The Intended Side Effect of Bad Governance
Thesis: Republican state-level office holders use “culture war” issues to enrich themselves while simultaneously hobbling government efficacy. HB 2127 is an example of a bill founded on a culture war grievance, in this case blue cities enacting laws at odds with conservative principles, with the intent to create fertile ground for “tort litigation” (or frivolous lawsuits) in order to enrich a small minority of trial lawyers.
I think a lot about a quote I read unpacking the liberal hyperbole equating Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. I remember the argument effectively saying it’s a false equivalence, as the two men, during their respective eras of leadership, were motivated by different goals, but if you were to compare them on the success of their efforts, then you’d find two successful men. Trump, of course, sought to fleece the American public for all we’re worth — the efficacy of his administration, when measured as a “get rich quick” scheme, is nothing less than one of the great success stories in the pantheon of the American Dream. The chaos, it must be said, was the point. This might be the most-gleaned lesson of his many acolytes. Enter Texas Representative Dustin Burrows.
Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) is hardly anyone’s idea of an interesting man. He’s an evangelical Christian who grew up in Lubbock, a town he continues to call home 27 years after graduating from high school there. Now, there’s something to be said for this level of hometown pride and that something is this: It robs you of the experience of the new and different, of the opportunity to have your views challenged. Maybe that’s why he partnered with his Dad when starting his private law practice, maybe that’s why he found a second home at the Terry County Republican Party, and maybe that’s why he’s so scared of the eponymous other that he authored a bill that will permit him to impose his will on millions of Texans who have never had the privilege of voting against him.
You’ve probably heard of House Bill 2127, colloquially known as “The Death Star Bill,” which passed the State Legislature this spring and was signed into law by Governor Abbott to
take effect starting on September 1st. The bill, liberals argue, centralizes power in the statehouse and hobbles municipal government from responding to the needs of their immediate constituency. Conservatives, such as Representative Dustin Burrows himself, argue the bill is necessary to stop out-of-control cities from legislating outside their limited purview. What both of these arguments ignore, by focusing on the aims of this bill, is the legal chaos ensured by its passage and who stands to gain from this manufactured turmoil.
The bill is being sold to voters as “good for business;” unfortunately good for business usually means “bad for workers.” The liberal urban centers, such as Austin and Dallas, will see popular policies meant to safeguard the rights of workers reversed under HB 2127. To assume liberal city councils won’t fight back is conservative wishful thinking. City councils across the state are preparing to challenge the bill at every opportunity. This means a mountain of litigation and an army of trial lawyers to scale that mountain.
Curiously enough, the largest contributor to Dustin Burrows campaign, aside from himself, is an organization known as The Texas Trial Lawyers Association, which is based a literal stones throw away from our capitol building. As for Burrows himself, his practice has focused on construction, agriculture, oil and gas - industries not coincidentally at the heart of local regulatory ambitions. Moreover, his actions as a trial lawyer indicate a history of litigation on a company’s behalf over that of the individual’s.
That Dustin Burrows’ sympathies lie with businesses over workers is as plain as his name on HB 2127, but that he, his practice, and his ilk are positioned to make out like bandits from frivolous litigation stemming from his poorly conceived bill is an insidious form of corruption that has become all too celebrated by America’s modern GOP.