In the Pink Texas » Dewhurst vs. Craddick: In Praise of Gridlock

In the Pink Texas » Dewhurst vs. Craddick: In Praise of Gridlock: "Watching Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Mean smack each other up and down the second-floor hallways of the Capitol ought to be amusing. And it is, not only because the idea of two of the state’s top Republicans pissing on each other to the ultimate detriment of their colleague, the Guv. It’s amusing (and a relief) to me because it has gummed up the works.

Just because we didn’t get a deal on school finance or property tax “relief,” doesn’t mean that Texans should be disappointed. I mean, do you honestly think THESE guys can fix THESE problems? Would whatever satisfies the leadership and members of both the House and Senate actually be an improvement over doing nothing? I doubt it.

Gridlock in government, dear readers, tends to be a good thing. I’m not just saying this because the Republicans are in charge. I’m saying this because I’m familiar with the Legislature’s body of work. Banning gay marriage, an official state folk dance (the square dance), and all other manner of time-wasting, brain-cell-crushing CRAP is the product of an unholy biannual circus lovingly referred to as “The Lege.”

“The Texas constitution requires the Legislature to meet for 140 days every two years. Are we sure they didn’t mean two days every 140 years?”