Glenn Hegar for Comptroller Walks the Walk – Passed Massive Tax Cuts

Many people have wondered how I came to the conclusion to personally support Senator Glenn Hegar for Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts over the other candidates. The answer is simple. I have seen Glenn Hegar walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

In the 2013 Texas legislative session, Senator Glenn Hegar pushed through a massive franchise tax relief bill that cut taxes on businesses by hundreds of millions of dollars. Interestingly enough, the bill was introduced in the Texas House by Harvey Hildebran, who is also running for Texas Comptroller.

The following is what puts Glenn Hegar clearly on top. Hegar looked at Hildebran’s bill and said that the bill did not do enough to relieve businesses from the Texas franchise tax because it did not help all businesses. Hegar expanded the bill to give all businesses relief from the Texas Franchise tax. Hegar understood that laws should be fair and equitable and that some businesses should not get overlooked while other businesses got relief.

I am not the only person who noticed the outstanding work of Glenn Hegar. Michael Quinn Sullivan and his group Texans for Fiscal Responsibility endorsed Glenn Hegar for Texas Comptroller.

This is what Sullivan had to say about Glenn Hegar:

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility is pleased to endorse Glenn Hegar for Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Glenn Hegar will lead the fight for transparency, open government, and fiscal responsibility for Texas taxpayers. Texas needs someone who will diligently focus on reforming the problems of government debt and inefficiencies in spending. In his first term in the Texas Senate, Glenn pushed through legislation that allowed the Comptroller’s office to create a simple and searchable online database of state expenditures for Texans to know how and where their tax dollars are being spent. During the 83rd legislative session, Sen. Hegar served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Fiscal Matters (the committee charged with reviewing all state and local revenue matters) and demonstrated a commitment to looking comprehensively at the burden borne by Texas taxpayers.

Just in case you were wondering if Glenn Hegar is well rounded, Hegar has also received the top social conservative endorsements to go along with his strong fiscal conservative endorsements.

Hegar was even endorsed by social conservative champion, and former Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, David Barton.

Here is what David Barton had to say about Glenn Hegar:

Glenn Hegar is a strong leader and an avid defender of conservative principles," Barton said. "Glenn will bring a much needed free-market mentality to the Comptroller's office that will ensure Texas' economic prosperity.

David Barton is the Founder and President of WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to presenting America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on the moral, religious, and constitutional foundation on which America was built. Barton also served as the Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas from 1997 to 2006.

So there you have it, Glenn Hegar is the best of both worlds. He does not just talk the talk. He walks the walk.

How Could Debra Medina Support Pro Abortion Joe Straus who used Democrats to Beat Republicans?

The Texas 2014 Republican Primary Election has more hotly contested races than I have ever seen. From the race for Lieutenant Governor to the race for Attorney General all the way down to County Judge Races. One big race seems to always go overlooked though. The Texas Comptroller Republican Primary Race never gets much publicity, but it is a very important statewide office.

I would not be a good voter or a good citizen if I did not look into who the candidates are in the Texas Comptroller race, and then try to find out who is the best candidate.

There are 4 candidates in the Texas Comptroller race, Glenn Hegar, Harvey Hilderbran, Debra Medina, and Raul Torres.

Right away I am drawn to Texas Senator Glenn Hegar because I have seen him over the years and he has been a very strong conservative voice in the Texas Legislature.

But then I see Debra Medina's name in the Texas Comptroller race and I am intrigued. I remember when she ran against Rick Perry in 2010. Although I supported Perry in that race, I liked Medina because she took some good stances on conservative issues.

So I decided to look her up on Google and check out her campaign and see what she has been up to since 2010.

Boy was I VERY disappointed in what I found.

One of the first things I saw when I searched for Medina is an article from Empower Texans that said in 2011 Medina supported pro-abortion Joe Straus (Joe Straus teamed up with Democrats to stab Republicans in the back in order to gain control of the Texas Speaker of the House position)

I did not believe it. It must have just been a rumor about Medina. How could a strong conservative ever support Joe Straus? I liked Medina so I could not believe it. I did a little more digging and to my dismay, I discovered that it is true that Debra Medina supported Joe Straus. Not only did she support Joe Straus, she wrote a lengthy letter praising Joe Straus and bashing the conservatives who were trying to get a real conservative to replace Straus.

You can read the full letter from Medina here

My intent in writing about Medina supporting Joe Straus is not to try to attack Medina. At the same time, this is important information that people have a right to know about. I am dismayed and shocked and I would like to know how. How could she support someone like Joe Straus over real conservatives?

A few of the previous articles I have written about Joe Straus:

Straus Publicly Attacks Gov. Perry and Supports Pro-Abortion Wendy Davis

Joe Straus: Supports New Taxes & Obamacare, Opposes Gun Rights, Pro Abortion,Betrayed Republicans – Texas MUST Elect a New Speaker!

Profane Emails From Texas Speaker Joe Straus’s Office Reveal War Against Conservatives

TexasSpeaker Joe Straus Says Abortion is NOT a Serious Issue

Texas Rep Simpson's "Everyone's Savings Bill" Surpasses 110 Coauthors, Favorably Reported

From: David Simpson
Date: Tue, Mar 19, 2013 at 10:38 AM
Subject: Release: Everyone's Savings Bill Surpasses 110 Coauthors, Favorably Reported
To:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 19, 2013
Contact – Kathi Seay, 512-463-0750512-463-0750

kathi.seay@house.state.tx.us

“EVERYONE’S SAVINGS” BILL SURPASSES BENCHMARK NUMBER OF COAUTHORS, FAVORABLY REPORTED

Measure to Expand Savings Opportunities for Low-Income Families Gains Over 110 Co-Authors, Favorably Reported Out of Ways and Means Committee


(Longview) – Representative David Simpson (R-Longview) announced today that HB 78, a bill that will expand savings opportunities for low and middle-income families, has surpassed 110 co-authors. The “Everyone’s Savings” bill removes the requirement to collect sales taxes on the purchase of gold and silver coins and bullion below $1000. Currently, purchases above $1000 are not taxed, allowing higher-income Texans to save and invest in precious metals without a tax penalty.

“This bill will remove a barrier to savings for low- and middle-income families,” said Rep. Simpson. “For a long time, higher-income families have been able to protect their earnings by investing in precious metals without a tax penalty. HB 78 will afford that same opportunity to everyone.”

HB 78 enjoys broad support in both parties and across all parts of the state. The bill was referred to the Ways and Means Committee where it was last night reported favorably and unanimously to consideration by the full House.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman and bill joint-author Harvey Hilderbran also stated, “With HB 78, the Legislature has the chance to expand savings opportunities for all Texans, regardless of income or class. This is about basic fairness for all our citizens. I am glad to joint-author the bill and encourage my fellow legislators to help us pass this common sense measure.”

A nearly identical measure was adopted by the House through floor amendments last session but was not included in the final conference committee bill.

Representative Simpson, Republican from Longview, serves House District 7 which is comprised of Gregg and Upshur counties.

###

Texas Speaker Straus Wants Obamacare for Texas - Texas Reps Living Large on your Dime

the following blog post is from Texans for Fiscal Responsibility: Texans for Fiscal Responsibility EmpowerTexans.com March 10, 2013   Today: Legislators blast transparency... Straus sugarcoats Medicaid expansion... Hospitals want more...

QUOTING...  "Politicians are worse than thieves. At least when thieves take your money, they don't expect you to thank them for it." -- Walter Williams

When legislators denounce legislation bringing sunlight into government, one has to wonder what they’re hiding. And by the looks of a recent committee hearing, three legislators must have some really dirty closets.

Despite opposition from US Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, Gov. Rick Perry, and the Texas House GOP caucus, Speaker Joe Straus said this week it was time for Texas to “move beyond the word ‘no’ to something the administration might entertain” on ObamaCare implementation.

Sugarcoated Expansion
The Obama Administration wants Texas to expand Medicaid, something that will bankrupt the state. Conservatives have uniformly opposed the policy as a bad idea, even while some Republicans here and around the country are caving in.

Speaker Straus told his hometown newspaper that Texas needs to “get our heads out of the sand” in order to find a “Texas solution” President Obama likes. Of course, you can safely assume any solution the Obama administration finds acceptable will be unacceptable to Texas.

Mr. Straus’ call for capitulation came just days after the Republican Party of Texas’ governing board – the State Republican Executive Committee – passed a resolution opposing Medicaid expansion. Party chairman Steve Munisteri wrote lawmakers expressing the GOP’s “unwavering opposition to the expansion of Medicaid in Texas.”

Unfortunately, we can expect a steady stream of grow-government liberals and moderates to keep trying to push sugarcoated poison pills down Texans’ throats. As our friends at AgendaWise noted on Friday, Texans should remember Nancy Reagan's catch-phrase regarding addictive, deadly substances: "Just say no."

Hospital Hubris
A new talking point for the Medicaid expanders/ObamaCare implementers – like Speaker Straus – is the heavy cost being borne by local hospital districts. The argument goes like this: Local taxpayers are paying a lot of money providing free health care for the local indigent and poor, therefore we need the state taxpayers to pick up the tab, or to get the money from the federal taxpayers.

You probably already get the joke: the taxpayers stay on the hook, the same taxpayers even. It’s just a question of which pocket you’re paying out of, and how transparent the bill is.

Let's start with the obvious: local officials willfully sold the public on creating hospitals districts to provide a service about which they are now complaining. Think about that. Local officials are using the cost of providing indigent care, which they strenuously advocated, as a pretext to expand ObamaCare.

We should treat suspiciously any claim of concern for the local taxpayer. In fact, given hospital districts' (and hospitals generally) insatiable desire for access to taxpayer dollars, you can expect to see those local hospital taxes going up anyway.

This is why the rent-seeking local public hospital districts are pushing so hard for Medicaid expansion. They will keep jacking up your local property taxes in the name of providing access to care, while pocketing more money from the federal government funneled through the state.

Of course, in the interest of intellectual honesty it bears noting that any money provided by the federal government comes from either higher income taxes or your grandchildren’s credit card.

Legislators Live Large
A rare defense of dishonesty was on display in the Texas House State Affairs Committee, when three ranking members viciously attacked government transparency and all-but defended legislators making big paydays through undisclosed deals with governmental agencies.

Legislation filed by freshman State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake) made good on one of his central campaign promises: to bring greater transparency to contracts lawmakers, their families and businesses have with government agencies.

That clearly doesn’t sit well with State Reps. Harvey Hilderbran, Patricia Harless and Dan Huberty. They were unsettled by the prospect of lawmakers reporting on business dealings with entities they oversee or governmental entities that rely on being in the good graces of their offices.

Rep. Harless expressed concern she might have to report on her husband’s contracts with local governments. Didn’t know he had any… until now. Similarly, Mr. Huberty – a former school board member – expressed shock and outrage that voters might need to know what deals he is making on the side.

Mr. Hilderbran’s outrage is even more interesting. This is a fellow who has been quietly exploring a statewide run for comptroller, a position charged with expanding transparency, not curtailing it. (Late last year, it was discovered that Mr. Hilderbran – a committee chairman – was using legislative staff to peddle his “real estate” business to new legislators.)

Whether or not Reps. Harless, Huberty or Hilderbran are abusing their legislative offices to secure unethical contracts for themselves and their spouses is unknown – mostly because of the lack of transparency they were defending.

But the amount of smoke they were blowing against commonsense disclosures might rightly cause voters to suspect there are some ethical fires burning there.

Light Better Fires
Help make sure our fellow Texans are informed and engaged: share this e-mail with friends, “Like” us on Facebook, and make a donation through our 1836 Campaign. Together, we can shine the bright lights of liberty in the dark corners of the Capitol.

For Texas!
Michael Quinn Sullivan
& the EmpowerTexans.com Team

Texas Bill Honors A&M's Johnny "Football" Manziel, Judge Taking Heat for Facebook Post about Manziel Speeding

Texas Legislature set to Honor Aggie Johnny "Football" Manziel with House Resolution.

Texas A&M University Heisman Winning Redshirt Freshman Johnny "Football" Manziel took the nation by storm. He amazed all who watched him play and his stats blew SEC and National records out of the water. His accomplishments brought tens of millions of dollars in publicity to the Great State of Texas.

 Texas State Representative Harvey Hilderbran has filed a joint Texas House and Senate Resolution honoring Johnny Manziel.

SEE FULL TEXT OF RESOLUTION BELOW....

In other news, a Texas Judge is taking heat for posting on facebook about Johnny Manziel getting a speeding ticket from the Ennis Police Department. Lee Johnson, a Baylor Graduate, will likely face disciplinary action from the Texas State Judicial Ethics Commission.

from CBS Sports:

Lee Johnson, a graduate of Baylor and a municipal court judge in Ennis since 1987, might be in a little hot water after this post. At the very least (according to legal experts we consulted), his commentary is unethical and could result in some disciplinary action -- or force him to recuse himself from the case. Also, his actions probably won't go over well with some Aggie partisans in that football-crazy part of the state.

83R2854 JH-D

By:  Hilderbran                                   H.C.R. No. 2

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, A superb Lone Star athlete set a new standard of excellence when Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M University was named the winner of the 2012 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first freshman ever to earn that prestigious award; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Manziel's recognition as the top college player in the nation followed his exceptional debut season as the quarterback of the Aggies; with his gutsy determination and outstanding abilities as a playmaker, he earned the admiration of everyone who witnessed his thrilling gridiron achievements, and he soon became known by the nickname that sums up his no-nonsense approach to the game: "Johnny Football"; and

WHEREAS, The son of Paul and Michelle Manziel, Johnathan Paul Manziel was raised in Kerrville, where he was a standout quarterback at Tivy High School; he gained national recognition as a senior and was voted Player of the Year in a national coaches poll; though some believed that he lacked the size to succeed in college competition, he received a scholarship from Texas A&M University and won the starting quarterback job before the start of the 2012 season; and

WHEREAS, With his pinpoint throws and elusive running, Mr. Manziel ignited the Aggie offense, and he was especially effective at darting downfield for long gains, leaving defenders scattered in his wake; his breakout performance came in his second game, when he racked up six touchdowns to defeat Southern Methodist University, and Texas A&M went on to tally a total of 217 points while winning its next four contests; and

WHEREAS, One of the biggest highlights for this phenomenal freshman came in the showdown with undefeated and No. 1-ranked Alabama on November 10; playing with cool composure in the national spotlight, he directed his team to 20 first-quarter points, and the Aggies knocked off the Crimson Tide by a score of 29-24; and

WHEREAS, Over the course of the 2012 campaign, Mr. Manziel rewrote the record books; he is the first freshman and only the fifth person in NCAA history to compile 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season; in addition, he holds the Southeastern Conference game and season records for most total yardage, and he set new Texas A&M marks for total yards, rushing yards by a quarterback, and passing yards in a single game; along the way, he led his team to 10 triumphs in the regular season and an appearance in the Cotton Bowl; and

WHEREAS, In becoming the second Aggie to win the Heisman Trophy, Johnny Manziel has joined the most elite fraternity in college football, and his accomplishment is a source of great pride and excitement to his countless fans in the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas hereby congratulate Johnny Manziel on winning the 2012 Heisman Trophy and extend to him sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for Mr. Manziel as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate.