Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Texas Runoff Election TODAY - Vote PATRICK and PAXTON

Today is the 2014 Texas Republican Primary Runoff Election Day! VOTE from 7am to 7pm.

The people elected today will likely win against the Democrats in November, so this Republican Primary Runoff Election is very important.

There are many important races, but I have kind of taken a break and so I really have only gotten involved in 2 races, the Attorney General's Race and the Lieutenant Governor's race.

I SUPPORT DAN PATRICK for Texas Lieutenant Governor over David Dewhurst. You can search the many articles that I have written about him and you already have received several emails from me about Patrick.


I SUPPORT KEN PAXTON for Texas Attorney General over Dan Branch. I might have opposed Paxton in his race with Barry Smitherman because I believed that Smitherman was better in that race, but now the race is between just Paxton and Branch. Even though I initially supported Smitherman, I always declared that Paxton is a conservative and that I would hands down support him over the more moderate Dan Branch. For instance, I did not like that Paxton withdrew from the race vs Joe Straus, but at least Paxton had the guts to oppose Straus in the first place, and not only that, Branch was one of the guys who helped elect Joe Straus and Branch completely supports Straus. Texas needs Paxton for Attorney General and not Dan Branch!

Friday, May 23, 2014

Right Place Right Time: Texas Soldier Saves Kidnapped Girl in Missouri

An Army Reserve friend of mine, Christine Clow, was supposed to be back in southeast Texas today after visiting her boyfriend in Missouri. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Clow ended up getting stuck in Missouri. Clow getting stuck in Missouri ended up being what saved a little girl’s life from a drunken kidnapper this morning (5/23/2014) at Clear Folk Lake, Knob Knoster, MO. I think that this is a little more than just right place right time. God works in mysterious ways for sure!

Here is what happened according to Christine Clow:


“Today my boyfriend and I went fishing. When we first got there we noticed a woman driving around with a child in the back of a white car. The woman parked her car in the grass next to the parking spaces and seemed completely incoherent and would only stand next to her car staring at the ground. After about 15 minutes the little girl that was with the woman came down to the other side of the lake bank to us alone. I immediately noticed she was really dirty, she smelled bad and had a large urine mark on her shorts despite wearing a diaper. I took the little girl back up the bank to look for what I thought was her mother. I looked everywhere and the woman was nowhere in sight. The little girl cried out several times for the woman and she did not appear. As I was walking by the woman's car I noticed a large bottle of liquor in the center console of the car. I took the little girl back down the bank to where my boyfriend was still fishing and told him we needed to call the police. Once the police arrived we learned that the little girl had been kidnapped and that an amber alert was about to be posted for her.”

Monday, May 19, 2014

Dan Patrick Responds to Outrageous Attack and Release of Medical Records from David Dewhurst

From Dan Patrick:

My Statement on Dewhurst's Attacks.....

The last 24 hrs have been some of the toughest in this campaign. David Dewhurst, who is trailing by a large margin in the polls going into early voting (which begins Monday), launched one of the dirtiest attacks anyone has launched on an opponent.

At first Dewhurst denied he had anything to do with the release of my medical records when I was treated for depression 30 years ago. He blamed former candidate Jerry Patterson for the release of records. However, in an e-mail sent out a few hours later in error to the media, Patterson clearly showed David was totally involved and knew everything that was happening.

I have never hidden the fact I struggled with depression in the 1980s, but I did keep the details private. They were personal as all medical issues are. I voluntarily entered a hospital in 1982 and then again in 1986 to treat my depression. The drugs that were prescribed for me in the hospital only made it worse. By 1987, through prayer, the love of my family and my doctor I was finally able to defeat depression. I have not seen a doctor or taken any medication for depression or any other mental health issue since 1987.

Millions of Texans have had an episode of depression or know of a family member who has. One reason I have talked about this issue on the radio over the years is to let people know there is no shame in asking for help or seeking treatment for depression. We must remove the stigma of seeking help for mental health. In most cases depression can be cured.

I have gone on to have a very productive and successful life for the last 30 years. My recently released medical exam shows I am in excellent physical and mental health as I have been for decades.

This has also been a test of my Christian faith. I open every speech with I'm a Christian first and conservative second. It's now time to live my faith through actions and not just words. There are two verses close to my heart that have kept me strong.

Isaiah 54:15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing, whoever attacks you will surrender to you

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you

My campaign has been focused on the issues, namely cutting property taxes and securing the border. Meanwhile Dewhurst has spent millions attacking me and to date not one single dollar on why he should be re-elected or on any issue. It's time to put an end to the dirty political tricks of David Dewhurst. It's the only way he knows how to campaign. We've seen it before.

I am the best candidate for Lt Governor. I am ready to serve and I ask for you vote. Early Voting begins Monday and election day is May 27th. You can get involved at http://www.danpatrick.org/

Ted Cruz: “Dewhurst was FOR in State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants before he was Against It”

"This is another Republican primary year conversion by David Dewhurst. He was for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants before he was against it.” – Ted Cruz

Securing the Texas/Mexico border is a very important issue for a long time, and it is a big issue that has come up in the current Texas Lieutenant Governor’s March 27th, 2014 Republican Primary Runoff Election between Dan Patrick and David Dewhurst. It has been for a very long time that the border and illegal immigration has been an issue, but yet it seems as if nothing has been done. There were National Guard troops there at one point but they have been scaled back for some time now and Texas has not stepped in to do much to fill in the void. My brother served on the border for a year and personally witnessed battles and explosions along the border. This is Texas for crying out loud, why have we not been able to do anything significant to protect our border? I believe this lack of sufficient action reflects poorly on the current leadership. That is a key reason why Conservative Dan Patrick is challenging the current leadership. Is David Dewhurst a really bad guy or a liberal? No, but Texas needs leadership that will not back down and take Texas to the next level of getting things done instead of playing politics. That is why Texas elected Ted Cruz as our US Senator instead of David Dewhurst. I believe that most of us Texans would agree that Ted Cruz was the right man for the job and has done an amazing Job standing up for conservative values and fighting instead of compromising.

On top of a lack of meaningful border security, there has also been a lack of meaningful legislation to “stop the magnet” so to speak. In other words, we have to secure the border, but we also have to end the incentives that are a magnet for people coming over the border illegally instead of coming over the right, legal way.

Some supporters of Dewhurst will claim that Patrick or his supporters are not credible or are lying about Dewhurst on issues like the border and illegal immigration. Well how about listening to the words of our trusted US Senator Ted Cruz.

Ted Cruz pointed out Dewhurst’s hypocrisy during the 2012 U.S. Senate campaign.

During the campaign, Dewhurst said he would not have signed the in-state tuition bill. Based on Dewhurst’s actions as Lt. Governor, Ted Cruz said:

"This is another Republican primary year conversion by David Dewhurst. He was for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants before he was against it. The next Senator from Texas needs to be a strong conservative who knows what he believes. I strongly oppose in-state tuition for illegal aliens, and categorically oppose amnesty or preferential treatment for illegal immigrants" (Corpus Christi Caller Times, 09/27/2011).

 

David Dewhurst’s Record:

 

-  Dewhurst allowed for the expansion of in-state tuition of illegal immigrants. Senate Bill 1528 (79-R)

-  Dewhurst allowed for the expansion of free healthcare for illegal immigrants. Senate Bill 309 (78-R)

-  Dewhurst supports amnesty – what he calls a “path to legal status.” Senate Bill 309 (78-R)

-  Dewhurst reduced spending on the budget line items for border security and fighting criminal gangs.  LBB Report White Paper

 

Dan Patrick’s Record:

 

Demand Reimbursement from Federal Government

*SCR 6 (2013)- Demands reimbursement by federal government for border security costs (Dan co-authored).

Proclaims Texas’ dissatisfaction with the federal government’s inadequate efforts to secure the Texas-Mexico international border. Urges the Congress of the United States to reimburse the State of Texas in the amount of $221,600,000 for bearing the financial burden of the federal government’s responsibility to secure the Texas-Mexico international border. (Did not pass)

Prohibit Sanctuary Cities

  • *SB 358 (2009)- Prohibits Sanctuary Cities (by Dan Patrick)

States that a local governmental entity may not enact a policy under which the entity will not fully enforce federal immigration laws. It further provides that if a local entity adopts such a policy, a private citizen will be able to file a writ of mandamus to compel compliance. The entity may also lose state grant funds if it adopts such a policy. (Did not pass)

  • *HB 12 (2011)- Prohibited Sanctuary cities (Dan Co-sponsored).

The bill prohibits certain local government entities from undertaking certain actions that would restrict the enforcement of state and federal immigration law and by allowing the filing of a related citizen complaint. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 124 (2011)- Prohibits Sanctuary cities (by Dan Patrick)

The bill prohibits certain local government entities from undertaking certain actions that would restrict the enforcement of state and federal immigration law and by allowing the filing of a related citizen complaint. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 14 (2013(3))- Prohibits Sanctuary cities (by Dan Patrick)

The bill prohibits certain local government entities from undertaking certain actions that would restrict the enforcement of state and federal immigration law and by allowing the filing of a related citizen complaint. (Did not pass)

Increase Penalties on Illegal Immigration

  • *SB 773 (2007)- Made illegal immigration a state crime (by Dan Patrick)

Would have created the offense of criminal trespass by illegal aliens (Class B) and prescribed certain procedures for arresting illegal aliens suspected of committing criminal offenses. (Did not pass)

  • *HB 260 (2011)- Enhances penalties for human smuggling (Dan Sponsored).

Enhances state human smuggling laws to 2nd degree felony. (Passed)

  • *SB 394 (2011)- Created a new offense for unlawful transport of illegal aliens (by Dan Patrick)

Would have created an offense of unlawful transport of an undocumented person. (Did not pass) 

Discourage Illegal Hiring Practices

  • *SB 357 (2009)- Prohibits knowing employment of illegal aliens (by Dan Patrick)

Would create a prohibition against the knowing employment of persons not lawfully present in the United States and the suspension of licenses held by certain employers for the knowing employment of those persons. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 30 (2013 (1)- Prohibits the knowing employment of illegals (by Dan Patrick)

Would prohibit the knowing employment of unauthorized foreign nationals and to creation of a biennial report regarding reported violations. (Did not pass)

Remove social enticements to illegals

  • SB 268 (2007)- Wire transfer fee revenue to fund border security.

 

Placed a fee on the wire transfer of small amounts of money outside the United States and dedicates the revenue to fund increased border security. (Did not pass)

 

  • *SB 1464 (2007)- Canceled voter registration of non-citizens (Dan joint authored)

Would cancel voter registrations for non-U.S. citizens. Requires the secretary of state to cancel an individual’s voter registration immediately after receiving the list of persons excused from jury summons due to noncitizenship. This bill also requires the county registrar to send a written notice to those who have had their voter registration cancelled. (Did not pass) 

 

  • *SB 1784 (2009)-Required lawful presence for getting a driver’s license (Dan  co-authored).

Would have required citizenship or lawful presence in the United States for issuance of a driver’s license, personal identification certificate, commercial driver’s license, or commercial driver learner’s permit. (Did not pass)

Enable local law enforcement

  • *HB 13 (2007)-Created Border Security Council (Dan co-sponsored).

Would have improved homeland security in Texas by creating the Border Security Council, appointed by the governor. The bill provides that DPS has the primary responsibility to analyze and disseminate criminal intelligence information and to develop and operate a comprehensive intelligence database. Additionally, the bill authorizes private institutions of higher education to increase the security of their campuses and enforcement of state and local law. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 1840 (2007)- Protected the right of law enforcement to inquire into immigration status (by Dan Patrick)

Protected the authority of a peace officer to inquire into the immigration status of certain persons after arrest of lawful detention. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 268 (2007)-Placed a fee on money wired outside of US to fund border initiatives (by Dan Patrick)

Provided for an assessment of a 10 percent wire transfer fee on amounts up to $5,000 bound for foreign countries. This bill entitles U.S. citizens who pay this transfer fee to apply for a refund of the fee through the office of the comptroller of public accounts. Collected funds go into a border security account and authorizes its appropriation solely by the governor’s office for programs and initiatives to secure Texas’ international border. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 11 (2009) – Gang enforcement bill (Dan co-authored).

Provides for criminal and civil penalties and enforcement options for individuals committing offenses related to gang activity; addresses post-conviction and post-adjudication provisions, provisions relating to an offense of graffiti, and matters relating to driver’s license restriction; provides for the electronic monitoring of certain criminal street gang members; and creates gang- free zones. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 2584 (2009)- Required jails to determine citizenship status (by Dan Patrick)

Would require a sheriff or other officer in charge of a correctional facility to make a reasonable effort to determine a citizen’s status, if that defendant received in the facility has been convicted of certain felonies. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 9 (2011)- Immigration Omnibus Bill (Dan joint authored).

The bill contains three main parts: a prohibition on sanctuary cities; required use of secure communities; and statutory authority for DPS to authenticate lawful presence when issuing state identification or driver’s licenses. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 126 (2011)- Requires law enforcement to inquire into lawful presence (by Dan Patrick)

The duty and authority of a peace officer to inquire into the lawful presence of certain persons. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 288 (2011)- Authorizes southbound checkpoints along border (Dan Co-authored).

Would authorize DPS to operate one or more southbound vehicle checkpoints near the international border of Texas for the purpose of preventing certain criminal offenses. (Did not pass)

  • *SB 947 (2011)- Allows Border Patrol officers to arrest, search and seizure under the laws of Texas (by Dan Patrick)

The bill would grant a Customs and Border Protection Officer or Border Patrol Agent of the United States Customs and Border Protection or an immigration enforcement agent or deportation officer of the Department of Homeland Security the powers of arrest, search, and seizure under the laws of Texas as to felony offenses. (Did not pass)

Friday, May 9, 2014

Hypocrisy: Dewhurst Filed for Bankruptcy then Attacks Dan Patrick for Past Bankruptcy

Politics is, well, it is politics. If you can find something possibly negative about your opponent then you use it against him or her. I have no issue with that because it is important for voters to see where you rise above the other candidates in a race.

What I have an issue with is hypocrisy. I do NOT like it when a candidate does something wrong, but then bashes his opponents for doing the exact same thing. For example, if I voted to raise taxes it would be very hypocritical of me to bash someone for also voting to raise taxes while hiding the fact that I voted to raise taxes. That would be deceptive and flat out unethical. Now if I have never voted to raise taxes and my opponent did, then you better believe the people should know the truth that I do not raise taxes but my opponent did.

The 2014 Texas Republican Primary Runoff Election (May 27th Election Day) includes a very heated race for Lieutenant Governor of Texas. The race has come down to Dan Patrick vs. David Dewhurst.
Dan Patrick is the clear conservative choice in this race. Patrick is endorsed by most conservative/tea party groups, and he also easily received the most amount of votes in the primary election. David Dewhurst knows he is losing the race so he has tried to attack Patrick. The problem is that David Dewhurst is attacking Dan Patrick for doing something that Dewhurst also has done! That is just hypocritical.

David Dewhurst attacks Dan Patrick over 28 year old Bankruptcy and back taxes even though Dewhurst had an even Bigger Bankruptcy than Patrick and Dewhurst also owed back taxes.

Fact: David Dewhurst and his companies have been involved in a bankruptcy case, a debt suit, tax liens and back taxes owed to the state. Dewhurst owed millions of dollars to creditors and the state through debts and unpaid taxes. If Dewhurst were to attack any other candidate for bankruptcy or tax issues, he must answer questions about his own bankruptcy, debt lawsuit and back taxes owed.

Fact: David Dewhurst’s business bankruptcy in 1982 listed debts of more than $7 Million, compared to Dan Patrick’s 1986 bankruptcy listing $816,000 in debts.

Fact: David Dewhurst and two of his companies were sued in 1983 by a Houston bank to recover an unpaid debt; Dewhurst was ordered to pay $832,805.

Fact: Dewhurst is a multimillionaire and he has yet to pay the people who worked for his failed 2012 US Senate campaign. David Dewhurst currently owes more than $1 million to vendors for services provided to his 2012 U.S. Senate campaign.

Fact: Dewhurst owed $1,542 in back taxes and fines to the Comptroller for unpaid franchise taxes relating to his company Trans-Gulf Supply. The company did not file a franchise tax return in 1984 and did not pay the state-required minimum tax. The company was subject to tax forfeiture in 1990. In 2000, the Comptroller’s Office informed Dewhurst that he owed use taxes on art and furniture he purchased in foreign countries.

Dan Patrick is the clearly the more solid, most outspoken conservative in this race.


This race is very similar to when conservative fighter Ted Cruz ran against David Dewhurst for US Senate. Sure, David Dewhurst is not a bad guy and not a liberal, but David Dewhurst just does not always put his foot in the ground and consistently stand for conservative values. Dewhurst is especially being hypocritical for attacking Patrick over things that Dewhurst is just as guilty of doing. Dewhurst likes to be a little friendlier to Democrats than what is needed. I understand wanting Democrats to be at the table and have a voice, but Dewhurst would go above and beyond and appoint Liberal Democrats and even liberal Republicans to key leadership positions in the Texas Senate. Even the big Wendy Davis “filibuster” to try to stop the new Texas Pro Life laws should have ended much sooner had it not been for Dewhurst not stopping it sooner. Dewhurst is no liberal, but Texas needs a conservative fighter who will go above and beyond. That is why I supported Ted Cruz over Dewhurst and that is also why I support Dan Patrick over Dewhurst in this Texas Lieutenant Governor Republican Primary Election May 27th, 2014.