A lot of people don't realize how rigged Texas is, or how recent it's redness is.

The Governor prior to Bush was a Democratic woman. Bush got elected off his name, then got the Presidency. In the Republican bump from that the Republicans got a majority in the Texas legislature for the first time since Reconstruction in 2003, which they used to massively gerrymander the state.

Prior to 2004, the majority of Texas reps.to Congress had never been Republican. Following the 2003 redistricting, it was over 2:1 Republican. They've locked down voting districts and attacked voting rights ever since to maintain their majority, while courting out-of-state conservatives to move to Texas and driving progressives away.

The reality is the Republicans got full control of the state government in a single legitimate election in 2002 and have spent the last 2 decades rigging the system to ensure they never lose that power.

The people of Texas are gerrymandered to oblivion and this is well documented. They didn't vote for this. Billionaires came to Tx and bought the politicians, maga spread through and removed the old style Rs.

Not that I think anyone should try to run from these problems. They should be faced head on. But, it's important to not blame the wrong people.

I have been doing everything reasonably possible to prevent and unfuck my local situation in Texas, but the state as a whole is absolutely screwed. I would argue that a very large minority is aggressively uninformed politically, and has no desire to educate themselves. They want to be sucked into the gravity well of their bigotry and hate and Christian window-dressing. It's disgusting and depressing and you would not believe the amount of people that I respected before all of this mess that I want nothing to do with anymore because of the ideologies they are willing to espouse. I barely interact with any of my family any more because most of them wanted this situation and still won't openly admit that they did this.

I feel completely powerless and like my only option is to run as far away from the place I have called home for my entire life.

you do realize people can't choose where they were born or what living situation they're forced into,, right?

We're still paying for their goddamned Feb '21 weather event on our power bills!

I'm surprised you don't have idiots replying to you while locked in a loop of saying "But Austin is libral though!" over and over.