In a nutshell, the Texas Senate's 31-0 vote approving a state Budget that actually cuts spending from 2015, along with being bullshit-full of accounting tricks that might not be constitutional, is why we need Green Party candidates running for every state Senate seat, and especially those of incumbent Democrats.

John Whitmire's halfway a Republican anyway. Jose Rodriguez of El Paso reportedly, per the first link, "spoke critically" of the proposed budget — then still vote for it.

Meanwhile, Sen. Jane Nelson, who got elected, what, 25 years ago, in part due to a campaign against term limits, proves herself to be an ever-bigger political whore slouching toward Gomorrah.

And, I don't care if Comptroller Glenn Hegar officially supported the budget gimmicks.

Hegar would support his mother getting screwed in downtown Austin, or even in East Austin, if it kept peace with Lite Guv Danny Goeb and his tea partiers.

Back to Senate Dems.

No, "primarying" isn't good enough — and might not be done anyway.

Sylvia Garcia? Needs a Green opponent. Hey, Brains, are you in her Senate district? In Whitmire's? In Borris Miles'? (Hopefully not in Bettencourt's.)

Kirk Watson? Needs a Green general foe, to keep Austin Weird and to keep Dems from making assumptions.

Carlos Uresti, Juan Hinojosa, Judith Zaffirini, Jose Menendez? Need Green challengers — and I know there are Hispanic Greens.

Miles and Royce West? Maybe a couple of good African-American Greens — and at least one at the Congressional level, for Eddie Bernice Johnson, while we're at it.

This isn't even token opposition, and the fact that Joe Straus and the rest of the Texas House is almost certain to reject the Senate budget as it currently stands is no excuse.