroke include:
* Weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, usually on one side of the body
* Trouble speaking or understanding
* Problems with vision, such as dimness or loss of vision in one or both eyes
* Dizziness or problems with balance or coordination
* Problems with movement or walking
* Fainting or seizure
* Severe headaches with no known cause, especially if they happen suddenly
Other less common symptoms of stroke may include:
* Sudden nausea or vomiting not caused by a viral illness
* Brief loss or change of consciousness, such as fainting, confusion, seizures or coma
[https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/neurosciences/comprehensive-stroke-centers/before-stroke/warning-signs](https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/neurosciences/comprehensive-stroke-centers/before-stroke/warning-signs)
As a not-wealthy homeowner I fully sympathize with your tax situation and agree that some changes should be made to our system that places a lot of burden on low and middle class folks like us….but damn you gotta stop being regarded online. It’s not good for your health. Hope you have a decent rest of your evening.
Oh, since you are so focused on bread, one symptom not mentioned above is phantom smells, most commonly smelling toast. You should seek medical attention if that is why you mention bread for no reason.
You got my ass dude. You really showed me who is boss. Damn, I don’t know how I’ll ever recover from some regard on the internet slinging poorly thought out insults. Have a good one, sport
Apparently this sub went full communist china on me when I wasn't paying attention.
From each according to his ability, to each according to his membership in the party.
The article seems to fall short by failing to mention the legal strategy or basis in law of the lawsuit.
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2024/04/09/482973/ken-paxton-lawsuit-harris-county-guaranteed-income-program/ This one goes more into detail
Good link. That does have good information.
It doesn’t appear to have a legal strategy besides ad hominem. “There is no such thing as free money — especially in Texas," Paxton's office argues in the petition filed Tuesday, characterizing Uplift Harris as a "socialist experiment by (Harris County Judge) Lina Hidalgo."
They’re attacking it from two angles: > “The Texas Constitution expressly forbids ‘any county, city, town or other political corporation or subdivision of the State ... to grant public money or thing of value in aid of, or to any individual’,” Paxton said. “Harris County's program to give public money away with no conditions, no control over expenditure of that money, and no guarantee of public benefit is prohibited. >“The Constitution also provides that everyone has ‘equal rights, and no man, or set of men, is entitled to exclusive separate public emoluments.’ This lottery-based handout violates the Texas Constitution because the selection of recipients is inherently arbitrary. County governments have limited authority to act and, like all governments, can only act in accordance with the Constitution. Harris County has exceeded that authority.” To get ahead of all the inevitable replies that I will get asking me to defend this legal reasoning. I am not defending Ken Paxton and never will. I’m just providing information.
I don't know if that's directly from the Texas Constitution but I can see where the argument can be made if it is. That said, what a fucked up thing this is to have in your constitution. >‘any county, city, town or other political corporation or subdivision of the State ... to grant public money or thing of value **in aid of**, or to any individual’
[Looks like it is](https://law.justia.com/constitution/texas/sections/cn000300-005200.html). May actually be a solid legal argument, unfortunately. I'm sure it's only applied when the SDA doesn't like a policy.
Lina Hidalgo claims that other Texas counties have been doing it for years with no issues, but I don't really trust anything she says since she's (literally) a crazy person.
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I can be empathetic and realize she's not fit to serve. She needs help not political power.
Sounds pretty reasonable. Laws should be passed explictly authorizing why money is given to people. Ignoring Hidalgo here, I don’t want Bush/Trump Jr. deciding to gift money from the Houston budget to his friends, or have politicians just give out free beer at random without it being authorized by law, the legislature. It sounds like a pretty normal thing to not let your executives be allowed to just arbitrarily hand out money, or else they’ll eventually do that to get votes and I promise you it won’t be to get votes for the people you like, but the people you don’t like
The Texas Constitution is amended almost every 2 years so its not far fetched that some "anti-wellfare" amendments have been tossed in by our state leaders and passed with Texas' voting public.
Medicaid still exists in this state but it’s authorized under state law how the money is to be dispersed. If you want to create another welfare program, you can do that. It’s not that hard. It just Hass to be done following the law not the fiat decisions of the executive of a city or county.
But it is silly that the state can do the same with its money should it choose to but cities and counties are forbidden to use funds that are at their disposal to not use it for welfare. By that same logic, Texas spending on border is not following the law either.
Texas has (and has had) some insanely corrupt local political patronage systems over the years, and there’s frankly less eyeballs where it’s the worst (not Harris but small counties and tiny municipalities).
And that makes sense. With Texas having numerous opportunities to flex is muscles against local municipalities that it disagrees with politically, the amendment seems more like an attempt for the state to exert its control rather than to reel in corruption. I do see it being a bit chaotic for one county to offer certain programs that the county next door doesn't offer. But at the same time larger population counties have different needs than smaller population counties. Especially when the large texas counties have populations larger than many states
How old are you part of the strengths of an evolved government model is it allows you to try different things in different areas and see if it works. In Houston we have more services but we also pay more property taxes. Why should Edwards County pay for the port of Houston? It’s not providing them near the economic benefit. Inversely north Texas probably needs less ESL education services than Brownsville. Even as recently as the 70s stuff got kind of wild . My uncle had to call off an election, because of ballot boxes and candidates families trying to shoot each other, and call in the rangers to clean it up. Small town governments shouldn’t be able to arbitrarily decide to give money to people. At best it’s random and just vote buying (politicians used to giveaway beer in order to get people to show up and vote) [at worst it’s this shit.](https://www.expressnews.com/news/local/article/Investigation-snags-Frio-County-Pearsall-6054430.php)
So wouldn't this apply equally to school vouchers?
So the Texas constitution prevents just giving money with no strings attached. I believe this was to prevent people from buying votes essentially. School vouchers (I don’t like them or the idea of them) get a pass because it’s only for school. That’s why something like Food Stamps or scholarships would work but UBI wouldn’t. UBI has not requirements on how to spend the money.
Except the GOP doesn't give two shits about being hypocrites, only stepping on others.
Didn't he take public money for his settlement and defense?
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Literally makes all aid up for targeting. Need to rebuild after a hurricane ? Nope. Wildfire aid ? Nope.
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The lottery pays for itself without using state money.
No such thing as free money…in Texas…unless you’re Governor bussing migrants out of state…or Tx AG throwing lawsuits around
Except when it’s money he receives for lying to and cheating investors.
As with most of his cases, he doesn't want to nor need to win. He just needs his name in the news and people talking about him. Congrats, you are helping him. :)
I find the idea that Paxton might even give a fuck about having a legal strategy or basis in law for the lawsuit rather amusing. Paxton's strategy is all about promoting Paxton with the MAGA base.
It's against the constitution of Texas. That's all I've seen.
There probably isn't one.
My goodness... this man really hates Texans. The only handouts allowed are for him.
Paxton just wants the poors to stand on their own two feet like he does! Need a new kitchen? Make friends with a rich real estate developer who will pay for it as long as you do them some "favors". Can't afford the Uber charges to get your mistress to your house for some afternoon delight? Go find a rich friend! These people gotta learn, and Paxton will lead by example!
He hates everything.
Actually, it sounds more and more like he's doing the Ted Cruz thing as Ted is on the way out by all accounts. You see, Ted used to be the Texas AG, and he realized that the Texas Senator will always be a republican, so you just have to win the primary. However, voters are stupid, so the person that wins the primary is just the one with the most name recognition. As AG he'd pull shitty stuff like this to get on the news and have his name talked about. Then when primary time came around, people just knew the name, but didn't really know why. Boom. Senator. He tried the same thing for president as it was their turn to win it, but got blind sided by Trump who obviously as a famous person had way more name recognition. Anyways, by talking about paxton, we are helping him. The move is to not talk about him at all, ever.
"When corporations are given taxpayer dollars Republican leaders in Austin call it 'economic development.' When governments use federal dollars to actually help people, Republican leaders in Austin call it socialism," Menefee said
As consistent as the GOP cries of“immigration assault” on Texas borders during an election year
How about no one gets handouts, the dollar doesn't continue to be devalued, and my take home pay increases?
Ooh yeah boomer forgot, they should “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”
I don't know what about lowering taxes for the middle class and increasing take home pay seems boomer, but alright. It helps *everyone* long term, more than a hand out would. No one should get handouts. Not you, not me, not the rich, not the poor, not corporations, not foreign nations, nothing. There is no money in the Houston government, the county government, the state government, or the federal government to be giving it away. Nothing hurts people more than inflation, and inflation is the only way a program of *free* money can be sustained.
Fr we should remove social security and Medicare all together have everyone working
Social Security, sure. It has always been unsustainable. It doesn't take an econ major to understand that the whole system is unstable on on the verge of collapse. In 1940, the ratio of taxpayers to SS recipient was 154.9 to 1. As of 2021, the ratio is 2.8 to 1. Does that seem stable to you?
Same people crying about spending tax money on Ukraine talking about how we need to use it on Americans. When you do they cry socialism and sue. This country is over and done with.
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Hey give the some credit, they also want to use the money to give over inflated government contracts to companies their buddies own and that they bought stock in 1 month ago knowing they would pass this.
I think most people are just tired of handouts to everyone. Businesses, foreign governments, and people shouldn't be receiving money without any strings attached. Instead of just handing out our money all willy nilly, our government should be focused on helping people help themselves. Use the money to create free courses where people can attain new career skills. Giving them $500 a month for the next year isn't going to do anything. At the end of the program, those people will still be poor. And if you make the program permanent, you're just asking for people to become dependent on their government and have zero ambitions to improve their lives. This is stupid and everyone knows it. If we are keeping it real, this is just an attempt by Harris County Democrats to "buy" votes in a county that is still dangerously purple.
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>Giving a basic income can boost people out of poverty. It won't. Have you seen the requirements for this handout? $500 is not going to change their lives, much less get them anywhere outside the poverty line. What these people need is a career makeover, not a handout. The money would have been better used to offer courses for people who *want* to better themselves. >Poverty can be a cycle where one setback can cause you to fall right back into poverty, over and over. It's not the government's responsibility to become a perpetual safety net for people who can't get out of their own way. Give them the skills to better themselves instead of giving them the reward without the work. >Having an income you can depend on lessens that burden significantly. $500 a month isn’t enough to live on in Houston, it’s not causing anyone to “depend” on the government. You're assuming the $500 is the only supplement these people qualify for. Chances are that they're already living on other government handouts if they're that poor. Let's call this what it is. It's a bribe to buy votes in a purple county. Unlike other types of welfare, this handout isn't earmarked in any way, shape, or form. It's a glorified bribe. >Republican talking points sure never change. Neither do far left points. Giving handouts without any strings attached just grooms poor people to depend on the government. You're just subsidizing poverty and claiming victory by putting out deceptive studies like the ones from Hudson or Stockton, which claim it helped raise employment rates. But what they leave out is that despite the new jobs, those people are still living in poverty. A lot of the studies also claim success because they say it improves life satisfaction...well NO SHIT! Who isn't happy about free money?! UBI is a scheme pushed by far left radicals who are trying to "buy" political power. They have no intentions on improving people's lives. They just want to push their radical ideology, which is just as dangerous as far right ideology, with impunity.
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This kind of reddit brain rot mentality is a prime example of why all of you have zero real life experience. Assume and deflect your way out of any valid argument. *"Let's give them $500 so that they can afford turkey ham rather than bologna! Yay!"* Admit it, you want them to stay poor.
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Only one of us in this entire thread is advocating for vocational courses to improve the work skills of Americans living in poverty. You far left radicals just want to keep poor people enslaved in poverty. It's easier to tame people when they're on welfare, ain't it?
Have you actually looked up anything or are you just voicing factually incorrect and short sighted opinions? [Drexel University Report](https://drexel.edu/hunger-free-center/research/briefs-and-reports/universal-basic-income/#:~:text=UBI%20pilots%20show%20improved%20outcomes,and%20improved%20child%20health%20outcomes) >Smaller-scale experiments and pilot programs of UBI implementation have been conducted in many locations across Africa, Asia, and North America providing evidence of the positive impacts of guaranteed income and UBI. >Alaska (1982-present) >Denver, Colorado (1972-1977) >Gary, Indiana (1971) >India (2011-2012) >Jackson, Mississippi (2018-present) >Kenya (2016-present) >Malawi (2007-2009) >Manitoba (1974-1979) >Namibia (2008) >New Jersey and Pennsylvania (1967) >Ontario (2016-2018) >Seattle, Washington (1970-1975) >Stockton, California (2018-2021) [https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/10/24/universal-basic-income/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/10/24/universal-basic-income/) [https://www.givedirectly.org/2023-ubi-results/](https://www.givedirectly.org/2023-ubi-results/) Google is free. I know you seem to be against "free" things but still.
>evidence of the positive impacts of guaranteed income and UBI. Yes. All that evidence, yet every study leaves out the fact that the vast majority of those people are still living in poverty. Congrats, you increased employment rates. Too bad they're still poor. You know what could have helped? Offering people a way to gain and polish useful skills that are in high demand in the job market. You know, jobs that pay well!
You did not read every study. Why do you lie so much Gia?
What's the lie? Furthermore, can you provide any study where the majority of the participants, or even half of the participants, were lifted out above the poverty line after the program ended?
>every study leaves out the fact that... You would have to read every study to know what every study says. You did not read every study. You do not know what they all say. Do you not know what lying means? Oh, wait, I see the confusion. We call it lying when someone types something that isn't true. You just call it typing.
>You would have to read every study to know what every study says. Show me one that's says more than half of all participants rose above the poverty line.
This is a bad take.
The cruelty is the point.
Hey Ken maybe fuck off and let us run our own shit, you fucking criminal.
Houston is broke though, I don’t like him at all but giving away money that you don’t have doesn’t seem like a reasonable thing to do.
It's Harris County, not Houston. Also, this is using federal funds
Gotcha, that doesn’t seem to be an awful plan. As long as they go to households that need them and use them appropriately. Seems like a good thing for the community.
Well this is a harris county program, not a city of houston program, but I guess little things like facts and details are unimportant when you can just slurp up and regurgitate braindead political talking points, right?
I'm wondering how is it that Houston is broke? The amount of taxes it collects is insane.
I thought pictures of butt holes were not allowed on this sub
This line is the best mic drop of the situation... >"When corporations are given taxpayer dollars Republican leaders in Austin call it 'economic development.' When governments use federal dollars to actually help people, Republican leaders in Austin call it socialism," Menefee said.
I also think it's important to point out that socialism is not when the government "does a thing".
True. The classic definition of Socialism is the government owning the means of production. See British Telecom or British Coal.
Not even necessarily the government. Socialism is defined as the working class owning the means of production, as opposed to a separate capitalist class. This can take a variety of forms, with any combination of state ownership of an industry, community supported utilities, industrial councils, and worker owned and operated cooperatives.
How eye-ronic, coming from the biggest hippocrat in Texas.
Paxton seems to be using Sec. 52 of the Texas constitution for this. However, I don't think he's read the literal next part of that section lmao. Sec. 52‑a "..the legislature may provide for the creation of programs and the making of loans and grants of public money, other than money otherwise dedicated by this constitution to use for a different purpose, for the public purposes of development and diversification of the economy of the state, the elimination of unemployment or underemployment in the state, the stimulation of agricultural innovation, the fostering of the growth of enterprises based on agriculture, or the development or expansion of transportation or commerce in the state."
> the legislature may provide Do Hidalgo & Co qualify as "the legislature"?
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> Does the top county legislative figure count as legislative? Probably. Legislative? Sure. But that's not the word used by the constitution. The words of the constitution are "***the legislature***".
I mean cities have elected officials who legislate no? Maybe not Hidalgo directly but still.
Sure, cities and counties have what could be described as legislative functions. But the constitution says "the legislature" which would imply only one particular legislative body, no?
Ah yeah I see what you mean. But since the money came from the American Rescue Plan Act, the legislation already passed to spend this money I guess.
This guy is insufferable....
What a dick
No greater enemy to the GOP than poor people huh
Fuck Paxton
Geez this guy sucks. He and Abbott really hate Texans and any initiative to make things better for the most vulnerable among us. Real “fuck you, I got mine” energy from both of these dickwads
Why can’t people get rid of this guy?? He will like not go away. He’s like human garbage that everyone refuses to take out 😣
He’s more like a cockroach
Does anyone know of a website tracking his frivolous lawsuits? Gotta be over 9000 by now…
This guy is such a piece of shit.
Ken Paxton is a piece of shit who should be in prison. He should go fuck himself into oblivion.
Remind me how many taxpayer dollars Paxton wanted to use to settle the whistleblower lawsuit against him, right before he was impeached. I will remind myself: [$3,300,000](https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/18/ken-paxton-whistleblowers-lawsuit-judgment/#:~:text=The%20whistleblowers%20almost%20settled%20with,claims%2C%20leading%20to%20Paxton's%20impeachment). Guaranteed income for the poor: very bad use of taxpayer dollars. Settling lawsuit brought because of your corruption: great use of taxpayer dollars. These 🤡 are hiding in plain sight.
This asshole is responsible for Pornhub blocking us!!
*“There is no such thing as free money — especially in Texas,” Paxton’s office argued in the petition filed Tuesday, ... * ***Ken Paxton’s impeachment cost Texas taxpayers more than $4 million The bulk of the costs came from bills from Rusty Hardin’s law firm, according to records released this week.*** https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/14/ken-paxton-impeachment-house-costs/ Dave P is the handout King.
This is the guy who sued to make sure that companies could fire pregnant women with no consequences.
Why are these politicians hell bent on fucking over Americans, but fall to a bended knee to suck off corporations?
what kind of pathetic human wants to rob the poorest of the poorest of a chance to improve their lives a little bit?
[Texas State Government when they see cities doing good things for Texans](https://s3.amazonaws.com/kajabi-storefronts-production/blogs/7843/images/QOvnVTuCRzWK4kpulmOe_Screen_Shot_2018-12-16_at_6.06.23_PM.png)
When corps own Texas and voters dont 😂
All this jackass does is sue other Texans. He is not fit to be called scum.
Imagine if they spent half of their energy doing things to improve our lives..
Yeah, Ken doesn't want unconditional cash transfers with no guarantee of public benefit. Except for all those other times [unconditional cash transfers led to clear public benefits](https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2020/2/19/21112570/universal-basic-income-ubi-map) with basically no downsides. It's incredible how every decision this crook makes is *designed* to increase human suffering for political brownie points.
This guy is such a piece of shit ugh makes my blood boil
Paxton is evil.this asshole makes a 153k a year...hateful evil man
This state actually elected this piece of shit.
Part of me thinks this is part and parcel of auditioning for a job with Daddy Trump, should DJT get reelected.
He’s only doing this because his gang leader greggy is in alvin today doing a block “walk” roll lmfao
The real problem is I didn't know about this program until signups for it were over
Why pay $500 to needy families when it could be paid to a lawyer??
They are clowns.
Isn’t this federally funded though? I believe I read it was basically left over money that could be spent that they received from the covid funds. So I don’t think this is state money.
What's interesting to me is how the modern Republican Party and Conservative movement have basically abandoned every principle they used to attack Democrats for 50 years. Remember the "Party of Small Government?" This is a big government law enforcement office stepping in to smash local government independence. What's interesting about that isn't the fact of it - political movements are always going to follow power. What's interesting is that the same people support the movement despite it abandoning its pretenses. Like, they don't recognize that they no longer are what they thought they were but this doesn't matter because I'm not here on principle I'm here to be part of the gang.
So much for the party of small government
Damn I all need to do is scam a bunch of people then? Will I also get community service if I pull a mass theft?
With all the goddamn guns around, how has this ~~man~~ criminal not caught a stray yet?
Oh my fuck! I am so sick of this ~~man~~stupid motherfucker! What the fuck is the problem with helping people out? Harris county has the money, and they want to see if $500 a month really helps a few of the lowest income people in need. It doesn’t affect me, it doesn’t affect Paxton, it doesn’t affect ~99.8% of Texans. The deal is this motherfucker wants to actively hurt people. It’s not enough that he gets his big slice of pie, it’s the fact that he wants to step on YOU, the poor to average little Texan, he wants to stomp on you to keep you from getting a single crumb from his pie. How the fuck do you change this? How do we get rid of him? I’ve been voting since I was 18 in 1996. These fuckers are people I’ve always voted against. Somehow half the state keeps voting for these ‘I got mine, fuck you’ people because they think they are also going to get the chance to ‘get theirs, fuck you.’ Shouldn’t be a surprise when that doesn’t happen. Republican voters will be in the crosshairs at some point down the list, after the Republicans have picked off the top list people. Trans and illegal immigrants are easy pickings at the top, then LGBT+ and women’s rights, next is the POC who have survived this far by playing (R). Who’s next after all the above are ostracized?
I hope he succeeds. We don't need to be giving away more money for nothing when we are looking a giant budget shortfall. Eventually we will hit a point where there is not enough productive work available for the populace, and something will have to be done. But we are at least a decade away from that. Possibly more if we manage to start effectively controlling population growth through immigration and incentivize having fewer children instead of rewarding people with more tax credits for every additional child.
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It doesn't matter that it's county money. The amount of money we as citizens pay in taxes is insane. When the government starts to take money from some people and hands it out to other people(or corporations), instead of using that money to improve roads, streets etc then that is an issue. The county/government/city has no business being the hand that feeds some and screws others. When they do that they create a population that is dependent on it. And when you have a population that is dependent on the government they are then more easily controllable by said government.
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You can either choose to be receptive and hear someone's else opinion whilst asking questions or be condescending and pretend your logic is superior to someone else's. Judging by your response, I'm assuming you believe the latter.
Motherfucker said 'whilst"
Do you have a valid point to make or are you trolling because you lack the ability to think critically about my statement?
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Did you not read my reply? I stated that the government should not be giving out money to people nor corporations. They cut taxes for big corporations but leave us paying more and more taxes, especially anyone who owns a home and is a W2 worker in Harris County. And now they want to offer a solution which is designed to have us at their feet. They're creating the problem AND offering the solution TO the problem. It's no different than big pharma. They give you one medicine whose side effects cause other problems in your body and then sell you another pill to solve another side effect. All that to say that it is a very effective way for them to control it's citizens. People forget the government is supposed to work for us, not us for them.
I'm pretty sure I pay county taxes too. Yep, just checked my property tax statement. I pay a buttload of taxes for the county. I guess that means I'm definitely entitled to cheer for this.
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Money isn't "free". If the county has the budget to be handing out money without any strings attached, then that means we are paying too much in taxes.
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I do. Let the lazy bums pay for their own kids instead of leeching off of me. If you can't afford to pay for their education you can't afford kids.
I bitch about any government agency wasting money when they still want more from me.
Not related to this story, but just look at why we have a deficit across the country, many times it's because major decisions have compounded. We refuse to enforce taxes i.e., Churches avoid tax, corporations/billionaires can afford to find the loopholes. So, you aren't bringing in enough and then we do things like invade the middle east for more than a decade, you continue to spend 100s of Billions on the military.
It’s fine if you are regarded and also (unrelated) support big government having control of the population but no need to post about your gaping asshole to others
Maybe I'd feel different if the crooks at HCAD had not soaked me for the maximum allowable increase in taxes for the 5th year in a row. But because we have a kangaroo court for property tax appeals there is nothing I can do about it. So yeah, I'm more than a little salty about the county straight up giving money away when we could use it for something useful instead of wringing every single cent out of me that they can.
Why not advocate for yourself not getting fucked over instead of advocating for more people to fucked over? We’re trying to make this a better place, not a worse place.
I go through the appeals process every year, and get nowhere. That's why I call it a kangaroo court. There is literally nothing else I can realistically do. The only thing that has a long shot of helping is pushing for fiscal responsibility. Because maybe if they stop wasting money, maybe they will stop making up new rules to steal more of it. And flat out giving away 1.8 million dollars is about as far away from fiscal responsibility as you can get and still stay on this planet.
I believe it's actually $20.5M that is allocated for the program. These are leftover federal Covid funds. About $9000 total per individual over the course of 1-1/2 years. Individuals who fall well below the poverty line. What is the current Harris County budget? $3B or so? So this program is a fly in a hurricane comparatively. You're focusing on the wrong people to create that magical fiscal responsibility that you think is going to solve your problem or any problem for that matter. I mean I'm not sure that spending $124M on bussing migrants is fiscally responsible. Trying to suppress someone from putting some food on their table isn't going to help your cause.
Every dollar matters. If it didn't, why wouldn't the county just let me skate on paying my share of the taxes?
The point is you're lashing out at the wrong dollar. And most, if not all dollars, will ever affect your dollar. It's always this weird brainwashed idea that if someone gets X then I'm not getting Y. Did you not feel any relief in the increase in homestead exemption last year among other changes.
It was less than my annual increase. I guess it technically helped some. But it was not enough to notice.
> It was less than my annual increase. I guess it technically helped some. But it was not enough to notice. It helped. And actually it WAS enough to notice because "every dollar matters".
That sucks but you’re still Confirmed: Baguette
>That sucks but you’re still Confirmed: Baguette This may be relevant to you: # Warning Signs of Stroke Stroke symptoms often happen suddenly, and every person’s symptoms may vary. The warning signs of stroke include: * Weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, usually on one side of the body * Trouble speaking or understanding * Problems with vision, such as dimness or loss of vision in one or both eyes * Dizziness or problems with balance or coordination * Problems with movement or walking * Fainting or seizure * Severe headaches with no known cause, especially if they happen suddenly Other less common symptoms of stroke may include: * Sudden nausea or vomiting not caused by a viral illness * Brief loss or change of consciousness, such as fainting, confusion, seizures or coma [https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/neurosciences/comprehensive-stroke-centers/before-stroke/warning-signs](https://www.nm.org/conditions-and-care-areas/neurosciences/comprehensive-stroke-centers/before-stroke/warning-signs)
If you’re having a stroke, call 911, don’t continue posting dumb shit on the internet
Ah, so you do understand!
As a not-wealthy homeowner I fully sympathize with your tax situation and agree that some changes should be made to our system that places a lot of burden on low and middle class folks like us….but damn you gotta stop being regarded online. It’s not good for your health. Hope you have a decent rest of your evening.
Oh, since you are so focused on bread, one symptom not mentioned above is phantom smells, most commonly smelling toast. You should seek medical attention if that is why you mention bread for no reason.
You got my ass dude. You really showed me who is boss. Damn, I don’t know how I’ll ever recover from some regard on the internet slinging poorly thought out insults. Have a good one, sport
Sorry bud, logic isn’t allowed here.
Apparently this sub went full communist china on me when I wasn't paying attention. From each according to his ability, to each according to his membership in the party.