As a former native Texan who escaped Texas’ failed government since the time Rick Perry was governor, I find it humorous to read letters in support of Texas and the very recent Texas transplant Shelli Shaw.
Have these letter writers ever lived in Texas? Do they know, for example, Perry abolished the state property tax and flung all those taxes back onto local governments, resulting in Texans' combined tax bills being among the highest in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation, April 2022.
Property taxes account for half of all state and local taxes paid in Texas, so statewide elected officials can fool folks by saying Texas has no “state” property taxes.
What the letter writers don’t say is Texas is now a lost cause, tainted with mass shootings of schoolchildren and lying about what happened; people with guns and no licenses strutting everywhere; residents can’t keep on their lights and heat; and Gov. Greg Abbott playing stupid games with migrants, funded by Texas taxpayers who are saddled with some of the highest taxes in the nation. Do we want that?
Perhaps those who didn’t grow up in Texas and haven’t lived there for much time should refrain from praising a state they know so little about. Texan Shelli Shaw is too new to Durango to shake off the taint of Texas. Lost cause Texas, lost cause Shelli Shaw.
Vote for a real Coloradoan, Barbara McLachlan. She doesn’t carry the taint of Texas.
Leah Karotkin
Durango
