Glenn Melancon/Contributing writer
Conservatives politicians make two promises. They promise that government can’t work when they are elected. They promise to run government like their personal business. Why are we surprised when things turned out good for them and their friends but bad for us?
Conservative politicians are on television complaining about everybody else except themselves. They have been in power in Texas for the last generation. Their policies created the chaos around us.
Conservative politicians defunded our public schools. They have flooded our streets with unregulated guns. They have glamorized killing government officials. The loudly call on Texans to use “Second Amendment Solutions.”
Conservative politicians like Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton have been controlling Texas for the last 20 years. If Texas is broken, then they broke it.
This November we have an opportunity to pursue constitutional solutions. These solutions should work for us, the people of Texas, not conservative corporations.
These solutions work hand in hand. They have a proven track record of building the greatest country in the world: the United States of America. We can create a lawful society if we have a well-educated electorate and a well-regulated militia.
A well-educated electorate means saying no to school vouchers. We don’t need to take tax dollars out of public education and give it to Wall Street. Our money needs to stay in the classroom to pay for teachers and fund their benefits.
Teachers are leaving their profession because conservative politicians keep stacking on unfunded mandates. Teacher and staffing shortages force teachers into overcrowded classrooms and require after hours paper work.
Police officers look down the barrels of unregulated guns every day. They can’t tell the bad guy from the good guy. They have to shoot first and ask questions later. We ask too much of them.
As a matter of fact a better educated society is less violent. A better educated society is more compassionate. A better educated society encourages reading, writing, math and science. A better educated society teaches its children to respect their neighbors, not to fear them.
Beto O’Rourke, Mike Collier and Rochelle Garza offer solutions. They want to fully funded public schools. They want regulations that make sure criminals don’t have easy access to guns. They want Americans to vote more, not less. O’Rourke, Collier and Garza want to expand health care for Texans.
We know what conservatives promise: a failed government that fills the pockets of their donors. We need a government that works for the people of Texas. We need a government that values our lives.