Texas: Attorney General Paxton being investigated for securities fraud

[pbrower2a]

One of the hazards of single-party government: corruption. 

[pbrower2a]

One of the hazards of single-party government: corruption. 

Mediocrity, to boot. The Texas Republicans are starting to seem like that species of jellyfish that is only found in certain lakes and lacks any ability to sting - after thousands of years of having none of the natural predators that are found in oceans, they simply stopped needing to make an effort.

The deterioration of the caliber of downballot candidates in Texas really reached a tipping point in 2014. That someone like Ken Paxton - a man who, yes, did successfully graduate from law school, but whose career included no judicial clerkships or significant work in constitutional law, and who has spent the bulk of his career doing in-house legal work for companies and as a "financial advisor" - was a major party nominee for attorney general and was easily elected is a scandal in and of itself.

Just imagine the conflicts of interest with an AG who has been more involved in investment hustles than in criminal or constitutional law. Then vomit.

[pbrower2a]

Good. Time to brutally go after opponents of gay marriage.

More proof that some "progressives" aren't just happy winning.  They need to punish their perceived enemies and stifle all debate.

People like Paxton and Abbott have done much to worsen or ruin the lives of many LGBT people, so it's only "fair" that they get theirs. But I personally don't think that they should suffer any repercussions for their actions. Can you imagine how annoying and loud their whining would be? The moment a privileged class doesn't get what they want, they become insufferable (more so than they normally are). The fact that these people are in positions of power is bad enough. Ignoring them seems like the best course of action. Eventually they'll go away and the world will be a better place.

It is necessary that people like Paxton face objective justice even if such does nothing to make Texas government any less plutocratic. Even so -- scandals and failures can break the power of entrenched elites in politics.

Texas had reasonably-good state government when the state was competitive in elections as late as the early 1990s. A diversity of opinions was part of the political debate. Now Texas state government has devolved to the usual concerns of a ruling elite unaccountable to any but well-heeled backers.