Republicans yank parking from missing Democrats

Austin American-Statesman ^ | August 15, 2003 | Laylan Copelin

[Sacajaweau]

The Texas AG would be classified as a spy right now..not a Senator.

[nothingnew]

A majority of the Senate's Republican members voted today to take away privileges, such as Capitol parking and meeting space...

How cruel can you get?! I mean, this is worse than rounding them up and beating the snot out of them and then tarring and feathering them and force them to walk to Mexico where the SOB's belong!...ya think?

FMCDH

[Dog Gone]

Quit believing the lies of the Austin American-Statesman.

Here is what the Attorney General said.

The Texas Legislature is constitutionally responsible for apportioning the State into congressional districts. Neither the Texas Legislature nor a Texas state court, however, approved a valid plan for redrawing the state's congressional districts. The federal court in Balderas v. Texas, No. 6:01-CV-158, slip op. (E.D. Tex. Nov. 14, 2002), aff'd mem., 122 S. Ct. 2583 (2002), created a new congressional redistricting plan for Texas without having a baseline state plan before it.

The United States Constitution entrusts the task of drawing congressional boundaries to the State, but there exists no mechanism to force compliance with this constitutional responsibility. The Texas Legislature has present authority to adopt a congressional redistricting plan based on the 2000 census. Unless and until the legislature adopts such a plan, the map drawn in 2002 by the three-judge court in Balderas v. Texas will continue to be the congressional redistricting plan for Texas.

[TWfromTEXAS]

Looks like the Texas AG is not supporting his own party on this one.

Any chance you are the Bankston who writes for one of the Ft Bend papers?

[IpaqMan]

And based upon the current Texas Supreme Court attitude about the separation of powers issue, I do not expect that they will intervene in this Senate enforcement issue. That will leave the RATS out in the cold. I know of no issue that the RATS can raise in the federal courts since there has been no actual redistricting done yet in this session.

[talleyman]

Declare them legally dead & replace them.

[Dog Gone]

They did file one suit in federal court in Laredo, claiming that Dewhurst needed DOJ approval before dropping the 2/3rds rule.

That's a remarkably silly claim, but it's all that they have.

[Blood of Tyrants]

They should have done this the day that the Rats announced that they were going to run.

[Blood of Tyrants]

There is a portion of the Texas Constitution that states that if a legislator is no longer a resident of the district to which he was elected, then his seat shall be declared vacant.

The pubs don't have the cojones to do this, though. Hell It took almost three weeks for them to simply levy a fine.

[Arrowhead1952]

That's what the Austin paper wants you to believe

Better known as The Austin Un-American Liberal Statesman

[IpaqMan]

I presume that if the Justice Department does not join the suit, the suit is slim indeed.

[Dog Gone]

I'll bet taking away their cell phones bothers the Rats the most. Maybe even more than the parking, although parking near the Capitol is pretty hard to find.

I kind of like the way the pubbies are slowly tightening the screws. It's sort of like watching someone you hate get tortured.

[pogo101]

Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott has said the current boundaries are legal and can stay until after the 2010 Census.

Looks like the Texas AG is not supporting his own party on this one.

Not so, but bear in mind this is the Statesman, a largely liberal paper. The reporter asked a question like, "Well, isn't it true that the current boundaries are legal???" "Well, yes, but you see --" "Thank you, Mr. Attorney General, bye! *click*"

This AG has put out a number of opinions supporting the legality of the GOP's moves to enforce attendance.

[Dog Gone]

The DOJ has already stated that the 2/3rds rule isn't anything they'd ever review, so I think we can assume they won't join in the suit.

[Dog Gone]

The Republicans didn't act on addtional sanctions listed in an email sent to Senate staffers under the heading "discussed but not yet acted on."

Those include denying floor and voting privileges to the senators, denying requests to renew offices in the senators' home districts, closing down the district and Capitol offices and cutting off office phones, staff salaries and computer access.

[Cobra64]

How are these fines and sanctions going to be enforced? Armed guards and collection agencies?

[Consort]

...and the boycotting Democrats immediately said they will never pay them.

Garnish their pay and give the money to charity.

[anymouse]

jsbankston - Since Jun 27, 2003

[DodgeRam]

The interesting thing will be if those senators whose districts they represent will stay in New Mexico when T.S. Ericka (soon to be hurricane) hits south texas. It won't look very good for them to be living it up while their voters are hurting. Especially, when Rick Perry comes to visit down there to survey the damage.

[Dog Gone]

It will be difficult to enforce the fines, although the sanctions are easy to enforce. I don't see why the senate couldn't place a lien on the Rats property, though.

My guess is that the fines will never be collected. When the Rats finally surrender, they'll probably be repealed. But maybe not.