2022 Midterm Elections Are Coming: Vote Like Your Life Depends On It

 

The midterm elections are coming!  The midterm elections are coming!  The midterm elections are coming!  

We saw it happening in 2010 when the IRS became involved in stifling tea party 501C-3 applications.  Not just stifling them, but flat out targeting them by asking for names of members and wanting to 'pre-approve' flyers that were handed out at rallies.  They also wanted website domain information and a whole host of other information aimed at discriminating against those who they saw as enemies of the state.  I wish I was kidding.  I was part of one of the tea party groups that was targeted and I was asked to go to the hearing that investigated those said discriminatory practices and I watched Lois Lerner plead the fifth amendment at said hearing.  I also wrote about that hearing here.  Really, Lois?  

I know that 2010 is NOT the first time that the government has 'come after' law-abiding, tax paying citizens, nor will it be the last.  What's the saying, 'absolute power corrupts absolutely.'?  Exactly.  Fast forward to today.  Read the headlines.  The far-left Democrats want to dispose of the Republican party.  Hell, I've wanted to dispose of the Republican party at one time or another, but not so far as wanting to actually kill them.  That's what the Democrats want right now, and they're  not even trying to hide it anymore.

Sure, if they're called out on it, they try to walk it back as in, 'that's not really what I meant'.  Or, 'that comment was taken out of context' or any other attempt to soften the original comments they made.  Folks, words matter and the Bible says that, "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."-Luke 6:45.  I'll give you a few examples of what I'm talking about, but there are more.  

First, Democrat Congressman Tim Ryan ordered that, "we must kill and confront the MAGA movement." 

    “The Democrats aren’t right on everything. And I’m willing to sit down and have conversations about how we can move out of this age of stupidity,” Ryan said during an appearance Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Some of those answers will come from Republicans, not the extremists that we are dealing with every single day, we’ve got to kill and confront that movement, but working with normal mainstream Republicans, that’s going to be really, really important.”

I may be asking for trouble here, but I don't recall ever hearing a Republican Congressman or Senator or any other nationally elected official calling for the murder of their opponent.  My goodness.  It doesn't stop there, though.  Another Democrat, a  Senator this time said that the abortion ban is literally a 'call to arms'.  I'm not sure about you, but a call to arms is a call to WAR.  

Even the POTUS, Joe Biden is vilifying the MAGA movement; 

    "MAGA Republicans do not respect the constitution,” Biden said. “They do not believe in the rule     of law, they do not believe in the rule of law, they do not recognize the will of the people.”

    “MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards,” he added. “Backwards to an             America where there is no right to choose. No right to privacy. No right to contraception. No right     to marry who you love. They promote authoritarian leaders and they fan the flames of political        violence.”

That, folks, is called 'gaslighting'.  

Let's also not forget that concerned parents are targets of the left.  Democrat Georgia Representative Hank Johnson brings himself into the fold of those who want to target those who disagree with him as he compares parents to those who descended on the capitol building on January 6th as one in the same.  He's quoted as saying in this Daily Caller article, 

        "People on the local level at effected school board meetings, they won’t forget the MAGA                     Republicans descending on their school board meetings after January 6, like January 6,                     disrupting meetings,” Johnson continued.

Are you seeing a theme here?  So, what can we do about it?  First and easiest thing to do is vote!  Vote like your life depends on it November 8th.  Vote Republican up and down the ballot, especially on those judicial races because those are some of the most important races on the ballot.  We've got rampant crime, inflation, increasing gas prices and a divider in chief and lots of his little minions at the federal level just itching to do his bidding.  Don't let them do it.

An Earmark By Any Other Name Is Still an Earmark

You've heard "trust but verify" from none other than Ronald Reagan, no doubt.  The Tea Party movement taught us to do that, and I hope you still are.  Especially in the case of John Culberson, my congressman.

Congressman Culberson has been the star of many a blog posts here on The Political Chicken, and I'm feeling the need to turn the spotlight on him once again.  Not because he's done anything NEW and egregious, but because of things he's STILL claiming to be.  If you visit his website, he touts himself as a Jeffersonian Republican, but anyone who's studied his voting record can dispute that fact.  Something that I did in a post titled, "Is John Culberson A Jeffersonian-Republican...Or Not?

Just like your favorite infomercial, but wait, there's more.  Not only do the votes I highlighted in the blog referenced above prove that he is NOT a Jeffersonian-Republican, the fact that he's been making efforts to bring back earmarks proves it even further.  Not only that, but when you take into account that Jefferson himself was against earmarks and addressed them in a letter he wrote to James Madison, it proves Culberson's claims as laughable.

In the letter, Jefferson writes of earmarks, "it will be a scene of eternal scramble among the members who can get the most money wasted in their state, and they will always get most who are meanest.  We have thought hitherto that the roads of a state could not be so well administered even by the state legislature as by the magistracy of the county, on the spot. What will it be when a member of N.H. is to mark out a road for Georgia?"   Sounds familiar.

The fiscal watchdog organization, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) is also, obviously, against the use of earmarks.  Their former director of government affairs Bill Christian had this to say, "For those who rely too heavily on the “Article I” argument (that Congress controls the power of the purse), this is an important distinction that cannot be repeated enough:  Yes, members of the House of Representatives are sent to Washington, D.C. to “represent” their various and diverse districts on issues of national importance; they were not, however, sent to the national capital to demonstrate how much more clever they might be, in manipulating the national treasury at the expense of their less senior and/or less powerful colleagues.  Surely, the Founding Fathers did not intend for the “power of the purse” to be used to “rob Peter to pay Paul.”.  CAGW also named Culberson their 'Porker of the Month' in their December 2016 issue.  

What makes this also very 'funny' is that Culberson is out there campaigning so darn hard for the earmarks to be reinstated all the while claiming to be a Jeffersonian Republican.  Culberson is campaigning for this effort using the Article 1 argument, which Bill Christian has said is another version of 'robbing Peter to pay Paul."  And while Culberson and those that want to return to earmarking funds for their districts say that doing so won't increase spending, it still increases the deficit!   

Another recent development in the effort to bring back earmarks is the potential threat that Hurricane Harvey is posing for the Texas Gulf Coast.  The Houston Chronicle reports in an article that now Congressman Culberson is working to use this potential crisis to his advantage to get earmarks returned, and he's got two local Democratic congressman on board; Al Green and Gene Green.  They offered their support, "when he proposed some loosening of the federal prohibition on earmarks."  Well, now isn't that surprising, that a Democrat would want to spend more of your tax dollars?  What was all of that talk about draining the swamp again?

Republicans vs. Democrats: A Culberson Town Hall Wrap Up

Pensions.  Health care.  Tax reform.  Immigration.  All of these issues affect us.  Not just 'you' us, but ALL of us.  Each individual has a story about how each one of these issues affects their lives.  Contrary to what Congress may tell you, there isn't any sweeping legislation that is a one size fits all solution, and I think going forward, legislators and the public need to remember that when we're considering what we're asking for.

Unfortunately, we live in the era of Big Government, and although it's not necessarily a new thing, it's still a thing.  They have this attitude of, "Anything the private sector can do, the public sector can do better."  This is not just an attitude of the federal government; it's a view held by Democrats and leftists alike.  That was never more evident at the John Culberson town hall.

The town hall was hosted at Spring Branch Middle School Auditorium and it was filled to capacity.  Seven hundred constituents flooded the town hall with questions to be asked and confrontations to be had with the Congressman.  The majority of the attendees were Democrats and there was a theme running through them all.  I'd love to tell you it was sweetness and light, but alas, that was not the case.

From the moment that they booed the opening prayer, and left out 'Under God' in the pledge, the mood had been decided. It was clear to me that the folks that were in attendance were out to control the entire town hall.  They were there to intimidate and to shout down and make their noise.  And that, they did.

I've got to say, I didn't blame the constituents for their frustrations, although they could have been much more civil about it.  I and others have felt similar frustrations with Congressman Culberson over the years. The only difference between myself and the Democrats is that going into any conversation or meeting, THEY would KNOW that they're going to disagree with the Congressman and that he's not going to represent their interests very well.

I think that the Congressman could have handled the crowd a bit better than he did.  Each time someone rose to ask a question, he often responded with "That's a very thoughtful and important question."  On the surface that might sound good, but it came across as very condescending.  The constituents recognized it and often followed those words with 'boos' and began chanting, "do your job'.  It was embarrassing.

I went there as an observer.  Full disclosure, I have been a long time skeptic and critic of the Congressman, but I went there really wanting to hear what he'd have to say.  There was one few thing he really stood strong for, like being against a single payer healthcare system which I was glad of.  Others, like something that he kept repeating, "Keep politics out of science and art.", that I wasn't so sure of.  Sounded good for the crowd he was in front of, I guess.

Another constituent was there, Mary Jane Smith, precinct chair and long time GOP activist, and this is what she had to say about the way the Congressman handled himself; " He was misinformed on several points. I was disappointed, although not surprised, when he said to the opposition that he was going to vote for same ole funding for National Institute of Health, (NIH), increased funding for education, public broadcasting, and was against Trump's decrease funding of the Dept of State."

The Republican constituency that lives in Congressional District 7 didn't show up for this town hall.  Hell, they didn't show up for the general election!  CD-7 went for Hillary!  I have news for them and for whomever is reading this, the Republican leaders, activists and voters had better not get comfortable over the next four years. The opposition is alive and well in even the most conceivably conservative areas in Harris county. The GOP still has to make OUR voices heard in the legislative process and the election process!  The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

John Culberson Hosts a Town Hall THIS Saturday, March 25, 2017

Congressvarmint. Congresscritter.  Tax dollar waster.  These are some of the names that I and others have come up with over the years for our congressmen.  I think I may have found a new favorite term of endearment for my very own congressman; 'porker of the month',  Unfortunately, I wasn't the one who coined the phrase, but when I did a Google search of Congressman Culberson this morning, the first thing that popped up was an article written by Citizens Against Government Waste.  The title?  "CAGW names Culberson, Rogers, and Rooney December 2016 Porker of the Month".  Love it.

Apparently he's done enough of NOTHING over the past sixteen years he's been in office for Congressional District 7 that he may face a serious Democratic challenger for his seat.  I base that claim on the fact that good old conservative congressional district 7 went for Hillary Clinton in the November general election.  So, guess what he's doing now?  Sending out fundraising emails with cries for help much like a modern day Paul Revere, only with much less courage, claiming in emails that his staff sends out, "The Democrats are coming!  The Democrats are coming!"

Oh, yeah, they are.  And so are the Republicans.  After cosponsoring legislation to remove the ban on earmarks in December of last year and his lack of responsiveness to his current constituency, he's feeling the pressure.  Seems kind of ironic, though, don't you think, that the party of the opposition would be the voice that he's responding to? Well, you know what they say, there's only two ways to run for office, unopposed or scared.  I have a feeling Culberson is running scared.

To further prove that he IS running scared, he's finally hosting a town hall.  If you live in his Congressional District like I do, you will be allowed entrance.  Click on the link here to get all of the details, the do's and don'ts.  Apparently this time, there are quite a few of those.

So, what will his tagline be this time?  I guess you'll have to attend to find out....

Congress Has Never Met An Earmark They Didn't Like

Hello, my pretties!  Welcome back to TPC on the flip side of quite possibly the craziest election season EVAH!  I worked this election harder than I have ever worked one before.  I knocked on doors and phone banked and placed yard signs all throughout my precinct.  I was even able to recruit volunteers to work the election in my spare time.  Whew!

That said, I was thoroughly disappointed in the results of the county wide races here in Harris County.  We lost three very important positions, the utmost, in my opinion, was the Tax-Assessor Collector which was held by Republican incumbent Mike Sullivan.  Mike's office is in charge of keeping the voter rolls clean in Harris County and with the Democrats at the ready to steal elections, the fact that a Democrat won that seat makes it even easier for them to do so.

I know that I made no secret about not being a Trump supporter, however, I was personally thankful to see Hillary go down in flames.  With a Republican majority in Congress, we should be able to right the wrongs of an out of control leftist agenda, right?  Think again, kids.

I want to ask you a multiple choice question.  Not one week after the 2016 general election, Republicans in Congress are itching to:
a.)Reign in the federal government
b.)Repeal and replace Obamacare
c.)Repeal redundant laws and sunset government agencies
d.) Lift the ban on earmarks.
If you chose 'd', you're correct.  

Club for Growth doesn't think we should.  According to their president, David McIntosh, " “This is a test of whether Republicans are listening to the American people,” said Club for Growth president David McIntosh. “It’s been barely a week since voters sent a resounding rejection of Washington insider politics, and yet House Republicans are already on the verge of proving they’re tone deaf. Earmarks represent the worst of inside-the-beltway gamesmanship, by enticing Members to vote for big-government bills with the lure of getting tax dollars for big projects back in their districts. House Republicans banned earmarks in 2011, but some have been trying to get back their spending power ever since. Voters believed that Republicans would ‘drain the swamp,’ not redirect it for their own benefit."

Hmm, so you know me, I can't leave well enough alone, so I called Congressman Culberson's office to check with them the reason why they filed such a bill.  According to his office, "Line item appropriations would provide greater transparency and efficiency because the request would identify the congressperson and the project said money would be going financing."

Follow that with news that Speaker Ryan "...persuaded Republicans to postpone votes on bringing back legislative earmarks until 2017 after reminding members of President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp” of Washington."  So, we can breathe a sigh of relief, right?  Not so fast.  Read on down the article from thehill.com and find this: "But while the votes have been delayed for now, it’s far from certain that Republicans will keep the earmark ban in place when a public vote is held next year."

So, if you're of the mind that lifting the ban on earmarks is not a good idea, then feel free to contact your Congressman.  If you happen to think that by using this tactic that it will help expedite the freeing up federal dollars for special requests and you like that idea, then also feel free to call your Congressman.  John Culberson can be reached at 713-682-8828.  Let him know how you feel about the issue, because he represents YOU and that is YOUR money they're spending.


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Coming Soon: FREE Screening of "Wait Till It's Free"

Welcome to 2015!  Wow!  Is it even possible that we've just rung in a new year?  I guess so, and with the new year also marks the beginning of Obamacare.  You remember Obamacare, right?  I mean, how could we forget it?  It seemed doomed from the beginning, starting with the drama surrounding its passage back in March 2010 to the Supreme Court decision to uphold the individual mandate as constitutional to the decision of Congress to fund multiple Continuing Resolutions with 'hard-wired' funding for the omnibus health care bill.  Its faulty website launched in 2014 and appointing 16,000 IRS agents to handle its implementation and enforcement of purchase further prove what a mess it is. I mean, the government runs the Postal Service and it's doing...fine...ahem.

The healthcare law has triggered skyrocketing premiums for all families across all income levels, proving that its official name of Affordable Care Act is a definite misnomer.  Let's not forget a few of the dramatic bumps it had along the way to passage.  I love playing a game I call, "What's My Line?"  of quotes from various office holders of what they said during that year and a half struggle.  My absolute favorite was the one from Alan Grayson, the Democrat from Florida that said since Republicans didn't want it passed that the GOP wanted "..Americans to die and die quickly!".  Yeah, pretty sad.

Other events during the negotiation process, which, if you remember, was going to be as transparent as a piece of rice paper AND were going to be televised on C-SPAN, we had the Corn-husker kick back and the second Louisiana Purchase. Don't forget the Stupak amendment, which is the executive order he 'negotiated' with the president to protect the Hyde Amendment which was written to prevent tax-payer funded abortion, which in all reality, didn't do anything.  But I digress....

So why am I bringing all of this up again?  Ever heard of a movie called, "Wait Till It's Free"?  Here's a description of the movie from their website:
"Wait Till It's Free" is an entertaining and provocative look at the current healthcare crisis. This film takes a hard and honest look at the way we do healthcare in America by looking at every relevant aspect of modern medicine, from the escalating cost of health insurance to the move towards universal government healthcare. The film asks what kind of alternatives there are for families caught between expensive insurance-based coverage and the "Free" government solutions. The film explores the alternatives for individuals, churches, and families, and offers moving and enlightening stories about those that have chosen to follow innovative and independent approaches to healthcare."

Notice the last two lines in the description:  "The film asks what kind of alternatives there are for families caught between expensive insurance-based coverage and the "Free" government solutions. The film explores the alternatives for individuals, churches, and families, and offers moving and enlightening stories about those that have chosen to follow innovative and independent approaches to healthcare."  I think that's what the GOP needs right now and has needed for some time--Alternatives.  Options.  Choices.

We've all discussed the repeal of Obamacare, haven't we?  We've all heard campaign promises doled out by some GOP congressmen and women that they were going to repeal it and replace it, but with what, exactly?  This movie offers some viable replacement options. 

What I'm even more hopeful about is that a pastor of a local church is actually orchestrating the viewing of this documentary.  We all know that politics and religion don't normally mix, and I wanted to ask him about that.  His name is Pete Allison and he's been kind enough to let me interview him and ask him about his decision to show the movie.

Kelly Horsley: "Why do you think it's important to show this movie?"

Pastor Allison: "It’s important to show this movie because people need to know that:

-Government medicine is detrimental to liberty and our health 
-There were serious problems with our healthcare before Obamacare
-The out of control healthcare costs are the result of government medicine
-There are other options besides government medicine.
What people don’t know in this area can be very detrimental to their health.

Kelly Horsley: "We've often heard it said that politics and religion don't mix.  What do you say to that?"
Pastor Allison: "To those who say that politics and religion should not be mixed, I would reply that it is impossible to separate them. Politics is, by definition, the practice of one’s religion or beliefs in the area of civil government. It’s a topic about which the Scriptures have much to say."

Kelly Horsley: "I personally applaud your involvement and wish we would see more pastors and church goers involved in the political process.  What are some ways you think we could get the Evangelical voters out to the polls?"

Pastor Allison: "From my interactions with evangelical voters, there seem to be two predominate reasons many evangelical voters do not go to the polls. One group, probably the smaller of the two, doesn’t see anyone on the ballot for whom they can vote. They see little point in picking the lesser of two evils as they are still voting for evil (http://blog.dollarnoncents.com/2008/10/wasted-third-party-votes.html). The other group is just consistently living out their religion (or theology) which is that the kingdom of heaven has nothing to do with the civil magistrate. In essence, the world belongs to the devil; were just here to save as many souls as we can until we’re raptured away from this mess.

We’ll get more evangelical voters out to the polls when we have biblically qualified candidates on the ballot who are worth voting for and when we reach these voters with a more accurate gospel and they start working for what Christ taught us to pray for in the Lord’s Prayer – your will be done on earth even as it is already been done in heaven."

Kelly Horsley: "The Pastors Council has a statistic that says that less than one out of three churchgoing citizens vote in each election, a fact of which we should be ashamed.  Do you agree that stat is something we need to change?
Pastor Allison: "The Pastors Council’s statistic, by itself, is not the issue. The evangelical vote has supported almost as many bad things as the liberal vote (e.g. unconstitutional wars of aggression, opposition to immigration, truncation of constitutionally contracted rights, legalization of abortion (http://blog.dollarnoncents.com/2014/04/why-not-constitutional-convention.html), though I grant that where the liberal vote is correct, it is often not for the right reason. Getting more evangelical voters to the polls won’t do any good if they vote in unbiblical or unconstitutional ways."


On to the particulars of the event, the movie is showing Friday, January 16th at 7:00 PM at The Lone Star Convention and Expo Center.  Address is 9055 Airport Rd, Conroe, TX 77303.  This event is FREE and open to the public. The Director and Producer, Colin Gunn, will be present to discuss the film.

So, please make plans to join us!  I have a feeling that this is something that you won't want to miss!

Is John Culberson A Jeffersonian-Republican...Or Not?

"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie down the second with chains of the constitution so the second will not become legalized versions of the first."-Thomas Jefferson.

I share that with you because the person I'm writing about espouses on his website to BE a Jeffersonian-Republican.  This is a direct quote from his website, "As a fiscally conservative “Jeffersonian Republican,” Congressman John Culberson is committed to Thomas Jefferson’s vision of limited government, individual liberty, and states’ rights. Simply put, John Culberson believes in “Letting Texans Run Texas.” 

All of that sounds really good, doesn't it?  Well, friends, as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.  Let's look at some of the voting action on the part of our fair Congressman Culberson.

I'm a Freedomworks follower and they have a Scorecard that they use to keep up with all of the House and Senate members voting records, both good and bad.  So, here's the first vote on the list in which Congressman Culberson voted against the Freedomworks recommendations.


On H.R. 3457-Omnibus Appropriations for Fiscal year 2014,  Culberson was a 'yea' vote.  This bill funded the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2014. It spends $45 billion more than the budget caps established in 2011, and perpetuates a vast amount of wasteful spending from previous years. Lawmakers were also given almost no time to read this 1,500 page spending bill.  Reminds me of Democrat Jeff Conyers and his quote about actually reading a bill before passing it.  "What good is it to read a bill that's 1,000 pages when you don't have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you've read the bill?"  Sounds like it might be more than just a Conyers philosophy. 

On the FARM Bill, Culberson was also a 'yea' vote.   This final version of the Farm Bill, reconciled between the House and Senate, actually undoes some of the already modest reforms to crop insurance and food stamps that were previously in the bill. This five-year reauthorization of the Farm Bill will spend nearly a trillion dollars over ten years, and remains loaded with corporate welfare and special carve-outs for well-connected agricultural corporations.

His Jeffersonian-Republican framework could be destroyed within the guise of the FARM bill.  Think about it; it expanded government, it spends more money, a trillion over ten years and keeps people on the government dole through food stamps, which is ultimately about the dependency on a hand out.

How about the amendment to House Resolution 4870, to cut Transportation and HUD spending by 1%?  Surely a Jeffersonian Republican would want to cut spending.  Sorry to say, not this time.  He voted NOT to cut spending.

I'll share one more key vote with you and it is on the Highway and Transportation Funding Act.  This bill bails out the nearly depleted Highway Trust Fund through May of 2015, using revenue gimmicks to supposedly offset most of the cost. The Highway Trust fund desperately needs reform instead of merely continuing to receive periodic taxpayer bailouts.  Congressman Culberson was a 'yea' vote on this one, too.  Read my lips, "No more bailouts!"  

Okay, since I've been playing bad cop all this time, maybe it's time for a little good cop.  One of the votes that he got right was to restrict agencies from accessing U.S. citizens' communications metadata.  I guess he felt compelled to do that after he voted for the patriot act, not once, but twice.

These are only four of the votes that earned him a 50% rating on the Freedomworks Scorecard.  To be fair, I went and checked out some of the other really well known scorecards, Eagle Forum and Heritage Action.  He rated a 75% with Eagle Forum and a 68% with heritage Action.  All three scorecards report on much of the same bills, with the exception of a few.  Both Heritage Action and Eagle Forum reported on a bill that Freedomworks did not, which was a bill to establish the Commission to study the potential creation of a National Women's History Museum, a bill that BOTH organizations recommended voting against.  John Culberson voted FOR the bill and it passed.

There's just one more bill I'd like to draw your attention to that he voted against that blows his Jeffersonian-Republican thought process out of the water; a bill to reform the Federal Sugar Program.  From Heritage Action's Website:

Amendment #98 offered by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) reforms the Federal sugar program: 1) repeals unnecessary trade restrictions; 2) eliminates higher price support levels; 3) reforms domestic supply restrictions to provide more flexibility to USDA; and 4) provides flexibility to USDA in administering quotas.

Heritage Action Position

In 2006, the Department of Commerce found that for every job “saved” by the program, the sugar program kills three manufacturing jobs. Despite claims that it is “zero cost” to taxpayers, the current sugar program distorts prices for sugar products for consumers. It also inflates sugar prices by capping the amount that manufacturers and consumers in the U.S. can import from foreign producers.

Again, this increases the role of government in the private sector, kills jobs and no pun intended, artificially inflates the price of sugar.  What was that about letting Texans run Texas?  I fail to see how any of the votes I've listed here and others he's cast over his tenure as a Congressman line up with his own ideology. 

Time for a Culberson Birthday Bash, No Time for a Town Hall During August Recess

Happy August recess, Congress!  You know it's that time of year again, Congress is on a 'break' from work, that time of year when they finally have a chance to spend time with their constituents and discuss their voting record.  Wait, what?  What that should read is that Congress will be coming home to fill their coffers with more campaign donations by doling out more empty promises.

That is sadly the case more often than not, and it is the case for my Congressman, John Culberson.  If you've been reading any of my posts over the past few years, you know I'm not shy when it comes to sharing Congressman Culberson's voting record, since I have done so several times.  Now, what has me most upset is so far I have yet to hear of a town hall meeting to be scheduled for his constituents.  What I did get was an invite to a birthday party...wait for it...for HIM.  It gets better, I promise.  In order to attend this birthday bash, as it's called, you have to PAY to get in.  Really?  We live in a bass ackward kind of country when you have to PAY to see your very own congresscritter.

It is supposed to be a really well attended event and it's held every year and we only have to pay $25 to get in.  I don't care!  I don't care how exciting the party might be, or how good the cake is (there's a Marie Antoinette joke in there somewhere, I just know it). There's something wrong with this picture.

I have reached out to his office twice now, once to him personally on his Twitter feed and once in an email to his assistant, to no avail.  Just today, however, I got an invitation to a Meet and Greet for the Congressman.  What do you think of when you hear the words 'Meet and Greet'?  Right, fundraiser.  You can draw whatever conclusion you like, but to me that says that you and I are not important enough to meet with unless we have some money to contribute.

So, what do we want?  A town hall!  When do we want it?  NOW!  Call his office and demand a town hall.  You can reach him at his Memorial Office here in Houston at 713-682-8828 or at culberson.house.gov and go to the contact form.

Lawmakers need to remember who they work for!  It's We The People who employ them, not the other way around.  Remind him who he represents and who he reports to!

Why I'm supporting Bill Tofte for U.S. Congress

Hello, friends!  It's The Political Chicken here!  I am somewhat new to the arena of politics and I'm coming out of my 'shell' of sorts.  I have recently discovered a few things about myself, and one of those things is that I love to write.  So, here I am, ready to share my opinion with the cyber-world which is already full of other opinions.  I mean, what's one more blog among millions of others, right?  I may not always write about politics, but it's May and in Texas, it's primary season, so, here we go.  

I am usually a chicken, I don't like to try new things, or for that matter, new representatives.  But, you know what they say, a sure sign of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.  Well, I'm tired of being insane!  We as a country are in debt way past our eyeballs, and the current Congress just seems to either not notice the debt or not care, and they continue to spend and regulate the American people into oblivion.  Well, I've had enough.  I know that lots of other regular folks have, too.  That brings me to discuss with you my choice for U.S. Congress in CD 7.  Bill Tofte, who is a business man and a constitutional Republican, has decided to throw his hat into the ring to be the new member of the House of Representatives to represent CD 7.  He is passionate about liberty and preserving our rights as Americans.  Bill is also a tea party guy.  He is taking his stand for the defense and restoration of the Constitution. He will never compromise his conservative principles. He will never weaken in the face of special interests or legislative power brokering. He will fight for freedom and liberty at all costs.   

Now, I'm a tea party gal.   I love the tea party movement and how it has empowered folks like myself, who normally wouldn't even think twice about politics to get involved.  I also love how it has evolved, too.  It's not about just waving signs and flags in the middle of town squares across America anymore.  It's about taking the people from the town squares and putting them into positions in state house races, school board races and mud board positions.  Come out from under that rock you've been living under and take a look around!  The stakes are higher now than they have ever been before and we NEED an involved citizenry!  We need folks like Bill Tofte and other conservative citizens to step up and run for offices like these.   

Bill is NOT a politician.  He has never run for office before.  So?  That's fine with me.  That just means that he is still honest and true to his word and hasn't been corrupted by the promise of power and money from some special interest groups.  Some people, who I consider part of the Republican 'good ole boy' network will say things like, we need someone with experience!  Bill doesn't have any experience!  Experience at what?  Racking up debt and mortgaging our children's and grand children's futures?  I don't think I want that kind of experience going back to Washington and representing me and my family.

They also may say things to me like, he's not the incumbent!  How dare you support a challenger to the incumbent!  You're so....so....anti-incumbent!  No, I'm not.  I just think that if we want better representation, we need to consider sending someone who isn't a 'good ole boy'.

Now, I realize that lots of politicians and candidates have attached the tea party moniker to their name to be accepted among tea party groups.  Well, honey, just like fried chicken, I can smell a phoney a mile away!  Rest assured, Bill Tofte is the real deal!  Vote for Bill Tofte, U.S. Congress 2012!