# Texas gives Obama the middle finger
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [February 24, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852 "2012-02-24T16:49:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/41 "2012-02-24T19:59:11Z")
> [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](#):
>
> I didn’t know those strings were to give it to whoever the current administration likes the most.
Nicely spun. But in reality the strings are that it cannot be taken away from an organization that has done nothing wrong.
> [@](#):
>
> The state wasn’t going to end anyone’s access to medical nor did it want to. In fact, there was no talk about ending anyone’s access to medical care
Did Texas propose a plan to replace the services previously provided by PP?
> [@](#):
>
> I’m not sure how you can say Texas is at fault here
I’m not sure how you cannot.
> [@](#):
>
> and you cannot tell me that Obama has the interest of “women” at heart, either.
Sure I can. The administration is attempting to preserve funding for an organization that does a remarkable amount of good for women, especially low-income women.
And what are “women?” Why the quotes?
-a-
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/42 "2012-02-24T20:05:03Z")
Obviously there are some people who’ll blame Obama if it rains on a weekend.
But most reasonable people are going to see that it’s not Obama shooting himself in the foot here. Obama offered the money and the Texan politicians turned it down. The people who needed that money aren’t going to be blaming Obama in November.
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### Author:  [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/43 "2012-02-24T20:14:20Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#):
>
> So why can’t it be both Texas and Obama giving Texas women the middle finger?
In general, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Finger.
> [@andros](#):
>
> Inb4 “But they do use State and Federal money to support their other initiatives, which frees up resources to perform abortions.” Which, to be fair, is a legitimate argument. One with which I disagree vehemently, but legit.
I disagree somewhat. If a state seeks to use Planned Parenthood for particular services, let’s say cancer screenings, I would expect that the amount that PP charges for such services includes reasonable justification: the doctor’s time costs so much, consumables cost so much, overhead is so much, etc. One should be able to audit those charges to see that the costs are fair and reasonable. If PP were to charge 100% of its overhead rates to Medicaid-funded activities, so that the fee charged to a woman for an abortion did not fairly capture the actual marginal cost of the procedure, then there would be a fair reason to be concerned about Medicaid indirectly “subsidizing” abortions. If costs of Medicaid care are fair, supportable and reasonable, then it is untrue to argue that Medicaid billings are subsidizing abortions, condoms, or the discounted Coke in the soda machine.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/44 "2012-02-24T20:17:30Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> And as with any other barbecue, slather on that sauce right before you dig in-don’t let it cook on the meat for hours.
Sauce is a condiment to be used by the individual consumer. The cook doesn’t put the sauce on the meat at all. I assume that’s what you meant there.
ETA: What was this thread about? Oh yeah, Texas definitely sucks. Can’t even barecue right.
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### Author:  [@FixMyIgnorance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FixMyIgnorance)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/45 "2012-02-24T20:17:45Z")
Why do I feel like every single negotiation with religious, conservative, economically-ignorant nuts is the same? “Do what I want, no matter how petty my reasons, or I will impinge on, burn the house down, and tell them it was your fault for not agreeing to my terms.”
Reminds me of the debt ceiling shit, the gov shutdown shit, etc etc etc etc.
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### Author:  [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/46 "2012-02-24T20:28:07Z")
> [@pravnik](#):
>
> I will readily concede that there are strong anti-science forces at work in Texas, but the precursor chemical laws aren’t part of it. Their purpose is to cut down on an epidemic of methamphetamine production and meth lab explosions. Nobody gives a shit about hobby chemistry. The federal government tightly regulates fertilizers like ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia because they can be used to make bombs and drugs, not because the United States is opposed to hobby botanists.
That’s right. Maybe they should require registration of firearms, then.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/47 "2012-02-24T20:28:47Z")
> [@FixMyIgnorance](#):
>
> Why do I feel like every single negotiation with **religious, conservative, economically-ignorant nuts** is the same? “Do what I want, no matter how petty my reasons, or I will impinge on, burn the house down, and tell them it was your fault for not agreeing to my terms.”
>
> Reminds me of the debt ceiling shit, the gov shutdown shit, etc etc etc etc.
If you replace the bolded part with “Republicans” it saves you a few keystrokes.
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### Author:  [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/48 "2012-02-24T20:34:46Z")
First off, **OMG** is correct in characterizing this as a big middle finger to Obama. [Medicaid already does not cover abortions in Texas](http://www.fundabortionnow.org/get-help/medicaid) (and 34 other states), so there’s no way this is about abortion access. This is strictly a bank shot off Planned Parenthood which leverages several conservative bugaboos (abortion, federal spending, states’ rights) in an effort to embarass Obama.
Obama’s best option is to continue the Medicade funding for Texas and use the bully pulpit to rally the rest of America against the perceived injustice of the rule: “Texas Republicans are willing to hold the poor hostage to press their out-of-step social agenda”, that kind of thing. Cutting Texas’ funding would be a mistake; that just gives the right-wing noise machine something else to whine about. And according to [this CNN poll from April 2011](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/04/11/rel6a.pdf) (pdf; see question 17), about 2/3 of Americans think the federal government should provide support for Planned Parenthood. So outside of Texas, this could be a net-win for the Dems.
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### Author:  [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/49 "2012-02-24T20:43:15Z")
So I did a little googling: it seems that the Texas legislature passed a similar law in 2003, but subsequent court rulings found that if Planned Parenthood formed an associate, but separate, organization to perform abortions, the parent (heh) organization was free and clear to continue to receive Medicaid funds. Further, the courts seemed to acknowledge that Planned Parenthood, in suing Texas over the cutoff of Federal funds, was likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that Texas cutting off access to Federal funds was a violation of the US Constitution. At least, that’s how Planned Parenthood of Houston v. Sanchez seems to read.
So, if the legal principle has indeed been tested and found that Texas cannot direct the use of Federal funds in the manner that is again being discussed in 2012, then it seems that the state of Texas, rather than the US Government, is the party causing the potential disruption to the health care of poor women.
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### Author:  [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/50 "2012-02-24T21:31:38Z")
> [@BigAppleBucky](#):
>
> They’ve elected and re-elected Rick Perry, the most stupid presidential candidate in the history of the republic. No one should expect any intelligence to come out of that state.
I’ve known some intelligent people to come out of Teas. And never go back.
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### Author:  [@Christopher\_Robin\_Davies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Christopher_Robin_Davies)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/51 "2012-02-24T21:39:26Z")
> [@erislover](#):
>
> They’ve decided chemistry can’t be a hobby, and there was the furor over science books. Basically nothing surprises me about Texas anymore.
I assume the bit about science books is about textbooks and I know about that. Can you explain the chemistry remark please? Thank you.
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### Author:  [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)
#### Post date: [February 24, 2012, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/52 "2012-02-24T21:52:31Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> And as with any other barbecue, slather on that sauce right before you dig in-don’t let it cook on the meat for hours.
Take it to the pit please.
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/53 "2012-02-25T01:58:58Z")
> [@erislover](#):
>
> [Precursor Chemical Program](http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/RegulatoryServices/narcotics/narcprecursor.htm)
> You can never be too careful in Texas. Someone might accidentally get interested in science.
The chemicals I can understand – they’re not exactly the things you’d use in a chemistry hobby kit. Or even your typical undergrad chemistry lab.
But I can’t believe the _equipment_
> [@](#):
>
> “Chemical laboratory apparatus” means any item of equipment designed, made, or adapted to manufacture a controlled substance or a controlled substance analogue, including:
>
> (A) a condenser
> (B) a distilling apparatus
> (C) a vacuum drier
> (D) a three-neck or distilling flask
> (E) a tableting machine
> (F) an encapsulating machine
> (G) a filter, Buchner, or separatory funnel
> (H) an Erlenmeyer, two-neck, or single-neck flask
> (I) a round-bottom, Florence, thermometer, or filtering flask
> (J) a Soxhlet extractor
> (K) a transformer
> (L) a flask heater
> (M) a heating mantel or
> (N) an adaptor tube
The description at the top is a pretty broad brush – “adapted” to manufacture a controlled substance? Heck, a test tube can be “adapted” for that purpose. And distillers, flasks, funnels, and heating mantles? Heck, my old Golden Book of Chemistry was filled with home-made examples of these. It’s about as basic as you can get.
And the fact that you can cobble your own versions of these together makes this a futile exercise, anyway.
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### Author:  [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2012, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/texas-gives-obama-the-middle-finger/613852/54 "2012-02-26T09:27:06Z")
> [@elucidator](#):
>
> Bar-B-Q. Willy Nelson. Emmylou Harris. 'Nuff Sed.
As an Alabamian, I have to point out that Emmylou Harris was born in Birmingham, Alabama. 🙂
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