Local pre-emption laws have been coming up a LOT in Texas. I mean, this is true for the past decade, but like everything else Republicans do, they constantly need to accelerate because there's no actual goal they're trying to achieve beside pwn the libs.

Republicans in the Texas Legislature want to give the state the authority to effectively torpedo cities' budgets if they pursue local rules that might conflict with state law -- intended to deter them from adopting left-leaning ideas in the first place. GOP legislators have targeted financial assistance programs for needy families, measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and initiatives to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. They've sought to overturn moves in cities like Austin and Dallas to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. No issue is too small. Some Republicans even want to make it harder for cities to install bike and bus lanes.

Anyway, one thing I think is interesting is that progressive causes also want to use local pre-emption in sympathetic ways in blue states, eg to enable jurisdictions to build more housing in Colorado.

Qualitatively, the two cases are not the same. In Texas, local preemption laws are just another State's Rights thing. Obviously this is literally true, but I also mean it on this level: No one has ever actually cared about State vs. Federal rights as a matter of passion on the proper radius of governance. It's always just wanting to have more power at whichever level your cause controls. They don't have a philosophical argument about why certain issues are better dealt with at the state. They just want to dominate blue cities.

But sometimes state pre-emption laws are justified - namely when it's a collective action problem that needs large-scale, coordinated solutions to solve it. So the anti-NIMBY legislation in Colorado is justified in a way that the Texas bullshit is not.

Even just the phrase "big beautiful bill" makes my blood boil, and it just occurred to me that they're trying to retake BBB from Build Back Better or something?

Anyway, Paul Krugman on the deliberate cruelty of the bill.

My predicition - just general pessimism - is that yes, they fall in line and ram it through.

Snarkout writes: This starts as a fun little investigation into a the disappearance of minor Brooklyn icon -- a pink dinosaur billboard to advertise fuel oil, real sexy just like you said, boss! -- and turns into a story about just how long people could keep doing blatant deed theft if they chose victims who didn't have the social capital to fight back. The answer will (not) surprise you!

Heebie's take: Fascinating, but the type of thing that just makes me want to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head. Something about theft-by-legal-obfuscation or maybe theft-by-red-tape-and-paperwork is especially upsetting to me. It's like a cross between The Godfather and Brazil.