| Regardless of anyone's opinions of the 2006 election cycle, a phrase that the Democrats' Gubernatorial Candidate often used seemed to stick in the memories of many. Personally, it was my favorite line of the cycle.
"Thank God for Mississippi."
I cannot be sure if Mississippi is worse than Texas on poverty issues, but the point of the statement was to highlight the failures of our Republican leaders to help Texans.
One of these failures is in the context of poverty.
Texas has many claims to fame and much to recommend it. But among the Lone Star State's shames is its residents' high rate of poverty and the deprivations - from hunger to illiteracy to a lack of adequate health care - that go along with being poor. But rather than working in Congress to lift impoverished Texans into the middle class, the members of the Texas delegation in Congress were among the nation's least likely to support anti-poverty programs.
Grades have been given out by the Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. The differences between Democrats and Republicans are distressingly stark.
Every member, except Nick Lampson, of the Texas Democratic Congressional delegation receives an A+ (that means 100 percent). And Mr. Lampson, who is fighting for his life in a very Republican district, still received a B.
On the other side of the aisle, the highest Republican grade was a D (including both of our Senators).
Four Texas Republicans received an F-, meaning they voted for NONE of the proposals to help poverty. These disgraceful congressmen are Sam Johnson, Jeb Hensarling, John Culberson, and Randy Neugebauer.
Senator John Cornyn, up for reelection, received a D -- voting for only 21 percent of the studied measures. Today he is speaking at the University of Texas about his new high stance on Darfur. I am glad that Senator Cornyn for finally seeing the light on Sudan, but he remains hypocritical as the Sudanese are the only people in dire need he wishes to help. What about those Texans in dire need? They deserve help, too. |
