Update: As of Friday April 17, 216 grassroots leaders have signed onto the coalition letter.
As government-mandated shutdowns of the Texas economy continue to devastate Texas families and businesses, grassroots leaders are calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to come forward with a data-driven and specific plan to get Texans back to work.
On Tuesday, a number of the state’s major conservative organizations and leaders penned a letter to Abbott, calling on him to stop waiting on Washington and allowing local officials to run amok and instead take a leading role and chart an end to this crisis.
A copy of that letter can be found below:
Dear Governor Abbott,
The Chinese Coronavirus pandemic and the government-ordered responses to it are devastating the Texas economy and imposing untold harm on Texas families. The additional burden of the Russia-Saudi Arabia oil fight has compounded the economic drag.
Thankfully, infections, hospitalizations, and even deaths have fallen far short of the worst-case scenarios some had projected. The virus appears to be on the decline worldwide and especially in Texas very soon if not already.
Texas should enact a clearly communicated and citizen-driven plan to prudently and carefully return Texans to work, to church, and possibly back to school.
State Reps. Matt Krause and Mike Lang sent excellent recommendations, presenting strong suggestions on how to move the economy again and stand Texans back on their feet. Those recommendations include removing the distinction between “essential” and “non-essential” businesses; allowing restaurants, gyms, salons, and other businesses to reopen provided they take commonsense measures to maintain social distancing; and, continuing to waive regulations already waived for an extended and defined period.
Both sets of suggestions are strong on “recommendations” and short on mandates. That is as it should be; trust your fellow Texans to self-govern. Lang and Krause offer a roadmap which, if correctly implemented, would do much to assist hardworking Texans in restoring normalcy and our state’s economy.
A number of other ideas should be prudently reviewed and considered. For example, we strongly encourage you to re-open the state’s parks. Similarly, please force local entities to lift the onerous restrictions they have foisted on Texans and curtail their ability to impose others.
Few are expecting or proposing an immediate lifting of all restrictions and recommendations imposed by the state as we seek to recover from this pandemic, but every restrictive order that remains must be justified with facts and accompanied by clearly communicated standards and timelines for its lifting.
The people of Texas are strong and resilient. They have shown both in this crisis and in every previous crisis that they are willing to sacrifice for their neighbors in times of need. They deserve the kind of leadership from their state officials that works with them to chart a course to recovery and an end to this diminished status quo.
Texans are once again looking to you to lead.
The letter has been signed by Daniel Greer of Direct Action Texas, Ross Kecseg of Empower Texans, JoAnn Fleming of Grassroots America – We the People, Rachel Malone of Gun Owners of America, Tim Lambert of the Texas Homeschool Coalition, Jim Graham of Texas Right to Life, Julie McCarty of the True Texas Project, and former State Rep. Matt Rinaldi.
Additional grassroots leaders across Texas are expected to sign on.
