Fumigate Texas

Strangers are always asking me, “Bob, what’s the worst state in the union?” To which I reply, “Let me see your hands.”

Ha ha! Just a bit of levity during a pandemic in a heavily armed nation!

I could reply: “Do you mean the lowest per capita income? That would be West Virginia, Mississippi and Arkansas.”

Or: “Do you mean the lowest percentage of people fully vaccinated? That would be Alabama, Mississippi and Wyoming.”

Or: “Do you mean the highest percentage of people in prison? That would be Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma.”

Or: “Do you mean the highest rates of infant mortality? That would be Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia.”

Or I could reply: “Do you mean which state has the most racist, sniveling, arrogant, corrupt and idiotic high-ranking elected officials? That would be Texas.”

Let’s narrow this snark hunt down to events of the past few weeks.

First, we had Gov. Greg Abbott testing positive for Covid-19, less than three hours after he greeted an unmasked crowd north of Dallas — Abbott described it as “standing-room only” — while more than 13,000 Texans were hospitalized with Covid. The Chairman of the hosting Collin County Republican Club described Abbott’s behavior at that event as “friendly and energetic.”

Abbott, by executive order in May, barred cities, counties, school districts and public health authorities from mandating masks or vaccines during the pandemic.

On Aug. 9 he asked other states to send doctors and nurses to Texas to help treat Covid patients at Texas’s overwhelmed hospitals. On Aug. 17, he tested positive for the virus.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan quickly put out a press release saying he was praying for Abbott's recovery.

Well, that ought to fix it.

But wait, there’s more. On Aug. 19, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — who under Texas law has as much or more power than the governor — claimed that Black folks are primarily responsible for spreading Covid in Texas. And Patrick — who claimed that same-sex marriage would lead to legalization of incest — added that Black folks “vote for Democrats.”

“The last time I checked, over 90 percent of them vote for Democrats in their major cities and major counties,” Patrick told The Washington Post. (After the 2016 Orlando shooting at a gay nightclub that killed 49 people and wounded 53, he tweeted: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”)

Actually, as the Post pointed out, Black folks account for 13% of Texas’ population, and 10.2% of its Covid deaths. And unvaccinated white Texans outnumber unvaccinated Black folks 3 to 1.

So let me get this straight: Is the Loot Guv saying that if we prevent Black folks from voting (for Democrats) “in their major cities and major counties,” that would be a giant step toward public health?

Slithering on down the greasy pole of Texas politics, we get to Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been under felony indictment since 2015 for securities fraud and influence-peddling, but has staved off his trial for 6 years by legal tap dances. Paxton this week announced with great brouhaha that anonymous people in his own office had investigated him — their boss, and found him innocent.

The criminal prosecution against Paxton proceeds.

And let us not forget Sen. Ted Cruz, who claims:“Joe Biden and the Democrats hate red states like Texas and Florida, that we reopened … because we protect people's freedoms. Joe Biden is trying to play politics with the pandemic.”

Playing politics with public health in a pandemic! “The horror! The horror!” *

Texas and Florida, of course, lead the nation in new Covid-19 infections. Florida has averaged 21,673 per day in the past week, and Texas 17,022 (a new infection every 40 seconds). They also lead the nation in patients hospitalized with Covid: Florida with 17,183 on Thursday, and Texas with 13,478. No other state had even 9,000 hospitalized Covid patients on Thursday.

Let’s pause now for a moment and let me rephrase our opening statement.

Which state most brazenly proclaims its stand for racism, ignorance, and spitting upon public health?

Texas.

(Sorry, Florida, maybe you can do worse next week.)

* Mr. Kurtz, he dead.

Categories / Op-Ed