Thursday, November 29, 2012

Arrest Warrant Issued for Texas High Court Judge who Wants to be a Democrat

Lawrence Meyers is a Judge in one of the highest Courts in Texas, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Meyers might run as a Republican but he is not a Republican and he is a moderate at best. Just last year, Meyers almost switched to officially being a Democrat. Even the most moderate Republicans in Texas would never claim that they want to be a Democrat on Obama's team! I guess that would make Meyers more liberal than he is moderate.

Meyers is not stupid though and he knew that if he switched to Democrat in Texas then he would not get elected again as Judge in a solidly Republican state like Texas, so he stayed Republican. He is not one though, and he sure is an embarrassment to the State now more than ever.

JUDGE Meyers is all over the news this week for having an arrest warrant issued against him because he refuses to pay a speeding ticket! WOW!

Here is some of the story from the Statesman about the Arrest Warrant out for Judge Meyers:

The longest serving judge on Texas’ highest criminal court has a warrant out for his arrest, issued by an Austin municipal court judge, for failure to pay a 2008 speeding ticket, the American-Statesman has found.
The arrest warrant for Lawrence Meyers, a 19-year judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, has been active since Oct. 20 and is the third time Meyers has faced possible arrest in his long-running battle over a $193 ticket for driving 19 miles over the speed limit on Interstate 35.
The case repeatedly delayed at Meyers’ request and by legal challenges rarely pursued in traffic court appeared to be over on Aug. 8, when Meyers pleaded guilty to speeding and was given two months to pay what had become a $481 fine, including court costs and related fees.
But when officials didn’t receive payment, Municipal Judge Ferdinand D. Clervi signed the warrant for Meyers’ arrest, meaning he could be taken to Travis County Jail at any time.
This week, Meyers said he declined to pay the fine because doing so would end his case, and therefore his ability to file an appeal based on what he alleges to be mistakes by Clervi.
According to Meyers, he approached Clervi intending to plead guilty and pay the fine, which he expected to be $100 to $200, based on the speed he had been traveling. Meyers said Clervi declined to take his guilty plea, giving him only two options: post a $500 bond and go to trial, or accept a plea deal from prosecutors to pay $481.
Feeling pressured, Meyers said, he accepted the deal with the intent of later filing an appeal seeking to overturn the conviction. That writ of habeas corpus — a legal challenge common in Meyers’ court but seldom seen in municipal court — will argue that Clervi violated Meyers’ right to make a plea in court and approved an excessive fine.
“I hate that there is an arrest warrant out, but I’ve got to look at the situation,” Meyers said in an interview. “All I was wanting to do was get it over with and be treated like any other citizen. I would’ve paid a fine within the range of punishment.”
Clervi and Presiding Austin Municipal Court Judge Evelyn McKee declined to discuss Meyers’ case because it appears to be ongoing.
Meyers’ legal tangle began Aug. 12, 2008, when he was pulled over for driving 79 mph in what was then a 60 mph zone near St. John’s Avenue in North Austin.
Meyers submitted a not guilty plea but failed to show up for his court date the next month, city records show.
The case apparently languished for a year, until Meyers requested a new court date, saying he wasn’t informed about the original trial. The request was granted, and his case eventually landed on the Aug. 13, 2010 docket, when Meyers pleaded no contest and was given 90 days to pay a $200 fine, city records show.
The deadline, however, passed without payment, leading Municipal Court Judge Kirk Kuykendall to issue a bench warrant for Meyers’ arrest on Feb. 20, 2011.
From there, according to city records, the case took several unexpected turns:
• After two months under an active arrest warrant, Meyers filed a writ of habeas corpus seeking to overturn the judgment against him and restart the case. Municipal Court Judge Celeste Villarreal granted the writ, the arrest warrant was voided, and Meyers’ case was reset for a hearing on Aug. 12.
• On that date, Meyers was again given 90 days to pay a $200 fine for speeding. Instead, he filed a motion for a new trial, which was granted last January.
• Meyers’ new trial was delayed six times this year, mostly at his request. His bid for a seventh delay, however, was rejected on June 29. When Meyers failed to appear that day for trial, Municipal Court Judge Rebecca Sonego signed a bench warrant for his arrest.
• Meyers appeared before Clervi on Aug. 8, pleaded guilty and was given one month to pay $481 in fines and fees. At Meyers’ request, Clervi extended the deadline another month — but when no payment was received, he eventually signed the current bench warrant seeking Meyers’ arrest.
By then, Clervi was the 13th municipal court judge to oversee a portion of Meyers’ case.
It is unlikely that police will track down and arrest Meyers because law enforcement seldom actively pursues warrants for traffic violations. However, such defendants are routinely arrested if they are pulled over again and a records search finds an outstanding warrant.
Meyers also has a second case pending in Austin Municipal Court for an unpaid fine after a city red light camera photographed his car running a stoplight at Interstate 35 and East 11th Street in January 2010. Records show Meyers hasn’t paid a $75 fine and $25 late fee for the infraction, a civil matter for which defendants don’t face arrest.

read the rest of the story here: http://pushjunction.com/l/CT1

Rep James White Files Constitutional Amendment Bill to Invalidate Obama Healthcare Individual Mandate in Texas

There have already been several great bills filed for consideration in the 2013 Texas Legislature. These great bills range from protecting unborn babies after 20 weeks because they can feel pain, to allowing Texas to be one of the over 40 other states who allow open carry of handguns.

You can now add my East Texas State Rep. James White to the list of people who have filed awesome conservative bills for the upcoming 2013 Texas Legislative Session.

Super Conservative Texas State Representative James White has filed a bill to constitutionally protect Texans Residents from Obama's Healthcare Individual Mandate.

According to 1200 WOAI News, State Representative James White (R-Lufkin) has introduced a Constitutional Amendment which would prohibit any Texas official, or any federal official operating in Texas, from taking any steps whatsoever to punish any Texas resident for refusing to purchase health insurance.

  "We don't think another bloated federal plan is going to be the solution," White told 1200 WOAI news.  "If big federal plans or big plans out of Washington were the answer, we wouldn't be in the situation where we are now in health care."
This bill has many hurdles to clear, but if this bill passes the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate, it will be put on the ballot for all the residents of Texas to vote on. If the residents of Texas vote to approve, the Texas State Constitution would be amended to invalidate the individual mandate of Obamacare.

Yes, it would of course face a United States Supreme Court challenge, but that does not scare Rep. White. Some politicians run away from legislation that they fear might not pass, but the politicians who actually stand for conservative values will stand up for conservative legislation regardless of the chance of the legislation passing.

The last big Constitutional Amendment that was passed in Texas was the Texas Marriage Amendment that defined marriage in Texas as between only a man and a woman. This amendment was passed to make a statement, and also to prevent a radical judge from striking down a marriage law as unconstitutional. By making marriage as between only a man and a woman in the Constitution, no judge can strike it down as unconstitutional.

Same concept with this Obamacare Constitutional Amendment that Rep White is proposing. If it gets passed, hopefully it will be a little harder for it to be struck down because it is not just a law, it will be part of the Constitution of the State of Texas.

White stressed to WOAI News that his measure would not strip health coverage away from any Texan.  He says it would simply invalidate the Individual Mandate in Texas.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Texas Bill Proposed to Allow Open Carry of Handguns - 2013 Legislative Session

I had no idea so many other states allowed some form of Open Carry but Texas of all places does not!

from article on Dallas Morning News by Wayne Slater:

The Legislature passed a law in 1995 allowing Texans to carry handguns concealed under coats, in purses, or in glove compartments. But it’s still against the law to carry pistols where people can see them.

Rep. George Lavender, a Texarkana Republican, wants to change that. When the Legislature convenes in January, he says, he will push for an “open carry” law. His plan is to give the more than 500,000 Texans who hold concealed-weapon licenses the option of carrying holstered pistols out in the open.

Lavender said he finds it ironic that freedom-loving Texas is one of just six states not to allow some form of open carry. The others are Illinois, New York, Arkansas, South Carolina and Florida. An open-carry law went into effect in Oklahoma on Nov. 1.

Lavender and other gun rights advocates argue that law-abiding citizens openly carrying pistols in public places pose a deterrent to criminals.

“This is Texas, and we should be the leader,” said Lavender, who was re-elected without opposition on Nov. 6. Support for his proposal, he said, “is very wide and deep. I think we are fixing to get there.”

read rest of the article here:
http://pushjunction.com/l/CTM

Monday, November 26, 2012

Texas Church Nativity Scene Vandalized - National Liberal Media Doesn't Care When Christians get Vandalized

If some liberal/gay person/Democrat/Obama supporter had a rock thrown at thier house it would probably make national news as a hate crime. But if a Christian Nativity Scene at a Church gets run over by vandals, who cares right? It is only hate if the person you are hating is liberal. If the person you are hating is a Christian, Conservative or Religious person then it is not a hate crime right? There is so much hypocrisy in America:

story below from KBMT Channel 12 News Beaumont, TX:


Church nativity scene is destroyed by drive-by vandals

A Nederland church congregation wants to know who vandalized their nativity display.

It happened at the Wesley United Methodist Church on the 3500 block Helena Avenue. Church members believe it happened late Friday night.

The set was used for "live" nativity re-enactment. They believe a driver ran over it.

There are tire marks showing what may have happened.

The church plans to rebuild the set and have it ready just in time for the live nativity starting December 7th.


Read full story here: http://www.12newsnow.com/story/20176189/church-nativity-scene-is-destroyed-in-nederland

Friday, November 23, 2012

Texas Man Pulls Gun on Black Friday Line Cutter who Punched Him - Gun Rights Work

This is great! A line cutter on Black Friday decided to get violent (he must have really wanted that new TV or something)

Anyways, he punches some guy in the face. Things were about to get bad. Then all of the sudden the guy who got punched pulled out a gun to defend himself. The bad guy ran off and no one else cut in line or got assaulted. The man with the gun had a Texas concealed handgun carry permit and was not charged.

See, in Texas we allow people to have guns to protect themselves and it works!

story below from NBCDFW.com

Man Pulls Gun on Rowdy, Line-Cutting Black Friday Shopper

Impatient line-cutter had allegedly punched man in face. Police say man had permit to carry gun and won't be charged.

Black Friday got off to a rowdy start at a San Antonio mall where police say one shopper pulled a gun on another who punched him in the face while they were waiting in line at a Sears store.
Police Sgt. Rob Carey tells the San Antonio Express-News a man rushed into the store when it opened Thursday night to get to the front of a line, started arguing with people and tried cutting in front of them.
One man who got punched pulled a gun and that scattered shoppers, including the impatient line-cutter who took cover behind a refrigerator. Then he fled.
Carey says the man with the gun had a permit to carry the weapon and isn't being charged with a crime.

 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

2011 Conservative Legislation Killed by Texas Speaker Joe Straus’ Committee Chairs

Texas Needs a new TRUE Republican Speaker. One who did not have to team up with all the Democrats in order to beat the Republicans and get elected. Bryan Hughes is running against Joe Straus for Speaker.

It is no secret that Joe Straus tried to hurt conservatives in redistricting who voted against him for Texas Speaker of the House. Did you know that Straus also bent over backwards to make sure almost NONE of the GOOD conservative legislation got passed if the legislation was authored by one of the State Reps who voted against him. (See list of killed legislation below) Does that sound like the kind of leader we want for Texas? The kind of leader who says that if you do not vote for him then he will intentionally kill your good legislation to get back at you. The kind of leader who says that if you don't vote for him then he will hurt you in redistricting?

Thankfully, There was a super-majority of Republicans in the 2011 Texas House of Representatives and so Joe Straus did allow the body to pass conservative legislation. He just made sure that good conservative legislation from people who opposed him did not make it out. Straus is not a man who will lead conservative legislation though. He is a populist who just goes with the flow to try to make the majority happy. He allowed the body to pass conservative legislation because he knew he could not stop it with a super majority of Republicans so he went along with it. If the House was split between Democrats and Republicans then you better believe he would try to play both sides and not stand for conservative legislation. He would play both sides because he knows that in a split house he would need to please the Democrats to stay in power.

2012 Conservative Legislation Killed by Straus’ Committee Chairs:

By Natalie Genco posted on Voices Empower
Education
  • Exempting school districts from certain state unfunded mandates, HB 458 by James White & Wayne Christian
  • Requiring school districts to post their check registers online, HB1236 by Bill Zedler
  • Requiring public universities to post their check registers online, HB 1237 by Bill Zedler
  • Uncapping total number of charters given to schools by the SBOE, HB 1603 by Bill Zedler,
Cutting Spending
  • Replacing longevity pay with merit pay for state employees, HB2954 by Erwin Cain
  • 10% reduction on paperwork for state unfunded mandates on public schools, HB 3463 by Erwin Cain
  • Spending limits, HB 756 by Ken Paxton
  • Ending In-state tuition for illegal immigrants, HB 1387 by Erwin Cain
  • Ending State Unfunded Mandates, HJR 46 by James White
Healthcare
  • Prohibiting state or other political subdivisions from forcing you to buy health insurance, HJR 51 by Wayne Christian
  • Prohibiting the state from punishing direct payment for healthcare or non-participation, HB 203 by Bryan Hughes
  • Prohibiting hospitals from using tax dollars on abortions, HB 561 by Wayne Christian
Small Business Tax Relief
  • Allowing businesses to subtract payments to contractors in addition to employee salary from their taxable margin of the franchise tax, HB 817 by Bryan Hughes and Dwayne Bohac
  • Businesses posting a loss wouldn’t pay the franchise tax, HB 932 by Ken Paxton
  • Requiring franchise tax increases to pass by 2/3 majority, HJR 25 by Ken Paxton
Relieving the tax burden
  • Constitutional amendment requiring 2/3 majority to raise taxes, HJR 37 by Bryan Hughes et. al.
  • Requiring a 4/5 vote by House of Representatives to raise taxes, HJR 124 by Jim Landtroop and Jodie Laubenberg
  • Phases out property taxes for senior citizens by 2021, HB 1104 by Ken Paxton
  • Requires all other taxing units to ratify a tax increase instead of relying petitions to rollback tax rates, HB 3186 by Ken Paxton
  • Requiring a 2/3 vote to create an entity with taxing power, HJR 105 by Zedler
Liberty
  • TSA Groping bill, HB 1937 by David Simpson
  • TSA Body Scanner bill, HB 1938 by David Simpson
Other important facts
  • Joe Straus refuses to sign the Texas Budget Compact (Press Release, 4/16/2012, Statement on Texas Budget Compact)
  •  Refuses to sign the Taxpayer Pledge (www.taxpayerpledge.com)
  •  Despite a supermajority of Republicans, the House failed to pass spending limits.
  •  Straus told the El Paso Times “We have no choice… you can’t cut your way to prosperity,” This was also said by President Obama in a radio address in 2011
Redistricting facts
  • Joe Straus’ Redistricting plan punished conservatives (RedState.com, 4/22/2011, Texas Redistricting Plan Punishes Texas Conservatives)
  • Hispanic conservatives were drawn out of GOP-friendly House districts, including Raul Torres of Corpus Christi, Aaron Pena of Edinburg and Jose Aliseda.
  • The first House redistricting map had 7 GOP vs. GOP incumbent pairings. This would ensure that we lose 7 GOP house members. It forces a Republican to run against another Republican instead of a Democrat.
If you are ready to take a stand call your State Representative today  Here is a list of them. Tell them to vote for the most Conservative Candidate in the Race for Speaker; Bryan Hughes and then join us in Austin Jan. 7th and 8th.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Texas A&M Aggie Johnny "Football" Manziel First Freshman to Win Heisman? Dan Rather Says Yes!

Johnny "Football" Manziel - Dallas Morning News Pic
Dan Rather is Back! Well, sort of.... -

Texan Dan Rather, whose long career as a journalist (that included being the face of CBS 60 Minutes) ended in shame due to a false report about President George W. Bush's National Guard Military service, has endorsed Texas A&M Quarterback Johnny "Football" Manziel for Heisman.

I know, you are scratching your heads right about now. What is Dan Rather doing getting involved in something like this? Maybe he is trying to win back favor from his fellow Texans who were embarrassed that he was from Texas after he was fired for lying about our former Governor and Texan U.S. President Dubya.

Dan Rather endorsed Manziel during an interview with www.TexAgs.com. Dan Rather is a graduate of Sam Houston State University and the interview was done right before the Texas A&M vs. SHSU football game.

The interview did include more than just football talk. My favorite part of the interview was when Dan Rather talked about how he worries about there being a lower standard in journalism due to the digital era and new technologies that get news out on the internet faster than ever before. Yeah, Dan Rather worrying that journalism standards have lowered gave me a chuckle too.

On a different note though, Dan Rather endorsing someone in the Heisman Trophy race is not all that unusual considering the politics behind football. Last year I wrote an article (Texas A&M has Fired Aggie Football Coach Mike Sherman - Will Politics Decide Next Coach?). The article was about how politics and money play huge roles in Football in Texas. Big, influential donors can threaten to stop giving money to a school if the donor thinks the school needs a new football coach. Politics plays a bigger role in football than people think. When Texas A&M was talking about moving from the Big 12 to the SEC, the Texas Legislature called a meeting to discuss the implications of a potential move. Members of Congress have called for investigations into the BCS because it does not have a playoff system and less well known football teams can go undefeated and still miss out on the BCS Bowl money. There is a 4 team playoff coming soon though because of the opposition to a team getting picked as the national champion when there is no playoff to prove who the true best team is out of the top teams. People call the BCS Football National Champion the "Mythical National Champion."

Politics aside, Johnny Football really is the best individual player in College Football, and in the history of College Football for that matter, and therefore he should win the Heisman. Politics has kept the Heisman voters from wanting to pick a Freshman to win the award, but if there is any freshman deserving of winning the Heisman it is Johnny "Football" Manziel.

I am not saying this just because I am a graduate of Texas A&M University. I am saying this because the Johnny "Football" Manziel statistics are just mind blowing, and just think how much more mind blowing his statistics would be if he played full games this year (Manziel sat out for 8 quarters this year to let other Aggie Quarterbacks get some play time in the blowout games!) Move over Vince Young, Texas has a new star! Manziel's ability to make big plays has even led the Aggies to a top 10 BCS ranking, an elite team in the SEC, and a win against #1 Alabama.

Don't believe me? Check out the incredible Johnny "Football" Manziel statistics for yourself here: http://heisman.aggieathletics.com/

Then, after you have seen the stats of Johnny "Football" Manziel, you can see how his stats compare to recent Heisman Trophy winners like Tim Tebow and Cam Newton here: http://heisman.aggieathletics.com/stats.html

Oh, and for good measure, check out the video below to see some of Johnny Football's greatest moments.

Finally, remember when I said that politics plays a big role in Football? Well, that is one of the reason's I wrote this article. Part of the politics of winning the Heisman is that your chances go way up if you can win the battle of getting the most hype and news coverage. So Go Johnny Football! Represent the Great State of Texas! You were, after all, a product of Texas Friday Night Lights. A Heisman win for you beings good media coverage and money into Texas.

OUTRAGE: The Boston Tea Party was a Terrorist Attack according to Texas School Curriculum, Cscope

from Ginger Russell posted on The Tea Party Command Center website:


The Boston Tea Party was a Terrorist Attack......according to TX school Curriculum, Cscope

  News report: New Act of Terror!
A local militia, believed to be a terrorist organization, attacked the
property of private citizens today at our nation’s busiest port. Although
no one was injured in the attack, a large quantity of merchandise,
considered to be valuable to its owners and loathsome to the
perpetrators, was destroyed. The terrorists, dressed in disguise and
apparently intoxicated, were able to escape into the night with the help
of local citizens who harbor these fugitives and conceal their identities
from the authorities. It is believed that the terrorist attack was a
response to the policies enacted by the occupying country’s
government. Even stronger policies are anticipated by the local citizens.

Here is the actual lesson....Terrorism.pdf




Is this not appalling?  Texas Cscope curriculum is referring to the Boston Tea Party as a Terrorist act! I would refer to these men as  Patriots!
Texas Parents wake up and speak out against this Progressive/Marxist ideology. Here is a link to another blog on this. 

Jonathan Saenz: Pflugerville ISD Power Grab Breaks Texas Same-Sex Marriage Constitutional Amendment

Op-Ed by Jonathan Saenz of Texas Values Published in the Statesman: 

The Pflugerville power grab

In Texas, government officials are not above the Texas Constitution. In addition to defining marriage as only a “union of one man and one woman,” the Texas Constitution states “this state, or a political subdivision of this state, may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.” Efforts by the government to legally recognize “domestic partnerships” are a clear violation of the Texas Constitution.

The Texas Marriage Amendment was passed in 2005 by an overwhelming majority of over 76 percent of Texas voters after having been passed by a bipartisan supermajority in the Texas Legislature. The reason was and still is as clear as the text of our Constitution itself: Texans support the definition of marriage as it has always been and reject all other legal statuses seeking to undermine our most basic and important social institution.

But that hasn’t kept the homosexual lobby and their enablers in various parts of government from trying. The most recent example: Pflugerville Independent School District Superintendent Charles Dupre made an executive policy change to create a “domestic partnership” category, similar to marriage in several ways, that will allow the district to provide benefits to same-sex partners. The district’s “affidavit of Domestic Partnership” requirements include not being married to someone, being at least 18 years of age and not a blood relative, to name a few.

Sound like marriage? This was done without the approval of the elected school board members, without any evidence of a financial impact analysis or without even a public hearing. This power grab by an unelected government official looks more like what we expect from Washington, D.C., than how things get done in Texas.

The people of Pflugerville were clearly not happy about being ignored and dismissed as irrelevant. Residents responded by overwhelming the next school board meeting, with outraged residents forced to stand as every seat was filled. One after another, members of the community showed up to voice their opposition to the substance and process of this anti-Constitution decision by Dupre. Is this how the government works in Pflugerville — govern by force and might, and shut the people out? Has Dupre forgotten that his salary is paid by the taxpayers?

With the outrage building, state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, has sent a letter to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, requesting an opinion on whether the Texas Constitution’s definition of marriage precludes any governmental body in Texas from recognizing a domestic partnership legal status by allowing the government to provide benefits to same-sex partners. As Patrick stated, “The will and the respect of the Texas people is being trampled, and I cannot sit by and watch this any longer.” I agree.

This reckless and poorly planned decision is a prime example of why we must demand accountability from our government. If nothing else, government officials are at least expected to follow the law. And now that the Texas attorney general’s office is involved in investigating this matter, we expect this clear violation of the Texas Constitution to be exposed, laying blame squarely at the feet of Dupre. But the elected Pflugerville school board is also at fault. The people of Pflugerville had been emailing and calling the school board about this matter long before their meeting on Oct. 18th. In fact, the district was presented with a specific letter at the board meeting from state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa and House author of the Texas Marriage Amendment, on how this new policy violates the actual words and intent of our Texas Constitution.

The district’s refusal to address this matter, in light of the outcry of Pflugerville residents and the concerns about the constitutionality of this policy, shows they must approve and support the actions of Charles Dupre, the new King of Pflugerville.

Yes it’s true. It seems a monarchy has arrived in Pflugerville, and King Dupre is accountable to no one, except maybe to the ACLU and the homosexual lobby. Is this how we want our local government run — by Washington, D.C., groups and unaccountable government officials? I suspect that our elected attorney general and other state lawmakers will see this issue differently, and they should. And so should you, the Texas voter and taxpayer.

State Sen. Dan Patrick Supports School Choice Bill Again in 2013 Texas Legislature

From Big Jolly Politics (David Jennings):

Support Sen. Dan Patrick’s quest for school choice

If Sen. Dan Patrick wasn’t already the target of the left in Texas, his advocacy for allowing parents and students to have more choices in public education will certainly put him in the crosshairs. Thankfully, he has Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on his side but this will still be a hard battle to win. Hopefully, facts will win the day and the ultimate fate of school choice will not hinge on emotions. In that light, here are a couple of resources from pro-school-choice groups.
The first is a policy paper from the Orthodox Union, an educational, outreach and social service organization which serves the North American Jewish community. This is the group that sponsored the Rally for Tuition Affordability that Sen. Dan Patrick spoke at last week. They passed out copies of their Orthodox Union Position Paper on Government Aid to Jewish Day Schools, which includes a short section on why they support choice, a discussion of the constitutionality of school choice, and a few specific policies that they support. A quick outline of the paper:
  • Reasons to support:
    • Economic fairness
    • Benefits the educational system by adding competition
    • Social justice
  • Constitutionality
    • Federal
    • State
    • Tax incentives and constitutional issues
  • Specific Policies Supported
    • Security Grants
    • Reimbursement for Government-imposed mandates
    • Special education services
    • In-Kind support (healthcare, textbooks, technology)
    • Free transportation for all students
    • Energy efficiency rebates and grants
    • Tuition Tax Credits
    • Tax credits for donations to scholarship organizations
    • Education vouchers

read the rest of the article here: http://blog.chron.com/bigjolly/2012/11/support-sen-dan-patricks-quest-for-school-choice/

Monday, November 19, 2012

Joe Straus Only Has 31 Votes for Re-Election as Texas Speaker of House - Bryan Hughes Breaking the Straus Stronghold

Article below from Weston Hicks of AgendaWise http://www.agendawise.com/2012/11/straus-has-only-31-votes/

The Texas Tribune, effectively acting as Team Straus’ press secretary right now, did a speaker vote count by phone last week.

Thirty-one. That’s how many Representatives are willing to go on record as solid Straus votes right now.

That means there are 129 votes somewhere on the wide spectrum of “maybe Straus, maybe Hughes”.
This is an embarrassment for a Straus Team that is rumored to have called members last week, puffing that they were releasing a list on Wednesday, and that everyone else was already on it. Wednesday came and went. This is next Wednesday. Oops.

The Tribune was quick to point out that they counted only one Hughes vote, Hughes himself, as if this restores order.

Even if this is true, a non-commital posture to the Boss and a non-committal posture to a rebel General are well beyond apples and oranges – they are apples and tire irons.

Today the Tribune ran Straus messaging about Bryan Hughes being a trial lawyer. AgendaWise wrote about that several weeks ago.

The fact is, Hughes voted in favor for every major piece of tort reform, and Texans for Lawsuit Reform isn’t trying to get rid of the right to a jury trial in Texas.

Rather, TLR has successfully fought the abuse of our court system. Only in a world in which TLR wants to abolish the right to a jury trial would they have any reason to oppose a Representative who has supported ending court system abuse, and who happens to also be a trial lawyer.

Straus, on the other hand, has as his speaker vote base the party of lawsuit abuse and open season on business. He even shared gambling interests with Steve Mostyn at the start of the 82nd legislature, when Mostyn had been let into the ultra-exclusive racetrack license-holding club.

Team Straus was also puffing several weeks ago when a panel confidently declared that Straus had the votes, then began stuttering when an audience member asked if he had enough Republican votes.
Forget the Republicans. Straus doesn’t even have his Democratic base.

Sen. Nichols files Texas bills to limit property tax increases, restrict eminent domain and reform welfare

from Texas State Senator Robert Nichols:

AUSTIN — State Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville), filed legislation today to limit the growth of property taxes, prohibit the use of eminent domain for recreational purposes and to significantly reform the state's welfare system. "These bills represent some of the priorities brought to me by the citizens of Senate District 3," said Nichols.

Appraisal Caps
The first bill Nichols filed is to slow rapidly rising taxable values on Texas homes.
"Escalating tax appraisals make homeownership less and less affordable," Nichols said. "We need to keep citizens from being taxed out of their homes and significantly limit increasing tax appraisals, which result in larger tax bills."

Senate Bill 95 cuts the maximum rate of increase in half, from 10 percent to 5 percent. Nichols pointed out the importance of limiting the increase in people's property taxes, even when the value of their home increases.

"When your property value increases, it doesn't mean you have any more money in your pocket," said Nichols. "We must keep the maximum increase as low as possible so individuals and families can continue to afford living in their homes. In Texas we have placed an unfair share of the tax burden on homeowners."

Protecting Private Property
Nichols' second bill, Senate Bill 96, would prohibit state or local governments from taking private land for recreational purposes.

"No homeowner should lose the roof over their head so others can have a place to play," said Nichols. "Eminent domain should never be used for recreational purposes, period."

Ending eminent domain abuse continues to be a priority for Nichols. In his first two sessions as senator, he co-authored legislation creating a Landowners' Bill of Rights and has consistently voted for landowner protections.

Reforming Welfare
Nichols co-authored Senate Bill 11 with Senator Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) to include drug testing for welfare benefits and to restrict the items recipients can purchase with taxpayer-paid benefits. The bill also establishes a 3-year lifetime limit on benefits.

"Our welfare system is designed to help those who are willing to help themselves," said Nichols. "Taxpayers have a reasonable expectation that their hard earned money will not be used to feed a debilitating addiction, but that it will be used to help make recipients independent and productive again."

Senate Bill 11 will require a screening assessment to determine whether there is good cause for a person to submit to a drug test to establish eligibility for financial assistance benefits. If a person is found to be using illegal drugs, they will be ineligible for benefits for a period of one year. A "three-strikes and you're out" provision gives welfare recipients an opportunity to attain drug-free status while still protecting taxpayers.

The legislation also updates mandatory employment provisions for financial benefits, a concept Nichols passed in prior sessions for local health programs. "Taxpayers expect those who are capable of employment, or participating in job-training programs, to do so. In addition to protecting taxpayers' money, this will also encourage more Texans to return to work and to financial independence," said Nichols.

Lastly, the bill restricts state financial benefits from being spent on alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, lottery tickets, adult entertainment and bingo. "Financial assistance is intended to enhance a person's capacity to reach financial independence," said Nichols. "Restricting these purchases will help focus buying decisions on other essentials that better meet this goal."

The 83rd Legislative Session begins on January 8th. Nichols anticipates filing several other pieces of legislation related to transportation funding, water utilities, and other policy areas.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott Stands Beside Gun Owners

Article by Bob Price from Texas GOP Vote:

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott Stands Beside Gun Owners

In the days leading up to the election, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an opinion about an employer's ability to ban Texans with a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) from leaving a gun locked in their private vehicle in a company parking lot. This is yet another example of the AG's steadfast support of the rights of an individual to protect themselves.

The opinion, requested by Texas State Senator Robert Deuell (R-Greenville) said that Section 30.06 of the Texas penal code, which allows employers to post notices on building entrances restricting handguns or other firearms being carried on the premises, does not supersede the state law that protects CHL holders.

Unfortunately, the opinion also states that Texas law currently does not provide the employee whose rights have been violated, a way to correct the situation. The opinion does say that employees might seek relief by suing their employer under the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act.

read rest of article here: http://www.texasgopvote.com/issues/stop-big-government/texas-attorney-general-greg-abbott-stands-beside-gun-owners-004834

Texas Anti TSA Bill Filed by Rep. Simpson Again - Don't Touch My Junk!

from Texas GOP Vote:

The Fight for Travel Freedom Continues

After Unanimous House Support and Near Passage Last Session, Representative David Simpson Files Texas TSA Bill for Upcoming Session

(Longview) – Yesterday Representative David Simpson (R-Longview) pre-filed House Bill 80 (HB 80), entitled the “Texas Travel Freedom Act.” HB 80 aims to restrict unconstitutional violations of travelers’ persons and dignity — particularly by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which has made itself infamous for intrusive and humiliating pat-downs of innocent travelers.

Specifically, the bill would make it illegal for a government agent to intentionally touch the private areas of a person without probable cause as a condition of travel. HB 80 would also, under the same conditions, prevent the separation of minors from their parents or guardians and prevent the harassment of travelers for refusal to submit to such unconstitutional violations of their person.

“Intrusive, physical touching of travelers’ sexual organs without cause clearly violates the privacy, dignity, and freedom of our citizens,” said Simpson today. “The Constitution protects the civil liberties of the people against government overreach — in this case quite literally — and it’s time to put a stop to the TSA’s abuse of power. Security at the expense of liberty is no security at all, for it licenses government tyranny and abuse.”

After unanimous passage out of the Texas House during the previous regular session, the previous “TSA bill” was sent to the Senate. Foreseeing the bill’s imminent passage, the federal Department of Justice resorted to absurd threats of shutting down air travel, temporarily stopping the bill in the regular session. Realizing the importance of protecting innocent Texans from violations of their person, Governor Rick Perry called the bill into the special session at the request of Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. This time versions of the bill passed both the House and the Senate; however there was not time to reconcile the two versions of the bill before the end of the special session.

“Travelers’ freedom and dignity are issues that we can unite behind,” said Simpson. “I am hopeful that with the leadership of our state and legislators from both parties we can intervene on behalf of our citizens and stop these unconstitutional searches without probable cause. Texans are calling for their legislators to protect them. I am confident that the Legislature will again heed the call.”

Representative Simpson was recently re-elected to his second term by a large margin. In his first session, Simpson earned the “Taxpayer Champion” award from Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and the “Freshman of the Year” award from Young Conservatives of Texas; he was also named “Co-MVP of the Freshman Class” by Capitol Inside for his effectiveness as a legislator.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Ted Cruz Selected VP of National Republican Senatorial Committee

Texas Senator Elect Ted Cruz has taken the nation by storm. Ted Cruz has proven that you can be a non-compromising super conservative and still be elected in America. Cruz has proven that grassroots campaigns with no establishment backing can still win elections. Cruz has proven that the Tea Party is not dead. Cruz has proven that Hispanics are conservative and are welcomed in the Republican Party. It is hard to prove to Hispanics that the Republican Party is the Party for them because the Liberal Democrats have brainwashed Conservative Hispanics into believing that Republicans are bad. Having another very conservative, Hispanic Leader like Ted Cruz in the Republican Party will help draw Hispanics to the Republican Party and prove that Republican values and Conservative Hispanic Values are one in the same. America sees how great of a leader Ted Cruz can be in the Republican Party and they have wasted no time in selecting Cruz to a top position in the United States Senate.
 
Sen-Elect Ted Cruz Named to NRSC Post

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Sen-elect Ted Cruz (TX) today responded to being named vice chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). Cruz and co-vice chairman U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (OH) will serve under chairman and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (KS).

"I'm honored by this selection," Cruz said. "Our country faces grave fiscal and economic challenges, and I'm very glad to have the opportunity to do everything I can to help retire Harry Reid as Majority Leader. It's critical that Constitutional conservatives have a strong voice within the NRSC so that together we may build upon lessons learned from this election cycle and elect strong candidates who are committed to pro-growth economics and restraining the job-killing growth of the federal government."

Over 100,000 Texans Sign Petition to Secede: Obama's White House MUST Respond

According to the White House website, if they get a petition with over 25,000 signatures in 30 days, then Obama will respond to the petition. Let's see if he keeps his word and responds to this petition to secede. I love the comment below that if a state secedes then they might actually get more money from the US because they are a foreign country, haha... seriously though, we give so much money to other countries when we don't even have enough money here for our own states.

from Todd Starnes of Fox News Radio:

Secession Petitioners Ain’t Whistling Dixie


Secession Petitioners Ain’t Whistling Dixie
Nov 14, 2012
By Todd Starnes

It turns out Americans wanting their states to secede weren’t just whistling Dixie.
The White House has received petitions from all 50 states – signed by nearly 750,000 citizens asking permission to secede from the United States. A White House spokesman did not return calls seeking comment.

FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK FOR CULTURE WAR NEWS. CLICK HERE TO JOIN!

The petitions were filed on the White House website’s “We the People” petition system. The Obama administration promises to respond to petitions that receive at least 25,000 signatures within 30 days. At least seven states – including Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee have met that threshold.

 “This cake has been baking for a long time,” Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, told Politico. “It’s the Obama administration that put the candles on the cake and lit it for us.”

Nearly 100,000 citizens have signed the Texas petition. But the Lone Star State is not going anywhere, according to Republican Gov. Rick Perry.

“Gov. Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it,” Perry spokesperson Catherine Frazier said in a statement to Fox News. “But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government.”

Miller called the governor’s statement “ambiguous.”

“The federal government is broken beyond all belief,” he told Politico. “There’s a political, cultural and economic gap, and the longer that we refuse to recognize that gap – the more states will put out to secede the Union.”

Todd Starnes is the author of Dispatches From Bitter America — endorsed by Sarah Palin and Mark Levin. Click here to get your copy!

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley also rejected secessionist calls – noting in a statement to AL.com that while he understood frustrations with the federal government, he believed in “one nation under God.”
So can states legally secede from the United States?

Absolutely not, said Nicole Velasco, an assistant professor of political science at Lee University.
“Secession is both highly improbably and not particularly legal,” she told Fox News – citing an 1869 Supreme Court case – “Texas vs. White.”

 “The Supreme Court very definitively said that when Texas joined the Union, they joined the Union on the basis of an indestructible union composed of indestructible states,” she said.

In that case, Chief Justice Salmon Chase wrote:

“When, therefore, Texas became one of the United States, she entered into an indissoluble relation. All the obligations of perpetual union, and all the guaranties of republican government in the Union, attached at once to the State. The act which consummated her admission into the Union was something more than a compact; it was the incorporation of a new member into the political body. And it was final. The union between Texas and the other States was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States. There was no place for reconsideration or revocation, except through revolution or through consent of the States.”

Velasco said the secession movement has even reached classrooms at Lee University.

“It’s been mentioned, but it’s been mentioned as something people are not taking very seriously,” she said.

But, the professor added, it certainly makes for good political theater.

The first petition was launched by a man identified as “Michael E”, a resident of Slidell, La.

“We petition the Obama administration to peacefully grant the state of Louisiana to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own new government,” he wrote, going on to quote from the Declaration of Independence.

The petitions have generated lots of debate on talk radio stations around the nation.

“It was a huge discussion,” said Bernadette Lee, the co-host of the morning show on KPEL in Lafayette, La. “It’s just been amazing that people are so interested in this.”

Lee told Fox News their listeners are divided over secession – but said many people are just “frustrated with the way things are working in this country.”

“I think they’re fed up with Congress, the Senate the President –with the whole system,” Lee said. “People really are just so fed up that something radical needs to be done.”

On the plus side, though, secession could result in a financial windfall for the Pelican State. Lee said her co-host received an email from a listener pointing out that Louisiana could probably get more federal money by being a foreign country – than being a state.

The calls for secession have also drawn some backlash. At least two petitions have been launched calling for citizens who signed the original petitions to be deported.

The San Francisco Chronicle published an editorial titled, “If They Want To Secede, Let ‘Em.”
The writer called signers of the petitions not-so-bright, foolish and knuckleheads.

“It’s barely been a week since President Obama’s re-election, and some people can’t believe, truly can’t believe, that things didn’t go their way,” wrote Caille Millner – suggesting Obama should “let these ungrateful states go.”

“My prediction? Absolute chaos in the Southern states as they realize we’re possessed of 85 percent of the country’s venture capital and entrepreneurs and two-thirds of the country’s tax revenue,” she wrote. “After several years of this experiment, my guess is that the Southern states will be begging to be let back into the Union.”

National unity aside, some Americans had other concerns about secession.

West Virginia resident Mick Stoehr told television station KSAT he was worried about the future of the Lone Star State.

“I don’t want to see Texas go,” he said. “I’m from West Virginia. We just joined the Big 12.”

Todd Starnes is the author of Dispatches From Bitter America — endorsed by Sarah Palin and Mark Levin. Click here to get your copy!

Texas Leaders Push Welfare Reform Bill - Drug Testing, No $ to Felons or Illegals - Tom Pauken, Rick Perry, David Dewhurst, Jane Nelson

Further Welfare Reform Needed
By Commissioner Tom Pauken

It’s amazing how much bad policy gets enacted in the name of the children. For example, illegal immigrants and drug felons currently can collect welfare checks in Texas, even though they are theoretically prevented from doing so.
How does this happen? They collect welfare in the name of their children.
In my time as a Texas Workforce Commissioner, issues have cropped up directly or indirectly in the course of my duties that shout out for reform. For example, fixing the loopholes that allow illegal immigrants and drug felons to collect welfare benefits in Texas should be a part of a reform legislative agenda in 2013.
By law, illegal immigrants cannot collect Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF). But a child born to illegal immigrants is a U.S. citizen. Current law allows the parents to apply for welfare in the name of their children and be in control of the money doled out by the government.
Here’s what’s really nuts about this policy. Normally, any adult TANF recipient must participate in the state’s work program. The key word in TANF is Temporary. That program is designed as a short-term bridge to work.
However, an illegal immigrant is ineligible for employment in the United States. So illegal immigrants can get welfare for their kids and not participate in our work programs. In fact, the time limits the state applies to other recipients don’t even apply to those collecting solely for their children.
Similarly, people who commit drug felonies may receive cash on behalf of their children, though they may not receive it for themselves. And, they are free to spend it in any way they see fit. We don’t need to be subsidizing drug addicts’ habits.
It’s time to prohibit illegal immigrants from collecting welfare on behalf of children, or at least put a time limit on it. Further, let’s prohibit drug felons from collecting welfare on behalf of their children. There are better ways to benefit needy children.
Another nonsensical policy is one that prohibits drug testing for people on unemployment insurance. In many jobs, it’s standard operating procedure to require drug testing before hiring and at random intervals thereafter. Someone abusing illegal drugs is a liability in the workplace. Yet, a person can collect Unemployment Insurance even though their drug habit makes it unlikely that they could re-enter their profession.
There is a common-sense solution to this problem. If a worker were laid off from an industry or firm where drug-testing was commonplace, they should have to take a drug test to continue to receive unemployment benefits.
Public benefits should be a temporary help to people actively trying to find work. I’m glad to see that Senator Jane Nelson has filed Senate Bill 11, which makes many needed changes – including time limits – to the Texas TANF program. I would encourage lawmakers to consider some of the taxpayer-friendly proposals above in addition to the excellent ideas in that bill.
Another form of welfare is the state’s contracting preferences for Historically Underutilized Businesses or HUBs. (This is a euphemism for minority- or woman-owned businesses.) Why should someone born in Sri Lanka or Pakistan get state contracting preferences over a native Texan who happened to be born as a white male of European descent? The state should get the best deal, not give out corporate welfare on the basis of ethnicity or gender.
Texas has made substantial progress curbing abuses in welfare and creating a culture that rewards work. Let’s apply these common-sense reforms to those who are welfare beneficiaries so that our state continues to encourage work and provides a level playing field for all Texans seeking to do business with the state.
Tom Pauken is the Commissioner Representing Employers at the Texas Workforce Commission and author of Bringing America Home. He is also the a former Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.

######


from KBMT Channel 12 News:

Governor Perry, LT Gov David Dewhurst, and State Senator Jane Nelson urge legislature to pass welfare reform

Governor Rick Perry and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst are calling on the Texas Legislature to impose drug testing for welfare and unemployment-benefits recipients. The measure, Senate Bill No. 11, would tie Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF and unemployment benefits to drug-testing, while banning using public funds to buy alcohol, tobacco, and lottery tickets.
It would also strengthen job training requirements and work to streamline the benefit payment process
District 12 State Senator, Jane Nelson pre filed the bill for the next legislative session. Under the requirements of the bill, everyone who applies for unemployment benefits, or TANF must go through a drug screening and testing process. If the screening warrants it, the applicant must submit for a drug test. If the applicant fails the drug test, they cannot receive benefits for 12 months. But it allows applicants to reapply after six months, if they have completed or are enrolled in a substance abuse treatment program.
Governor Perry said, "In the case of TANF recipients, this will help prevent tax dollars going into the pockets of drug abusers or drug dealers and instead ensure that this money goes to the people who truly need it."
The people who truly need it will have to perform an educational component in a streamlined exemption process.
Texas State Rep. James White explains why he thinks this bill is the comprehensive bill the state needs, "It looks at the total program. We're putting requirements on health and human services to be more efficient by using some electronic means of dispersing payments. We working to tighten those work requirements."
And when we asked people what they thought Beaumont resident Elizabeth Wells said she agreed with the drug testing requirements, "I think it's a good idea so the government isn't wasting money on people that don't want to do anything with their life."
Rep. White says, "We want to make sure we're treating people with appropriateness and dignity."
Under the requirements of SB11, funding of the drug tests would be paid for out of TANF money and if an applicant fails the drug test 3 times, they will be ineligible for benefits for life.
Rep. White also tells 12 News HD, there is a similar bill in the state house, HB161. If SB11 passes the Senate and HB161 passes the house. Then they will go to joint committee, be rewritten and that new version of the bill will then go back to both chambers for the final vote.

Texas Rep. Gohmert Nominates Newt Gingrich Over John Boehner for House Speaker

From CNSNEWS.com:

Rep. Gohmert Nominates Newt Gingrich Over John Boehner for House Speaker
By Matt Cover
November 14, 2012



Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).

(CNSNews.com) – Conservative House member Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) nominated former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) to replace current Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Wednesday.
Gohmert reportedly felt it was time to halt "business as usual" in Congress. His nomination of Gingrich did not receive a second and Boehner was reelected.

House Republicans held a closed-door meeting at the Capitol on Wednesday to elect their leaders for the upcoming Congress in January.  Gohmert nominated Gingrich – who led House Republicans during the Clinton presidency – to serve as Speaker, even though Gingrich is no longer in Congress.

Technically, a nominee does not have to be a member of Congress to serve as Speaker. However, a non-member has never held the post.

Asked about the nomination, a Gohmert spokesman told CNSNews.com that Rep. Gohmert felt the country could not “proceed with business as usual” and so nominated Gingrich.

“Rep. Gohmert felt like we could not proceed with business as usual with the country in trouble,” Communications Director Kimberly Willingham told CNSNews.com.

Texas Bill Filed to Outlaw 20+ Week Abortions to Protect Preborn Children Who Feel Pain

Several other states have laws banning aboriton after 20 weeks because it is proven that unborn babies feel pain at 20 weeks. Texas needs to pass this law too! Seriously, we protect dogs and cats from torture, can't we also protect innocent babies from the pain of getting ripped apart?


from Texas Right to Life:

Protect Preborn Children Who Feel Pain


Monday, November 12th, marks the unofficial start of the 2013 83rd Texas Legislative Session.  While legislators begin to file legislation during this pre-filing period that began today, they, too, look forward to supporting the flagship Pro-Life bill for the next session:  Texas Right to Life’s Preborn Pain Bill.

Texas Right to Life has already met with countless Pro-Life activists, experts, and Pro-Life elected officials across the state to build consensus for this measure and to spread awareness about the fact that children who are capable of feeling pain are subjected to an excruciating premature death by abortion.

The general medical consensus is that the developing human preborn child is capable of experiencing torturous pain at 20 weeks post-fertilization.  These scientific findings are based on anatomical, behavioral, and physiological neuro-stimuli.  The science of preborn pain sets the standard of care for preborn children who undergo surgery in utero.
The Texas Pre-born Pain Bill will:
-- Establish a state interest in preborn life that can feel pain according to peer-reviewed medical literature.

-- Apply that state interest by prohibiting all abortions on preborn children who feel pain.

-- Take a giant step forward in protecting the sanctity of human life.

-- Draw awareness to the humanity of the preborn child.

-- Emphasize the barbaric nature of abortion.

As soon as our bill authors file this legislation, you will be notified of the bill number(s) and asked to contact your elected officials to support this landmark piece of legislation.
Yours for Life,


Elizabeth Graham
Director

Crony Texas Casino bill filed by Sen. Ellis, article by Daniel Greer

by Daniel Greer posted on his website AgendaWise:

Bill pre-filing for the 2013 session has begun. Yesterday, Senator Rodney Ellis D-Houston filed a casino gambling bill. According to several news articles Ellis is pushing the measure under the false promise of additional revenue.

Delusions of massive windfalls from expanded gambling are unsupported. Gambling economies in fact have to spend $3 for every $1 they collect.

Last month Ellis and John Montford appeared at a 2013 legislative preview at Rice University. Montford, a former Democrat lawmaker from West Texas and most recently an Obama handyman at GM, is the front man for the latest effort to increase gambling in Texas.

Similar measures have failed to pass the legislature, but a racing industry on life support has kept the threat alive for the last decade.

Reporting on the bill this morning, WOAI of San Antonio speculated that Joe Struas would be freed to weigh in on the matter in the upcoming session.

Straus remained silent on the issue last year because of his family’s interest in Retama Park in Selma. the Straus family has since sold its interest in Retama.

Unfortunately for Straus that dog won’t hunt. Straus and his family, while they may have divested from Retama, still have stakes in several other horse tracks around the state leaving Straus’ conflict of interest intact.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Hurricane Sandy illustrates the importance of fossil fuel energy to our economy, both now and for decades to come

The following is a clip from an article posted on AEI-Ideas.org by Mark J. Perry:

Oil—and, more specifically, diesel fuel and gasoline—are proving to be the most important commodities in the wake of the huge storm that recently pummeled the East Coast. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, all of the critical pieces of equipment were burning gasoline or diesel fuel: the pumps removing water from flooded basements and subway tunnels, the generators providing electricity to hospitals and businesses, and the cars, trucks and aircraft providing mobility.

The Sierra Club and its allies on the green left will doubtless continue their decades-long war on the oil and gas industry, but the Sandy disaster-response efforts are showing again that there is no substitute for oil. No other substance comes close when it comes to energy density, ease of handling or flexibility. A single kilogram of diesel fuel contains about 13,000 watt-hours of energy. That is about twice the energy density of coal, six times that of wood, and about 300 times that of lead-acid batteries.

Combine diesel fuel’s miraculous energy density with the power density and durability of a modern diesel engine—which can run for weeks at a time with little or no maintenance—and the size, speed, and cost advantages become apparent.

The Sierra Club, Greenpeace and other groups claim that we can run our economies solely on renewable-energy sources such as wind. But if you are trying to pump water out of your rapidly molding basement, would you prefer a wind turbine that operates at full power about one-third of the time, or a greasy, diesel-fueled V-8?

Sandy left millions of East Coast residents in the cold and dark. If any of them have been demanding “green” energy, I haven’t heard about it. In the storm’s aftermath, the most hopeful sound of recovery is the joyous racket that comes from an internal-combustion engine burning fossil
fuels.

Friday, November 9, 2012

RPT Victory Chair Ed Emmett Goes on Obama-Style Apology Tour and Under-Cuts Texas GOP Before the Election!

The following article is from Bob Price and was posted on Texas GOP Vote:


RPT Victory Chair Ed Emmett Goes on Obama-Style Apology Tour - Before the Election!



Ed Emmett - Political Treason?Did Harris County Judge and Republican Party of Texas Victory 2012 Chairman Ed Emmett committ political treason last week with his Obama-style apology tour. The "tour" began when an email sent on behalf of Emmett and his picture appeared on Houston's Fox 26 to apologize for a mailer that was sent out supporting Harris County Republican candidates and criticizing two Democrat elected officials and one candidate. The apology email was sent to the Harris County Democrat Party Chairman which, I understand, was forwarded to Democrat precinct chairmen across the county.
 Also copied on the letter were Democrat Sheriff Adrian Garcia, Democrat County Attorney Vince Ryan and Democrat District Attorney candidate Lloyd Oliver.

According to Fox 26, the mailer was approved by Republican Party of Texas Executive Director, Beth Cubriel before the mailer went out. Judge Emmett said he had not seen the mailer nor approved it prior to it being mailed and that this was the only mailer of this type from Victory 2012 that was sent out without his direct review and approval.

Harris County GOP Chairman Jared Woodfill and District Attorney Candidate had to spend valuable pre-election campaign time responding to media wanting clarification about the mailer.

District Attorney-Elect Mike Anderson, in a statement released last Friday, before the election, said,"I am unsure what Chairman Emmett’s motivations were in issuing this statement yesterday. I find the whole matter to be distracting to my campaign and to the campaigns of my fellow Republican candidates.

The mailer, mailed the week before the election to 90,000 swing voters, cost the candidates nearly $50,000 to prepare and send out. That investment was all but wasted after Emmett discredited the piece. It featured Democrat Judge Kevin Fine, Democrat County Attorney Vince Ryan and Democrat District Attorney Candidate Lloyd Oliver. It claims that Judge Fine "harshly questions rape victim... after her attacker was found not guilty." On County Attorney Ryan, it repeats KRTK 13's claim that Ryan "refuses to investigate corruption" of a fellow Democrat official. And finally, the mailer highlights Democrat DA candidate Oliver's well publicized statement that victims of domestic violence "just need boxing lessons".
Republican Mailer - Page 1
The mailer also contains statements from four county-wide Republican candidates. Emmett said on television and in his letter, "In some instances it [the mailer] is misleading and in others it is simply false." In what I have been told were very heated discussions with the County Republican Party, Emmett was asked to specify exactly what was misleading or "simply false". Emmett refused to answer. That they are misleading or false is simply not the case, and I will detail that later in this article.

In a conversation today with Judge Emmett, he told me the statement he felt was false was candidate Robert Talton's statement that County Attorney Vince Ryan was under actual investigation. Ryan has been investigated numerous times by Channel 13 and the Houston Chronicle. Emmett himself has been quoted in these investigative articles. Emmett said he felt the statement implied a legal or criminal investigation.
Republican Mailer - Page 2
Emmett volunteered to be the Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas Victory 2012 Campaign. As such he took on the responsibility of trying to elect every single Republican candidate in the state of Texas. That does not mean he is responsible for their success, but rather, he is responsible for making sure he does everything he can for a straight party victory. Despite that, candidates in Harris County have told me that Emmett refused to make endorsements of many local candidates. It is widely known that he did not want at least two of our county-wide candidates to win.

Sources inside the Harris County Republican Party told me that Emmett also refused to participate in automated calls pushing a straight Republican ticket vote. And, in the last week of the election, he took what should have been an internal disagreement over strategy and made it public to the detriment of many of our local candidates. I understand that Emmett might not support straight party voting. After all, he needs Democrat votes to win. But if he feels that way, he should not have accepted the position of Victory 2012 Chair.

Ed Emmett knows Harris County is a 50-50, dark purple county. Yesterday at the Houston Realty Business Coalition breakfast he said so. He went on to criticize fiscal conservatives stating that if current day conservatives had been in power in Houston's early days there would never have been a Houston Ship Channel.
Ed Emmett Email
Ed Emmett's Letter (Click Here to Read)
Emmett knows that every vote counts. And, he also knows that for him to win his re-election in Harris County, he needs Democrat cross-over votes (of which he had many in 2010). Does that account for his actions last week? I will leave that for you to decide but let's take a look at what happened in Harris County before and after his letter.

In looking at our judicial races, every single Republican judicial candidate won the majority of the votes that were cast before the election (combination of mail-in and early votes), as did County Attorney candidate Robert Talton and District Attorney Candidate Mike Anderson. In some cases the lead was very slim.
Traditionally, Republicans out-vote the Democrats on Election Day. Typically, any Republican candidate who was ahead or even slightly behind, on the early vote, would win the election day vote. After Emmett's letter, that would not be the case.

No one from the Democrat party complained about the mailer. Much like President Obama, Emmett apparently took it upon himself to go on out and apologize for Republicans sending out this email giving the Democrats a powerful get out the vote election day tool. They had this tool all weekend and Monday to fire up their precinct chairmen to get out their vote. And, as Emmett also explained in his HRBC speech, he knows the Democrats have over 400,000 identified Democrat voters to go to and turn out as compared to about 170,000 identified Republican voters. He knows they have the tools to use something like his gift.
I have traveled all over this county watching our local candidates put their time, effort and money into winning this election. The mailer cost the featured candidates somewhere close to $100,000 to prepare and send out. This election was not about win-lose check boxes on a board. It is about people's lives and their futures. For Emmett to play with their lives for his own political future is unforgivable.

The sacrifice these candidates make to become public servants is amazing. And this year, in particular, it was extremely expensive in both time, money and emotional wear and tear because of the Democrat induced extended primary season. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were invested by these candidates. This doesn't count the time away from their jobs and the associated lost revenue from that. Nor does it take into account the time these candidates spent away from their families during the campaign. Why would Emmett treat them so cavalierly?

Our judicial candidates who lost, lost by the slimmest of margins. And our Republican candidates who won also won by very slim margins. Many times these margins were way less than one percent of the total vote. Just look at the very important Tax Assessor-Collector race where Mike Sullivan won by less than 2500 votes (0.22%.) Every possible vote counted and Ed Emmett may have well caused many of them to go the other way.

It begs the question, why would Emmett take this very public action knowing the potential consequences. The answer is very clear. It was for his personal self-interest. He needs Democrat votes to win his re-election in 2014. But one must ask if Emmett's political career will survive to get to that general election. Will a strong Republican candidate challenge him in the 2014 Primary? We shall see.
Local Democrats
Let's look at the merit of Emmett's attack on the mailer. There is certainly no question about the accuracy of the charge made against Judge Fine. The Houston Chronicle reported, “I felt interrogated. I felt like he was attacking me,” said the victim, a second-year college student at a local university who was 18 at the time of the crime. “The way he talked to me, he made it harder for me. He made it seem like he was on their side the whole time, like I was a liar.” This statement in the mailer is neither misleading or "simply false" as Emmett said in his letter.

Lloyd OliverOn District Attorney Lloyd Oliver, the mailer claims he said domestic violence victims need boxing lessons, this also is well documented. As I reported in an earlier article, he said this and worse. He actually equated domestic violence to sexual foreplay. The Houston Chronicle also reported on these statements. This statement in the mailer is also neither misleading or "simply false" as Emmett said in his letter.

And finally, on County Attorney Vince Ryan's refusal to investigate Democrat officials and Robert Talton's comment that Ryan is being investigated, these allegations are also well documented in my article on Ryan detailing multiple investigations by the Houston Chronicle and KTRK-13 Undercover’s Wayne Dolcefino. The articles referenced in my post quote Emmett many times being critical of Ryan's lack of transparency. These statements in the mailer are also neither misleading or "simply false" as Emmett said in his letter.

There are real consequences to these elections. Mike Sullivan will be in charge of voter registration and will do a good and honest job in that department. But when the Democrats sue him, as they will, instead of being defended by Republican conservative County Attorney Robert Talton, they will be defended by the Democrat Party hack, County Attorney Vince Ryan who has repeatedly proven he cannot be and unbiased public servant. Thank you very much, Judge Emmett.

Our candidates don't "deserve to win" because of their time, effort and money they put into these races. They must win the battle of ideas and win the votes of the people. But what they do deserve is for Republican elected officials, especially one that has chosen to be the head of the Party's Victory Fund to not work against their campaigns and that is exactly what Emmett has done in this case.

Emmett's actions did not go without notice. During the Victory 2012 election watch party, at a point when all the candidates were still winning and Ted Cruz was waiting to come on stage to accept his victory, Emmett was booed by the crowd when he was introduced. It wasn't loudly, but it was certainly noticeable.
State Senator Dan Patrick and former Harris County Tax Assessor/Collector Paul Bettencourt bravely stepped forward this week to explain on the radio about everything Emmet did and didn't do in this race. It takes a lot of political courage for someone in their position to take on a sitting County Judge. Emmett attacked Patrick, telling me that Dan Patrick, "never set foot in a single call center. Not a single one."
To be clear, Judge Emmett and Victory 2012 did a great job helping candidates across the state of Texas. Emmett said they raised over $2,000,000 for candidates across the state. Emmett said, "Nobody did more than I did," in regards to setting up and operating statewide phone banks. Over a million calls were made by the phone banks including over 800,000 by volunteers. As an example, State Rep. J.M Lozano benefited directly from these phone calls winning an election many thought he would not. But all that said, the timing of Emmett's rebuttle of the mailer had to have hurt many of these very close races in Harris County.

Has Ed Emmett committed political treason? I guess that will be up to the voters of the next Republican Primary to decide.