We all were, if you are a Christian. Jesus paid the ransom for our sin with his own blood so that we could have eternal life. Pretty hefty price, if you ask me.
One could say that our delegation of Texas State Representatives have been bought with a price, too. Not one as noble as the price that Christ paid for our sins. What I'm talking about here is their vote for the Texas Speaker of the House, bought and paid for by current Speaker of the House, Joe Straus. Follow the money, especially all the lobbyist money Straus distributes with strong strings attached. See the article just written by a contributor to Raging Elephants Radio with a complete list of state reps who have received contributions from Speaker Straus.
Now, you might accuse me of being extreme here with the parallel I've drawn, but I don't think so. See, the state of Texas and it's future rests squarely in the hands of the Speaker of the House, which is a position that needs to be held by a true conservative member of the house. My choice? Scott Turner, that's who.
Scott Turner understands the responsibility he has as a legislator and where our priorities should be. From a fellow blogger, Adam Cahnman's most recent blog post he relays some of Scott's legislative priorities:
"...As a candidate for the Office of Speaker of the House, I have spent the last several months traveling across our great state and have heard the voice of the people calling for their representatives to help promote and protect our shared values of faith, family, and free enterprise. It is important that we focus on the future of Texas and not rest on the perceived victories of the past.
As the next Speaker of the House, I want us to focus on securing our borders, fully implementing E-verify, and completely ending the practice of sanctuary cites. Moreover, we can no longer put off giving parents and families a choice to provide the best educational environment for their children. Additionally, we must provide a solid financial environment for our state by repealing the Gross Margins Tax and implementing a fiscally conservative budget that exemplifies responsible stewardship of the taxpayers’ money.
I look forward to working with my fellow members to seize the opportunities set before us, work on the passage of the critical legislation the people are calling for, and move forward in a bipartisan effort to ensure true freedom and prosperity for Texas.”
As someone who's been working with the Scott Turner team, I've been privileged to hear him speak more than a few times. One of the quotes I gathered from him that I found rather inspiring myself was this one, "Status quo and complacency rob you." This quote can definitely be applied to the upcoming legislative session.
Sadly, as I mentioned earlier, it seems that the Straus camp has already sent out their talking points to his delegation, and their little army of 'lemmings' has all but regurgitated the information on all of their Facebook walls and at speeches around the state. Lots of them reflect Scott's perceived inexperience as a legislator. Another quote from Scott that refutes that claim, "I'm no stranger to scrutiny and accountability."
I believe it is that same scrutiny and accountability that he speaks of that will make him a great speaker. Win or lose, Scott will take the vote to the floor, because in his own words, once again, "It's time."
