Texans, grab yer guns. Who needs an ID? Votes are for commies.

Karan Shirk has been on a wild goose chase for three months, trying to book an appointment for her 18-year-old grandson, Nathan, to get his first Texas ID through the Department of Public Safety (DPS) website. But all she's found is frustration and that famous Texas hospitality, in the form of an automated reply: "No Availability."

“I’m frustrated and a little bit angry,”

Karan Shirk said, channeling the spirit of every Texan who's ever dealt with bureaucratic incompetence. The situation is dire: Nathan, a fresh graduate of Crockett High, wants to exercise his Second Amendment rights and vote in the upcoming presidential election. But how can he when the DPS won't give him the time of day, or an appointment?

You'd think in a state that loves freedom and hates big government as much as Texas, getting an ID would be easier than shooting fish in a barrel. But no, the DPS is making it harder than a liberal trying to take away our guns. And it's not like they're offering appointments that are a nice, round-trip drive away - we're talking Lampasas, Killeen, or Caldwell. Might as well be California.

“It's very frustrating,” said Karan Shirk, a retired nurse who has volunteered in political campaigns. “It shouldn't be this hard.”

You said it, sister. Texas leaders are all talk when it comes to jobs and economic opportunity. They let illegal immigrants pour over the border like Democrat voters, but law-abiding citizens can't even get a state ID to participate in the economy. You need an ID for everything these days: driving to work, opening a bank account, and leasing an apartment. It's enough to make you want to secede.

But here's the kicker: you don't actually need an ID to vote. That's right, folks. There's a little-known loophole called a "reasonable impediment" form. Valerie DeBill, vice president of voters service for the League of Women Voters of Austin, spilled the beans:

“The form says there's a bunch of different options about why you couldn't get the appropriate ID, but one of them is basically, ‘I tried and couldn't get one in time,’”

So, if you're a citizen and you don't have a Texas or U.S. ID, you can still vote. It's just that simple. Of course, the liberal media isn't going to tell you that. They'd rather see conservatives like Nathan shut out of the democratic process.

State Rep. Erin Zwiener, a Hays County hero, is trying to get the word out about this loophole. But she's also acknowledging the bigger problem here: the lack of DPS appointments in Central Texas. It's a systemic issue, and if you can't get an appointment before the election, well, that's a "reasonable impediment" if I've ever heard one.

Now, Nathan will still need a state ID for other things, like finding his first job. So, the DPS needs to get its act together and boost staffing to meet the demand. Otherwise, we might as well hand this great state over to the leftists.

A DPS spokesperson, Sheridan Nolen, gave us the typical government mumbo jumbo about online scheduling and license renewals. But the truth is, they're short-staffed, and it's affecting their ability to hand out IDs like candy. It's enough to make you want to move to a freer state, like Florida.

Zwiener is on the case, though, and she's looking into whether the Legislature can bump up the pay for DPS workers in Central Texas. After all, the cost of living here is higher than a pair of cowboy boots, and if we want to keep providing services, we've got to pay these folks what they're worth.

So, to all my right-wing, gun-toting, freedom-loving Texans out there, don't let the DPS or anyone else stop you from exercising your rights. Get yourself a "reasonable impediment" form, and vote like your liberties depend on it. Because in this crazy world, they just might.