Republicans in revolt, and the suffering we accept

The benefits of a Bolivarian revolution?  ͏  ͏  ͏ [expressnews.com]( [View in Browser]( [Tomlinson's Take]( LABOR DAY SALE - EXTENDED! Get Unlimited Digital Access for Only 25¢. [Subscribe Today.](   --------------------------------------------------------------- [GOP Senators Take the High Road]( The Texas Senate [will proceed with only the second impeachment of a statewide official]( since the Republic of Texas acceded to the United States. Contrary to many expectations, more than two-thirds of the senators, including a majority of Republicans, decided against taking the easy way out and dismissing the charges. The House’s GOP prosecutors are [presenting their evidence]( that Attorney General Ken Paxton is too corrupt to continue in office. Some of us have [made this argument for almost a decade](, but Republican leaders can be stubborn. The impeachment, though, is not really about Paxton. Folks have considered Ken a snake at least since his days at Baylor, one of his classmates told me. But he’s good at preaching the Good Book, and he’s convinced some West Texas oilmen to back him; rumor has it he’s the Christian nationalist’s choice to replace U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. House Republicans told me they could hold their noses, that is until Paxton asked taxpayers to settle the whistleblower lawsuit filed by his top deputies for the asking price. Lawmakers did not want to use taxpayer money to pay off witnesses. Paxton and his right-wing supporters then overplayed their hand. They DEMANDED that the Legislature pay for the whistleblowers’ silence. No one likes to be pushed around, so state Rep. Andrew Murr dug a little into the allegations and found an unmarked sewage drain that led back to [300 W. 15th St.]( in Austin. Reasonable Republicans have put up with [Tim Dunne and Ferris Wilks]( sending their [kneecapper Michael Quin Sullivan]( to harass their staffs for a decade. The right-wing of the party has been [picking off quality conservatives]( for too long. Paxton’s misdeeds gave reasonable Republicans an opening to stop the radical right’s progress. Eliminating Paxton, strengthening Speaker Dade Phelan and weakening Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick would give reasonable Republicans space to represent their districts, not kiss Patrick’s ring or appease power-hungry true believers with fat checkbooks. The impeachment proceedings have also revealed which politicians are ready to end democracy and accept fundamentalist authoritarianism: Sens. Paul Bettencourt, Houston; Donna Campbell, New Braunfels; Lois Kolkhorts, Brenham; Brandon Creighton, The Woodlands; Bob Hall, Rockwall; and Tan Parker, Flower Mound. They voted to dismiss all charges against Paxton because they wanted to move up in order to set Texas back. The future path of politics and the rule of law in Texas will be decided in the next few weeks; keep an eye peeled because our senators will reveal their true colors. Note: My apologies to those who received a repeat of my last newsletter last week while I was on vacation. The resend was an error.   [Photo of Chris Tomlinson] Chris Tomlinson, Business Columnist   --------------------------------------------------------------- What Else I'm Writing [An employee walks past the nuclear reactors at South Texas Nuclear Generating Station which is located near Bay City, TX on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017. Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News]( [Nuclear power is helping fight climate change, but it needs some work.]( No current technology generates more electricity without greenhouse gas emissions than a nuclear reactor.   [Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, left, unveils the new statue of Lt. Col. William B. Travis while Kirk Scott and Vincent Yannicelli watch inside the Ralston Family Collections Center at the Alamo in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023.]( [New Travis statue celebrates enslaver, hurts Texas’ brand]( Alamo fighter was a slaveholder, illegal immigrant and sexual predator who should not be celebrated.   --------------------------------------------------------------- What I'm Reading Must Read: [New Texas laws that take effect Sept. 1]( Read it and weep. (Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News) Should Read: [Who is Ken Paxton? Four things to know about the Texas attorney general facing an impeachment trial]( A refresher. (Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News) Interesting Read: [When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row]( My friend Keri Blakinger introduces us to an extraordinary game of D&D.(New York Times Magazine and The Marshall Project) Technical Read: [Monitoring for Waste: Evidence from Medicare Audits]( Every dollar Medicare spent on monitoring generated $24–$29 in government savings. (University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute) Fun Read: [Waiting in Line for Ken Paxton]( Those who arrived first had to have been disappointed by the sparse predawn numbers. Perhaps they hadn’t needed to arrive at 2:45 a.m. after all. (Texas Monthly)   --------------------------------------------------------------- Question of the Week Have the opening days of the impeachment trial changed your expectations for the outcome? Reply directly to this email and tell me your thoughts.   --------------------------------------------------------------- Mailbag Last Week’s Question: Should the government treat obesity like a national emergency similar to COVID? “Whether the government should pay for obesity drugs is one side of the story. Sadly the fake deficit hawks would never go for that and it would never pass. … A good start would be Medicaid expansion universally. That will help with so many life-threatening problems.” – Ann Winer, San Antonio “We are bombarded by ads about fast food and cola and beer, foods that are high in calories and sugars. There are few ads about carrots and broccoli and fruit, things that are good for us. Part of the obesity issue is self-inflicted. I love McDonalds too, but much of their menu is fried and high-calorie.” – Dirk Stiggens, Bellaire “Yes, they should. Will it ever happen? No! Regarding COVID, people are still hornswaggled and demented by not taking it seriously and then suggesting bleach. Obesity is even more difficult because it is considered that person’s responsibility. There is no miracle pill. I asked my heart doctor what do you say to these people? He responded, ‘What can you say?’” – The Rev. Bert Clayton, San Antonio “I do think obesity is a national emergency and these drugs may help in the short term. However, what are the long-term effects of taking these drugs? People just can’t keep eating processed sugar, fat and salt-laden foods and expect to have a drug to counteract it all. … The answer is to get rid of the soda, fast food, crackers, red meat, refined carbs, etc. and replace it with whole grains, vegetables, fruit and some chicken, fish.” – Sue Cleverly, Chicago   --------------------------------------------------------------- The Takeaway I spent my vacation this year in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay. A winter chill is still in the air south of the equator, which is part of why my spouse and I chose to make our first trip to South America. We wore light jackets on sunny days to break the cool winds off the South Atlantic. A nice break from the heat. The trip exceeded expectations. My international reporting career never took me to the Western Hemisphere. I don’t speak Spanish, and my skills in reporting from war zones and natural disasters were never required. The region’s major disasters tend to be man-made, and mostly economic. A [drought is ravaging the critical agricultural industries]( in the Southern Cone this year but with different effects. In Argentina, 45 million people are suffering from 146% annual inflation, and in tiny [Uruguay, 3.5 million are dealing with 7.5](%. The difference comes from decades of poor fiscal decisions by populist Argentine governments. What I found fascinating about Uruguay, and I need to learn more, is how a far less flashy nation has twice the average income, no extreme poverty, little chronic homelessness and consistently [ranks among the best places to live in South America]( with very low income inequality. The key reason for its success is Uruguay is considered the strongest democracy in the Western Hemisphere. Voter participation is high, the population values social justice, culture and competent governance. By no means is Uruguay a Utopia. But Uruguayans have proven that societies can set priorities, and citizens don’t have to accept human suffering and inequality as a fact of life. We can do better if we can agree to be better.   --------------------------------------------------------------- Share With Your Friends Do you know someone who would like Tomlinson's Take? For the Houston edition, [send them here to sign up](; for the San Antonio edition, [send them here](.   --------------------------------------------------------------- More Newsletters Express Briefing Catch up on everything you need to know to start your day in San Antonio with our Express Briefing newsletter. [Sign Up](               [San Antonio Express-News]   LABOR DAY SALE - EXTENDED! GET UNLIMITED DIGITAL ACCESS FOR ONLY 25¢. [Act Now]( NO COMMITMENT | Cancel Anytime [Facebook](  [Twitter](  [LinkedIn]( [TikTok]( [Unsubscribe](list_name=SAEN_TomlinsonsTake&list_display_name=Tomlinson%27s%20Take&b=sa_saen) | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Notice]( [San Antonio Express-News - Footer Logo] San Antonio Express-News PO Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297 © 2023 Hearst Communications