Paxton is on the roll

[Lee W.]

Yep, old creepy corrupt men that only care about their rich donors.

[SanJac]

He filed a lawsuit against Harris County to stop its free-money giveaway program. I have to admit I was taken aback when I first read about this program. It’s literally free money if you live in the right zip code and get lucky in the lottery process. The State might just prevail in this lawsuit.

“Harris County leaders are defending their new guaranteed income program after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office sued to stop the initiative from going into effect, accusing the attorney general of targeting the Houston area while overlooking similar programs in San Antonio, Austin and El Paso.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo called the timing of the lawsuit "cruel" and "unscrupulous," alleging Paxton's office waited until recipients had been notified they had been selected for the program before filing the lawsuit.”

“Harris County approved its pilot program last June, which aims to send $500 monthly payments for 18 months to around 1,900 low-income households. Now, with recipients notified and the first payments scheduled for later this month, Paxton's office has asked a Harris County district court judge to stop the checks from going out and rule that the program is unconstitutional under state law.”

Presumably this is when our newly elected mayor John Whitmire would intercede for Houston with his State cronies, but honestly I have a feeling that Whitmire and Hidalgo do not get along. Whitmire has alluded to Harris County needing to share resources with Houston on more than one occasion, and Hidalgo idiotically supported SJL running for mayor when she should have just stayed neutral.

[KinBueno]

The free money thing always sounded odd to me. Would have been easier to swallow if it was used to aid job creation or subsidized employment of low income individuals employed in public works.

Houston has probably the most massive road network being the largest major city in land area. Lots of these roads are in crappy shape. Couldn't some of these folks be employed in roadwork instead of giving it out for free?

I'm all for assisting families who fall on hard times but I personally have encountered quite a few people who can work but don't. I mean if I can mooch off of an elderly relative on a fixed income claimin ma "care-giver" and get subsidized by the government with housing, food AND pocket change... What is the incentive to get an actual job?

I'm not claiming that there are not actual caregivers out there, but you would be surprised how many folks are getting paid to take care of quite capable folks. I know a dude in his late 20s who is subsidized for watching a pair of kids who happen to be his own.