In this week’s mailbag, we hear about government failures, political backstabbing, tax-funded lobbyists, and more!

 

Editor’s note: Each week we publish commentary from our subscribers. Commentary may be edited according to community standards. 


Governmental Failures

We build parks, fail to keep up our roads, fail to provide electricity to meet demand, fail to supply water sources to meet demand, and have people who are homeless. I fail to understand why we fail to address the major issues.

Immigration is a major issue for Texas. Illegal immigrants have more support than our homeless. I think our nation has a priority problem, we should take care of American citizens first and to hell with those that wish to destroy us! These foreign countries love our money and want to destroy our way of life.

The administration has destroyed our great nation without a single shot being fired. We have become divided, hate those in Congress that have failed to support the will of the people and conduct their own agenda. Congress and the president have failed to abide by the Constitution of the United States and Bill of Rights they swore to uphold.

J. Standridge


Backing Americans

Watching all the political backstabbing and dirty politics, I think it is time for our politicians to quit thinking like a Democrat, Republican, or Independent, and start thinking like an American. Our country is in trouble, our freedoms being attacked, our Constitution needs to be protected, and the only way to do that is to stand together.

Our main parties have really let us down, including our president. It is shameful that we, the people, support our wounded warriors. They are sent to countries that hate us and dying or coming back mentally or physically damaged. And our government does what? A handshake or medal and then forgotten.

There are homeless, hungry children in this country, elderly that are kicked to the side when they can no longer contribute to the coffers, growing old and alone. Our Social Security is threatened, as our politicians rob Peter to pay Paul.

This government should be ashamed of their actions. America is no longer a super power, it is a super joke.

Instead of supporting other countries, giving themselves raises they do not deserve, and wasting all our money on ridiculous government needs, our politicians should be working to clean up our government and actually become “of the people for the people.”

K. L. Kirsch


Tax money for lobbyists?

Why do we have elections for the Texas Senate and House of Representatives? To elect the most qualified people to represent our district. If we do that correctly, we shouldn’t need a taxpayer funded lobbyist and to my knowledge, this will be Mr. Turners 4th session to “represent” Brown County.

I for one do not believe our tax money should be spent on hiring a lobbyist to “represent” us in Austin.

Mr. Turner began his political career as a Democrat and our representatives will be conservative Republicans, who may or may not agree with him on policies. Mr. Turner is also an avid believer in the ways of the Texas House Leadership and Speaker of the House, Rep. Joe Straus, which in many people’s opinion is what is wrong with the system in place. My question to our local government is, would Mr. Turner be helpful or interference while our elected Representatives attempt to fulfill their campaign promises?

With all due respect, Mr. Turner, you had your turn, now let our elected officials have their turn.  They are the best of the best, and have done their homework and will have many experienced, conservative colleagues at hand if any guidance is needed. I don’t believe they need “babysitting!”

Let’s spend our tax money in other ways – maybe the dash cameras needed by our law enforcement?

Y. Peters
Brownwood, TX


Take Back Austin

Time to take back Austin. The depredations committed by leftists who control it have far exceeded any sense of propriety. Destroying the career of Tom De Lay was bad enough but that absurd charge against Perry should be the last straw.  Progressives are flagrantly misusing the Austin legal establishment to create havoc among the conservatives of this state. It is time to take those rascals to the woodshed.

I suspect the bulk of progressive votes originate in that bloated university situated there whose progressive faculty, progressive staff, and progressively indoctrinated student body provide the voting block keeping that town on the progressive side of the aisle. Maybe it is time for the state legislature to take a hard look at that place (and other state universities as well) and perform some seriously overdue auditing of the departments and personnel. How many language departments does a university actually require? How many departments in social sciences offering absolutely useless degrees need be there? How many basket weaving courses offered for athletes to maintain “eligibility,” athletes who never graduate and  may well sign their professional contracts with a big old  X? And finally, how much salary should be paid to professors who rarely (if ever) actually teach classes? How much is paid to the deans of those useless departments (and just how are the salaries of the bloated university bureaucracies   determined)? These are just a few examples where a serious audit might reveal redundancies, expensive redundancies, which could be remedied. And in the process, perhaps send back to the source many of those imported progressives who have contributed to that bloated progressive Austin population.

While examining the universities of Texas, it might behoove the legislature to begin the national conversation of just why do so many of our citizens require a college degree for gainful, well-paying employment? Once a high school diploma was all that was required for the average wage earner to provide a very good standard of living for his family.

Has the requirement for selling insurance, or working in any of the trades actually changed so much that a college degree is required? Or is it perhaps that the employment market has little use for high school graduates who read at the third grade level?  In short, the quality of education offered by the public schools of Texas needs to be reassessed with the goal of providing the education necessary to turn out citizens who are capable of making a good living, and of understanding their form of governance well enough to make sound judgment decisions at the ballot box. Repeat, it is time for Texas to take back ownership of Austin from the progressives.

M. Nash
Canyon Lake, TX


Grassroots Priorities

We need to get all the Conservative Republican grassroots (who are going to the State Convention as delegates) working together to get this on the Platform this year.

Here is an example (not in order of priority) of what I think are good examples of the Top 10 Federal and State Legislative Priorities that Republicans want passed:

Top 10 State Legislative Priorities:

  • Texas Legislature and Governor shall declare the unconstitutional Homosexual Marriage ruling and the (un)Affordable Care Act null and void in Texas under the powers reserved to the States as guaranteed by the 10thAmendment.
  • Amend the Texas Constitution with a tighter, more meaningful spending limitation based on population growth and annual inflation.
  • Texas Legislature shall pass a law requiring all state and local government entities to determine how much illegal aliens have cost them for the last ten years and submit the total bill to the Federal Government for reimbursement due to the failure of the Federal Government to protect the State from the illegal alien invasion.  Current estimates are over $100 Billion dollars.
  • Texas Legislature and Governor shall prohibit sanctuary cities in Texas by removing state funding to those cities that do not obey the laws.
  • Texas Legislature shall pass a law requiring proof of U.S. citizenship from those applying to receive taxpayer funded public benefits.
  • Texas Legislature and Governor shall require all school districts to spend at least 80% of their payroll expenses on classroom teachers.
  • Texas Legislature shall fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child instead of the bureaucracy, through a program which allows parents the freedom to choose their child’s school, public or private, while also saving significant taxpayer dollars.
  • Texas Legislature shall pass a law prohibiting state and local government entities from collecting dues for labor unions through public employee payroll deductions.
  • The State of Texas shall use surplus revenue and other available general revenue to buy-down state debt.
  • Texas Legislature shall reduce the high levels of local debt by passing law that requires a 51% turnout for bond elections and adds local government entities to the constitutional debt ceiling.

Top 10 Federal Legislative Priorities:

  • Pass a Federal ban on abortions over 20 weeks due to Fetal Pain.
  • Open up over 7 Million jobs for U.S. citizens by deporting all illegal aliens (using both incentives to leave voluntarily and punishments like asset forfeiture if illegal aliens have to be removed involuntarily).
  • Pass Federal laws to stop illegal aliens from getting public money.  Illegal aliens have cost taxpayers over $1 Trillion dollars over the last ten years.
  • Mandate e-Verify for all employers and all employees.  Pause all legal immigration for two years or until our 20 Million unemployed U.S. citizens have full-time jobs.
  • Reduce our $530 Billion annual trade deficit by bringing jobs back to the U.S.A. by reducing business taxes and regulations and giving tax credits for job creation.
  • Pass Federal laws to stop the $200 Billion in tax credit fraud committed using the Earned Income Tax Credit over the last ten years.
  • Pass Federal laws to stop the $50 Billion in annual tax credit fraud committed using the Child Tax Credit over the last ten years.
  • Balance the Federal Budget within 4 years using at least 67% spending cuts.
  • Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
  • Impeach all Federal Judges who violate their sworn oath to defend and protect the U.S. Constitution as written.

B. Baldwin
Plano, TX


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