How Republican Policies Have Led To High Poverty Rates In Texas

[Shell_Seas]

Republican legislators in Texas consistently throw up roadblocks to Democratic solutions for poverty issues and deepen hardships for Texans.

https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/how-republican-policies-have-led


Texas isn’t a red state. It’s a non-voting state. We can talk about why that is or who is at fault, but more importantly, we need to talk about the consequences of it. Earlier this week, the Texas Tribune published an article titled. “Food banks are under pressure from Texas’ high level of food insecurity.”

I shared that article on Twitter, and what surprised me was how many people responded that they didn’t believe there were high rates of food insecurity in Texas or that so many people in Texas are below the poverty line.

Here is the information (hyperlinks lead to sources):

According to the US Census, the poverty rate is 14% in Texas, which is almost three points higher than the national average.

According to Feeding Texas, 4 million Texans regularly struggle with food insecurity.

Also, according to Feeding Texas, 20% of Texas children experience hunger.

[Lonestarblue]

1. I'm not at all surprised by the high rates of poverty.

It’s deliberate. Republicans know that poor people are less likely to vote and when they do more likely to vote for Democrats who might actually help them.

As for low voter turnout, Republicans have closed over 700 precincts in minority areas over the past few years. The availability of early voting should address that issue since you can vote at many places outside a precinct during that period, but still too few voters get to the polls. Some of that may be minority voters who lack transportation, and Texas has virtually no public transportation, and voting locations accessible only by car. The voting rate for Hispanics tends to be lower than that for whites, possibly indicating that Hispanics do not get time off from work to vote or fear intimidation from officials. Again, early voting is an option, but one not all possible voters use. Plus, years ago, many Hispanics were born at home and do not have the birth certificates needed to get registered to vote. The Democratic Party of Texas has improved in the past few years, but its efforts have been lacking since the days of Ann Richards.