Will any of THESE Texas politicians be penalized for breaking their own voting rules? Doubt it.
Every wonder why the Senate Filibuster rules were changed so that you don't actually have to FILIBUSTER anymore in order to...well, you know...'filibuster' a bill? Lazy-assed, 'comfortable' politicians, perhaps?
Just ask these Texas representatives about it. The Texas Legislature rules say you're not allowed to cast a vote for anybody else. If you're absent from the Chamber when a vote is called....you're just S.O.L.! Too bad, so sad, you don't get to vote, and nobody is allowed to vote FOR you. But here we have photographic evidence of Texas representatives doing exactly that. Hey, I've got an idea. How about they leave one Democrat and one Republican in the Texas Legislature to run around pushing all the buttons, and everybody else can bugger off and go fishing?
So...maybe it's time for somebody to do THIS in the Senate! Blow up the comfortable, gentlemanly 'threat to filibuster' rule, and say "if you want to block bills, fine. You'll either have to stand on your feet for 20 hours with shaking legs and a bursting bladder, reading names from the phonebook until you drop from exhaustion...or...or what? Make a deal? PASS the legislation?
