I first noticed this when Austin passed an ordinance against throw away plastic grocery bags, and the state stepped in and removed the ban. I thought the conservatives liked local control of issues.

The most bizarre was perhaps a proposal to bypass selective local noise ordinances. The bill was crafted to apply only to Austin and was sponsored by rural representatives far from the Music Capital. I’m not sure if they were being paid off by someone or if it was just a spiteful move of some sort. Either way it is a strange way to run a state.

It’s not just voting and Covid: How red states are overriding their blue cities