Private Projects Deserve Your Attention....Here's Why

You can take the girl out of politics, but you can't take the politics out of the girl.  Or something like that.  I have almost always been one to focus on local government like school boards and MUD boards, etc..  It should come as no surprise that I served on the local government committee for the local GOP affiliate.  While in service to the Local Government Committee, we were approached by a group of folks to 'pitch' us on the idea of a high speed rail project to run service from Houston to Dallas out of what used to be the Northwest Mall parking lot.  Hmmmm..

I got involved in politics when the first TARP was passed and when Obama got elected.  I had and still have a heart for voter education and protection of the tax payer dollar.  That hasn't changed.  When the folks that were 'for' the project came and presented to our group, I was more than skeptical.  I asked them about seeking a hand out for the government to finance the project and they promised that wouldn't happen.  They said that our state government, aka Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick were far too conservative to ever award a bail out.  They didn't mention the feds, however.

I am also not a fan of imminent domain.  Again, the pro-rail folks promised they weren't doing that.  They said they were offering the people who lived in the path of the railway fair market value for their homes.  That may not have been a lie, but now as the news has surfaced that they're looking for a hand out from the feds, they managed to find a workaround in the courts. 

According the article that I linked to above, which was published on KTRH,  the rail people finally got one of their wishes, was to be qualified as a railway so that they could do land grabs.  I stood against the project from the beginning.  My only wish is that we had taken a hard line stance against this as a committee.  Moral of the story is, you can't take your eye off of government.  Not even for a second.

Harris County Republican Party Volunteers are Mobilized and Ready for November 2018

GOP Volunteers walking blocks for judicial candidates

Y'all know me.  I'm pretty wild.  You know, sporadic and spontaneous.  I mostly write about stuff that interests me in the hopes that it will interest you.  So, I got another wild hair while reading an article on how the Democrats are more energetic and mobilized than Republicans in 2018.  Here we go.

True, the shoe is on the other foot, if you will, in regard to having a Republican president vs. having Obama in office. That gives the Democrats reason to be fired up, much like the right and the tea party was back in 2008.  However, the Democrats would do just about anything; well, they will do anything to get their guys elected.  They'll use any means necessary, even ones that are illegal.  This is not news, folks, just reiterating the importance of the Republican activist to be on top of their ground game.

Harris County Republican Party (HCRP) IS on top of the Grassroots Ground Game.  They're working with precinct chairs, grassroots activists and candidates alike to ensure Republican victory this November.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  So, take a look for yourself at some of our awesome grassroots activists getting out the vote for our Republican ticket.

There was talk of a 'blue wave'  during the primary and Senator Ted Cruz said that, "Democrats would crawl over broken glass in November to vote."  Now, I personally loathe when politicians use those kind of scare tactics to get their base agitated and motivated.  I'm not saying he's totally wrong, either, about the broken glass thing, but the primary proved that Republican voters are more energized and motivated to go to the polls and vote.   

Still don't believe the Republicans are more engaged and focused on winning than the Democrats?  Take a gander at these stats coming straight outta HCRP  headquarters, from none other than our political director, Donna Stanart.  "Since January, the Harris County Republican Party has been hard at work to elect all of our Republican candidates from the top all the way to the bottom of the ballot.  We've knocked on almost 200,000 doors and we've called about 115,000 voters in order to secure Republican victory."

Volunteers ready to GOTV in CD-7

Good news, right?  Yeah, but we still have work to do.  There are just under 100 days left until November.  There are a number of block walks and phone banks to attend and help out with before then.  Just head over to harriscountygop.com to find a block walk or a phone bank in your area.  We need everyone's help to win in November! 

U.S. Senator Cornyn Speaks Reason Regarding Supreme Court Nomination

Y'all done gone and done it.  No, seriously.  Y'all, and by y'all, I mean Empower Texans done gone and made me defend John Cornyn.  It's absolutely the last thing I thought I'd ever do since he has been the subject of criticism a few times here on the blog.

John Cornyn, the senior US Senator from Texas had an article, dare I say a hit piece, written about him on Empower Texans about the upcoming Supreme Court pick by President Donald Trump.  In the article he was quoted as saying,..."Cornyn cautioned Trump against selecting any nominee with a publicly stated position on overturning court precedents such as Roe v. Wade.”   He goes on to further explain his opinion, “I think that would be a terrible mistake, for the president to nominate somebody who had that sort of agenda,” he said adding that “we don’t need judges who have either personal or political or ideological agendas, in my view. And I think that ought to comfort all of us.”

Alright, now let's think about this objectively before we get emotional.  I know, it's hard to do in politics, but it's necessary.  Would you want someone with a preconceived agenda, even if you agreed with it?  My answer, NO.  Judges are supposed to be impartial.  They aren't supposed to announce ahead of time on how they would rule on any case.  We as conservatives always cry out about 'legislating from the bench' or that we're concerned that whomever is nominated has an agenda.  That's where our hypocrisy rears its ugly head.  Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to point out the hypocrisy on the 'right' side of things. 

The thing about Empower Texans and, well, ALL of us is that we're writing articles that simply confirm our own bias.  Like in the video Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle Round Two, when Hayek says, "Are they doing real science or confirming their bias?"  I think that's something that we could apply to this situation here.  Read the article that Empower Texans wrote here and decide for yourself.

A Facebook friend says it even better than I could, so I've included his comment here, " Cornyn’s conservative credentials or the lack thereof aside, the headline is misleading. Cornyn did not tell Trump not to nominate a pro-life justice, he “cautioned Trump against selecting any nominee with a publicly stated position on overturning court precedents such as Roe v. Wade.”
Justice Willet has made this same statement time and time again, judges should not declare how they will rule on any case until they hear the case in front of them, just as Scalia did before him. Cornyn was saying that there is a difference between a pro-life judge and one who declares ahead of time that they are actively seeking to overturn any specific precedent, regardless of which one it is."  

What happened to objectivity?  I guess that's gone by the wayside along with manners and civil discourse.  Honestly, I'm writing this as someone who cares deeply for the health of the Republican party and for our unification efforts going forward into November.  Empower Texans seems that they are only capable of attacking Republicans, not ever attempting to bolster the Republican ticket in order to help defeat Democrats.  I guess that's what happens when your group has only a single financial backer and they have an agenda.  Ironic, isn't it?       

Harris County Tax-Assessor Collector Refuses to Purge Voter Rolls

Imagine having an ailment and going to the doctor for it.  The doctor examines you, runs blood work and tells you in no uncertain terms what you have. Great, right?  Then, the doc looks you in the eye and tells you that he isn't going to do a damn thing about it.  Knowing full well what you're sick with, he or she won't help you fix the problem.

Now, think of the 'health' of our elections here in Harris County.  I know that the Republican Party here in Harris County does a heck of a lot to protect the ballot box.  We've set a precedent across the state of Texas with our Ballot Security Committee headed up by former True the Vote stalwart, Alan Vera.  He along with other members of the committee staff the polling places during elections to ensure that integrity at the polling place is maintained.  Alan also drafts legislation to help protect our ability to cast our votes.

There is something else called the voter rolls that have to be kept up with.  The Tax-Assessor Collector is in charge of maintaining the health of the voter rolls.  What ARE the voter rolls?  It's basically a list of names of people who are eligible to vote in our elections.  If you're like me, you think that the only people who should be allowed to vote in elections are American citizens.  Well, Ann Harris Bennett, our current tax-assessor collector would disagree.

Ms. Bennett is aware of the ailments of our voter rolls, and just like that doctor who refused to fix your problem to make you well, she's doing the same thing.  According to a Washington Times article, Ms. Bennett is quoted as saying,
         "Once a person is officially registered to vote, a state may only remove them from the voting list if: the person dies, changes residence, asks to be removed from the list, or becomes ineligible under state law because of criminal conviction or mental incapacity,” Ms. Bennett said in court papers. The National Voter Registration Act “does not create any obligation for a state to conduct a list maintenance program to remove the names of voters who may be ineligible due to lack of citizenship.”

Unbelievable.  I disagree that non-citizens should be allowed to vote in our elections, obviously.  So does our current County Clerk, Stan Stanart.  I read the article and found that he was not quoted in it at all.  So, I sent the article to him to get his reaction.  Here's what he had to say,  

          "This is ridiculous and just plain wrong.  It is her responsibility to investigate and remove all ineligible people on the voter rolls – including non-citizens.  I wish the voter registrar would share with me the names of anyone they know who voted and whom they later found to not be a citizen.   I would quickly turn then over to the DA or Attorney General for investigation and prosecution."

For context, Stan Stanart runs the elections in Harris County and he works to head off voter fraud at every turn.  

More from the article: "Ms. Bennett is fighting a request by the Public Interest Legal Foundation, a conservative group pushing to clean up voter rolls, which asked the county to turn over records of people who’d signed up to vote then later admitted they weren’t citizens.

She is one of what appears to be a trend of registrars arguing that groups looking to add more names to the voter rolls are protected by the  NVRA (National Voter Registration Act), but those looking to trim bloated lists of old or erroneous names are not entitled to use the 1993 law to pry loose records."

 To Ms. Bennett, I would say, you have an obligation to the voters in Harris County to keep our voter rolls clean.  There is such a thing as election integrity, and you should be striving to maintain it. 

Happy Sixth Birthday, Political Chicken!

Happy Sixth birthday, Political Chicken!  Yep, the little blog that could is turning six years old!  Looking back, I think I may have missed writing a fifth birthday blog, so look for this blog to be twice the birthday fun!

Honestly, I haven't been super active on the blog for the last year, but what I have been doing is  physically being active on the local political scene.  To me, that's the most important part, physically doing something instead of sitting behind a keyboard talking about doing something; sometimes termed a 'keyboard warrior', something that I'm not.

Last year found me busy as the Vice Chair on the Local Government Committee, which has been one of my favorite roles within the local party structure.  I think I'm a great fit for that position since I've made it my business to write about almost nothing besides local elections, local taxing authorities and the like.  I have a wealth of information that I've put together right here at The Political Chicken Blog.  Don't just take my word for it, take a look for yourself!

Working on this campaign as we speak, but again, physically doing something AND simultaneously writing about doing it, is the race for District K on Houston City Council.  The late Larry Green left a position to be filled and two Republican party precinct chairs are running to fill that seat along with seven Democrats.  If we turn out just the right amount of Republican voters, we could make into the runoff.

Normally on all of my birthday blogs, I share with you the top performing posts, the ones that have the most page views.  Not this time, though.  I'd like to mix it up a bit and share with you some of the posts that never got published here on The Political Chicken until now.  I'll be opening the vault, much like Disney when they reproduce some of the classics.  I hope you enjoy.

This one coming straight to you out of the vault is called "They Didn't Let Us in at First Either" which discusses the struggle that the tea party faced to be accepted into the rank and file GOP.

I also wrote another article shortly after Britain exited from the EU entitled, Does A Brexit Equal a Texit? in which I discuss the plausibility of Texas seceding from the United States and becoming it's own nation. 

Just to mix it up even further, I'll include one of my own personal favorites because it discusses something that I do every day: home school.  The title is We Will Not Conform: Portrait of a Home School Family..

That concludes another trip around the sun for yours truly, The Political Chicken!  And as always, stay tuned to The Political Chicken!  You won't want to miss!

Local May Elections Are Underway...GOTV!

Hello out there all of you beautiful people!  It's TPC back to write about a topic that I could 'write' about with my eyes shut!  Can you guess what it is? If you guessed local, unheard of elections, then you guessed correctly!  And the crowd cheers wildly with excitement...or not.

This is a super timely post for super important elections!  As I mentioned local, unheard of elections are like a gold mine for candidates in said races because of the low voter turn out.  If you follow the Lincoln four-step method to campaigns, that is.
1. Obtain a complete list of all voters.
2. Ascertain with certainty for whom each will vote.
3. Have the undecided spoken to by those in whom they have the most confidence.
4. On Election Day, make sure every Whig gets to the polls.

I happen to be working on one of these low-voter turn out, unheard of races for a Houston City Council position in District K, which I've already written about right here on this little blog.  And we're doing the Lincoln four-step as best as we can on a little budget and an even smaller amount of volunteers.   The beauty of it is, we could potentially win or make it into a runoff!

So, now that I have your attention, the election is happening NOW!.  Like, early voting started last Monday!  If you live in District K and you don't know where to go and vote, please be sure to visit www.harrisvotes.org to find out!

Several other elections are going on besides just the District K race, ones that I refer to as Local Government Matters: Pockets of Power.  I've included the link on the title so I don't have to repeat myself.  ISD's, ESD's, City Council races and many other taxing authorities   So, if you want a small portion of the electorate deciding how your tax dollars are spent, then please, stay home.  However, if you want to have a say, then you've got to show up and cast a vote!  I have faith that you'll choose the latter!  Happy Voting!

What Color Is Harris County, Anyway?

You've heard it before; "Keep Harris County Red".   Or, "Turn Harris County Red."  Some others out there want to "Turn Harris County Blue".  What does all of that even mean??

Well, unless you're completely new to politics, you have probably already figured out that the colors that are being referred to are the colors of each party, red for Republican and blue for Democrat.  What about the 'keep' and the 'turn' part, though?  Glad you asked.

Lots of people that live here in Harris County  know that our county is a battleground for control between the two major parties. To those that say that they want to turn Harris County red, I say--it is!  The county is solidly under Republican leadership; County Judge Ed Emmett and three out of four of the county commissioners are Republican!  Republicans also hold more judicial benches than Democrats do.  So, YES, Harris County IS a Republican county.

So I'm obviously in the 'Keep' camp.  We've got to keep Harris County a Republican County and the only way we can do that is to challenge ourselves as activists and precinct chairs to get out and meet the voters face to face.  Block walking, phone banking and mailers, when they're afforded, can be great tools to help turn out Republican voters.  (More on that later)

Now the Democrats are obviously those who want to turn Harris County 'blue'.  We won't get much into the ideological differences between the two parties, but unlike most major cities and bigger counties, Harris County remains red while the City of Houston is most solidly blue.  Which brings me to the point of this whole article.

I'm a doer, and if there's anything that I can physically DO to make a change for the good, I usually try to do it.  In following the blue print of wanting to 'do' something, we as Republicans have a real, tangible opportunity to DO something!  What's that?  To begin to turn the tide at City Hall!

Remember that Democrat stronghold that the City of Houston has on it?  Raise your hand if you would like to be part of loosening that stronghold!  (You should have both of your hands raised at this point.)  Then join me and others to help elect a Republican to the city council seat in District K.  The late Larry Greene held this seat and there is a special election being held on May 5th to finish out his term. 

There are two Republican candidates along with a crowded field of seven Democrat candidates vying for this seat.   Gerry Vander-Lyn is one of two Republican precinct chairs running for this position and I'm supporting her candidacy.  I'm also leading the block walking efforts for her campaign, and I'd love for you to join me on one or ALL of the block walks we'll be doing up until election day.

Click the link found here to RSVP for the block walk that's happening this Saturday.  We could sure use your help!   For those of you who dismiss the idea of being able to make a real, substantive difference, then may I say that 'can't never did anything'.  Also, please don't come to me after the election and whine about how the party didn't do anything to get involved in local elections, because, remember:

WE ARE THE PARTY!  

It's often been said that, "As Harris County goes, so goes Texas, so goes the nation"  What do you want your county, your city and your state to look like? 

Local Government Matters: Pockets of Power

Local government matters, just like the title of the blog states.  The title has dual meaning, actually.  Events that take place within local government are 'matters' and those things are important, or they 'matter'.  However, I can't stress enough how important keeping an eye on local taxing authorities are.  I hope the information I've included will convince you and you'll be converted for LIFE!  Well, anyway, here goes!!

We've all been so focused on Washington, D.C., that we haven't paid attention to our local municipalities and how much debt THEY are incurring.  Tell you what, I'll let you in on something that will (or should) get your attention: Texas has the second highest per capita local debt in the nation!  We are only second to the state of New York in local debt!

There are taxing authorities that no one talks about or knows about; Management Districts, cities, MUD Districts, ESD's, and all of the ISD's.  In and around Harris County and the City of Houston, there are things called TIRZ's that fall under the management district category.  They can all issue bonds and debt, some of them without even putting it on a ballot for public approval!  Now, we can't just eliminate these entities, but we can certainly influence the elections of these tiny towns and pockets of power.

You may not be aware, but May 6th is Election Day for lots of the aforementioned taxing authorities.  Yes, you read that correctly.  So if you live in any of the smaller cities in and around Harris County, you may just be electing a new Mayor or new city council members or voting to change your city charter.  These are the elections where you can make the most difference!!

The Harris County Republican Party is working to empower the grassroots to make a difference during this election cycle.  The party is hosting phone banks all over the county in order to increase voter turnout in what are ultimately some of the lowest turnout elections. You can visit www.harriscountygop.com to find out dates and times of upcoming phone banks.

So, how do you know if you have an election to vote in?  Good news!  I've asked our very own  Harris County Clerk, Stan Stanart.  He reports that, "(Harris County)...is conducting only eight of the sixty two entities holding elections this May.  Harrisvotes.org has been programmed to tell a voter, when they look themselves up, if they are eligible to vote in an election and we provide links and/or phone numbers to the other fifty-four of the sixty-two that we are not conducting."  So, if you're not sure if you have an election to vote in, please go and visit harrisvotes.org.

On a side note, I once personally surveyed 100 people and only four out of those 100 had ever voted in an Emergency Services District election before.  So four percent of the people in that room could have decided the election.  So, you see now, I hope, the importance of showing up to elect people to what I now refer to as pockets of power.  Government really does go to those that show up! 

Put YOUR Boots on The Ground October 17th, 2015

Boots on the ground.  We've all heard that phrase before.  Do we live it, or do we sit in front of our computer and read the headlines and complain?  Even in the midst of all of the despair and hopelessness that can be spread among the ranks of the local GOP and beyond, I believe that there are activities we can engage in to grow our party.  Like what?  Like the basic nuts and bolts of campaigning; things that we can do to help boost our local party affiliate.  I have to warn you, it's not for the faint of heart.  Are you ready?
BLOCK WALKING!!

I know, I know, block walking is not glamorous or sexy.  It's not as much fun as a high dollar fundraiser at a fancy house with big donors and champagne flowing from gilded fountains.  Matter of fact, it's quite the opposite.  It's hard work; it's sweaty work.  You expose yourself to the elements and people, and did I mention the Texas sized mosquitoes??  So why do it?  Why bother getting out in the heat and rain and humidity to knock on a few doors and present Republican ideas to the masses?

Because it works!  I'll even prove it to you.  Here's one reason why to do it: Mike Schofield, State Representative for House District 132.  Mike knocked on over 7,000 doors during his primary run and his run-off combined, and he (obviously) won his race.  He also had a good campaign, but the fact that he knocked on so many doors (dressed in a suit and tie, I might add) had a great deal to do with his victory.

I asked Representative Schofield to give us an inside, a reason as to why block walking is so important.  He shared this, "Even the biggest presidential campaigns know that elections are won by having volunteers talk directly to voters.  They spend millions of dollars targeting precincts and individual voters for phone banks and block walking because it determines who will win.  Anyone who wants to have a real say in their government can do that most directly by knocking on doors in their neighborhood and phoning their neighbors."

And that's exactly why Katy Libertea is teaming up with Harris County Republican Party on Saturday, October 17th.  We need to build an army of grass roots volunteers for 2016!!  So what are you waiting for!  RSVP and join us on the 17th by clicking on the link here.  The time to act is NOW!!

Jared Woodfill: Tenet vs Track Record

In Proverbs 22:1, it says, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold."

What are some of the qualities that are important to you when considering a candidate for public office?  Do you consider their past voting history?  How about their stance on gay marriage?  Maybe their willingness to regulate and spend the taxpayers money without regard for the future generations?  What about their stance on abortion?

Whichever one or two qualities that you may have picked that are important to you, whether I listed them above or not, do these qualities, or lack thereof, impact their ability to carry out the duties of the office they seek?  For example, would you hire a tax cheat to run the U.S. Treasury?  Would you vote for someone to be the Sheriff if they had a criminal record?  I would think that those kind of things would be important when considering a vote for someone to represent me.

What if I told you that someone who continually lost elections for a county party was hoping to be put in charge of a state party?  What if I told you that same someone had problems raising money and maintaining the trust of the donors once he actually received the donations?  What if I also added that he squelched the grassroots by ignoring them and putting his own cronies in place to benefit himself and his buddies?  How about if I told you he couldn't then and still can't even manage his own personal finances, what would you say to that?

Enough with the ambiguity, I'll tell you who I'm talking about, if you haven't already figured it out: Jared Woodfill.  Jared is a nice enough person, but no amount of pleasantries and good personality is going to change my mind about his qualities and abilities to hold any kind of elected position.  EVER.  Unfortunately, he still has a following of sorts and those that support him seem to be completely blind to his inability to manage people and finances and win elections simply because of one thing; he's Pro-life.

Great, he's pro-life, and yes, it's a good, Biblical quality to have.  The Bible tells us we should not murder and in my opinion, abortion IS murder.  I'm going to let you in on a little secret, though.  The Bible also talks about paying debts, too.  Now, I know that generally speaking, we all have some debts; mortgages, credit cards, student loans, car notes, etc. and I'm not saying that having debt is evil or wrong.  There are, however, consequences for not paying those debts.

Let us not forget about Jared Woodfill’s $30 Million lawsuit gamble and tax problems.   Woodfill was sued in New York for defaulting on a nearly $30 million “questionably ethical” loan.  Not only that, but The Houston Business Journal and the Chronicle recently reported the IRS has placed a $40,000 lien on the Woodfill Law Firm for unpaid taxes.  If you're not a subscriber, you may not be able to read the link, but the information included is this:  
Name: Woodfill Law Firm PC, Address: 3131 Eastside St. Suite 450, City: Houston,State: TX, Zip: 77098, Amount: $40,214, Tax Type: (941), File Date: 2014-11-24, Rec Date: 2014-12-10, Rel Date: 0000-00-00.  You can Read the Chronicle article here.

In Romans 13:7 it says "Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." 

When you don't pay for your car, the bank repossesses it.  When you don't pay your house note, the bank kicks you out of your house.  So why shouldn't there be consequences for those seeking elected positions?  If you've proven yourself a failure in an area that your position needs you to excel in, why would anyone want to put you in that position, pro-life or no?

Time Rewind: A Look Back at My First Year With Texas GOP Vote

We're gonna party like it's 1999...Wait, not really.  As radio stations and music video shows do year end countdowns, I thought I would do a play on a countdown, sort of a look back, at my time as a blogger at Texas GOP Vote.  It's a fun look back at what I've done and which posts got the most attention and which ones, although they may have been my favorites, did not get quite as much attention as I thought they would.

I'll mix it up and start off with some of the not so popularly viewed ones beginning with my personal blog, "Politics and Motherhood: Making It All Work" which was a post about my decision not to run for a party elected position.  It wasn't an easy decision, but as I said in that one particular blog, "Politics will always be there, however, the youth of my family will not."  It only had about twenty page views total.

My very first blog for Texas GOP Vote was titled, "Everything's Bigger In Texas-Including Government" and that had 300 page views.  If you don't remember what that was about, I wrote it about the medical directives and end of life care and the changes that the state was trying to make to laws regulation patient choices when it came to care of their loved ones.  Some argued the new bill would make things better, but I disagreed, and still do.  Thankfully, the bill didn't make it out of committee, so nothing to worry about.  Until the upcoming session starts, that is.

Think back again to the 83rd legislative session, the sweeping pro-life bill that got held off until the very end and caused quite the stir at the capitol building in Austin.  Yep, SB 5 as it was referred to then, was something that I wrote about and that article had almost 1900 page views!  If I remember correctly, after "Will SB5 Have a Fairy Tale Ending" was published, the article made it to the top of Google news.  Needless to say, I was stoked!

Fast forward a bit to the special session that was called as a result of the failure to pass the pro life bill I referred to in the paragraph above, I wrote yet another article titled, "While Texas Senate Talks About Abortion Bill (HB2), Let's Talk About Sex "  Yeah, I did.  I wrote about how abstaining from sex takes abortion out of the equation.  Save yourself for marriage and no need to worry about perceived overreach of the government.  Heh.  That one got over 5200 views and nearly broke the server at Texas GOP Vote.  That was a home run blog that only took thirty minutes to write.  Hey, when you're hot, you're hot!

 If you haven't already figured out that I'm an advocate for citizens to get involved in their local government, then you haven't been reading my stuff!  To back up that claim, my article titled "March 2014 Texas Primary: Why Local Elections Matter" got almost 1300 page views!  Surprised me a little that so many people were interested in that same topic.  Glad I was able to write it and share!


A few more blogs I'd like to highlight that are recent additions to my repertoire are all about Common Core and the Glenn Beck event.  I was fortunate enough to be chosen, along with four other bloggers, to be present during the Make Common Core History Event put together jointly by Glenn Beck and FreedomWorks.  I did some preparatory work for myself and my readers before the event and the article titled, "Common Core FAQ's: Your Questions Answered" had over 1900 page views. Sweet!

I've had some more additions since I got the stats from Texas GOP Vote, mostly centered around the Texas House Speakers Race; Scott Turner vs. Joe Straus.  I am firmly on Team Turner, and win or lose, I'm proud to say that Ive been a part of their team and all of the hard work we've done together.  My first article titled, "Turner vs. Straus: Who Will Emerge Victorious?" had almost 250 page views, followed by "Is It Murphy's Law To Support Joe Straus" had almost 200 page views.

My work here within the conservative political movement is far from over, however.  This is my first year and a half with Texas GOP Vote and I didn't share all of my blogs.  Thanks to all of you out there who have read and shared and 'liked' my articles.  Thanks to those who have even disagreed with me and shared their views. No such thing as bad publicity, right?   Head on over to www.texasgopvote.com/users/kelly-horsley and check out the rest of my work.  Hope you like!

The Texas House-Representing Voters or Subsidized Developers?

Last night at The MET Youth Building, State Representative Allen Fletcher faced a crowd of over 500 concerned, and might I add, a tad angry constituency.  The source of their anger?  Two projected low-income housing units to be built in the Cypress area; one at Queenston and W. Little York called the Catalon, the other to the north of 290 near the Ravensway subdivision, named The Lodge of Huffmeister.

On hand to kick things off was James Hardin, president of The Cypress Coaltion.  He and his wife, Barbara Hardin have started this group in order to fight the possible build of these two facilities.  James had this to say about the reason they decided to start this group, "We had heard about the low income housing on Channel 13, and we recognized the need to do something about this situation.  We signed the Change.org petition and decided we needed to go one step further and chose to do a townhall.  We set up the meeting and never in our wildest dreams did we think that there would be 500 people in attendance.  We then started thinking that we should have a coalition like Cy-Fair and we are in the process of setting up The Cypress Coalition in order to be proactive instead of reactive for future developments in and around our community."  Kay Smith, president of Texas Tea Party Republican Women was also there to help introduce the concept of the housing and information on how concerned citizens can put a stop to these projects going forward.

Nathan Kelly with Blazer Development was also on hand to debunk any and all misinformation that the public may have had about said projects.  Although, by the end of the meeting, I think he had been debunked.  When you boil it down, all he had were talking points and they were delivered as such.  Representative Fletcher took his share of the 'heat' as well.  There was a line at the microphone to share and express concerns from the group.  One of the most popular questions was, "Why weren't we informed of this?"

The concerns that were brought to the floor were all pretty similar, mostly about property value and the potential for the crime rate to go up after said housing is built and filled with subsidized residents, not to mention the potential strain placed on already overcrowded schools and a short staffed police force.  Some residents wanted to know why they hadn't been informed of this.  Good question.  So, Representative Fletcher responded in his defense, that he really felt he had done due diligence on his part by having met with the developer and had checked into it and he said he saw no problem signing on to having these projects built.  Once he heard that his constituency was upset with his decision, he said he would recant his decision to support it.  There were various responses to this, but I think my favorite was a lady named Lynn, a resident of Enchanted Valley.  She had this to say directly to Representative Fletcher, and I'm paraphrasing here, "Shame on you!  Think about all the money you raised to get reelected!  You should have used that money to send out information to the residents to let them know.  Shame on me for voting for you!"  Good point.

Here's the frustrating part, besides all that has already been mentioned: the developer doesn't really care about your individual concerns and your property values.  That's why this is done on a points system run by a large state agency called TDHCA.  They approve low-income/affordable housing projects based on a complex system of points.  Sadly, in the last legislative session, the state senate decided to do away with their “voting/veto” points on such matters, leaving them no sway or say in these project developments and now the House of Representatives of the State of Texas has eight points, which is enough to kill a project, if the representative should choose to write a letter of disapproval.  There are points held by the following entities, so if you care about this, these are some of the important people to contact:

-School District
-MUD 61 JF-Hofman
281-469-9405
JFHofman@District61.org
-Fire Department
-Ems
-Law Enforcement
-Local Businesses
-Elected Officials
The only other quantifiable community participation is with a coalition, which, thanks to James and Barbara Hardin, Cy-Fair has now.

Call Representative Fletcher at 281-373-5454.  Call the developer Chris Richardson at 713-914-9200 or email him at Blazer1@blazerbuilding.com.  Also, a matter of public record is the owners of the property, Edgar and Janis Lester and if you feel so inclined, you may call them at 713-629-2300 or email at ED.Lester@Stewart.com.  This is far from over, so if you are concerned and want to get involved, this is your chance!

Spotlight on HD 132 Runoff: Interview With Ann Hodge Part 2

As you know, Republican State Representative Bill Callegari resigned his seat at the close of the last legislative session; you know the one with a record three special sessions?  That left the opportunity for, well, anybody and everybody to throw their name into the ring to take his place.  Four candidates emerged and after the primary held in March, we are down to two.  The runoff election is around the corner and the two candidates facing off are Michael Schofield and Ann Hodge.  Hey, HD 132, we have two fantastic candidates and we have a choice to make.  As a resident of Texas House District 132 and an activist for my community, I want an informed electorate to be able to make the best choice possible; sue me.  I was very appreciative that Ann Hodge, candidate for HD 132 took time out of her day to answer my questions.  I have already shared with you the first half of our interview, and now, I'm proud to share with you the long awaited sequel.  Here goes!


KH: What piece of legislation did you want to see passed last session that failed?
AH: I wanted to see more on HB 5.  I am very concerned about end of semester testing.  I have had the pleasure of working with HCC and Katy ISD and I do not understand the disconnect.  We are testing at a certain level, but yet I continue to be told when they reach college or the community college level or the university, a lot of our students are in remedial classes.  How can you be in a remedial class?  I'm seeing employees that can't spell.  I really am struggling with what we are  testing and teaching to the test.  I am a huge proponent of accountability, but I'm not sure we are measuring it the right way.

KH: What would you like to see brought back?  Would you like to see HB 5 brought back?
AH:  It's interesting, at the candidate forum the other night, at the school board candidate forum, they were all like, our wish is the legislature will leave alone what they've already done and not touch anything.  I mean, really?  There's not some things you would have tweaked a little?  The other thing is, I haven't had the chance to run the analysis yet, but I did log onto HCAD and I was pretty shocked to see the dramatic increase in my husband's and my home.  What I'm looking at is it seems to me like  that we've got a pretty big windfall coming in Harris County and our respective school districts.  Now, I have not seen what that looks like for Ft. Bend and Waller County, which is part of Katy ISD, but I would really like to entertain some dialogue as to how we are going to be using that increase in the tax rolls that we are going to see from the appraised value versus the market value.  I recognize that there's a cap, but it still is a pretty significant amount if our little piece of the world is indicative.  I'm told right now that homes are staying on MLS for eight days in this corridor and they're going for full ask, if not with a kicker from the realtors that I'm working with on a daily basis, so I've got to believe some of that appraisal is pretty close to being accurate.  That's some significant money and we're not talking about it.  I'm the one bringing it up going, um guys, what's going to happen?

The other piece that I"m troubled by is I serve on two hospital boards and I'm not convinced that we've made any progress with the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  As a result, I've asked both administrators of the two hospitals, have you seen a decrease in the load of indigent and uninsured that we are serving walking through the doors.  No, quite the opposite, we've seen an increase.  Yet, you and I pay Harris County Hospital taxes and I would really like to have a dialog about that line item on our property tax that we are paying.  I understand how Zerwas' bill for a waiver on the Medicaid went down in the last session, but if there is a way that we can find to draw down some of the dollars from the federal government without increasing our tax burden, I'm all for trying to get that from Washington, D.C.  Now what form that looks like; I was told there were opportunities for block grants and waivers without any increases but drawing back some of those dollars, which takes the burden off of those of us that own property, then I'd like to have that discussion.  I'd like to have it, hopefully, without all the rhetoric, I mean, you know that it has to be draped in party lines.  I mean, why aren't we fighting for everything we can get back from Washington, D.C.?  I want our share.

KH: What legislation would you most like to see repealed?
AH:  I think we need to look at every agency and what their function is and I'm convinced that there is duplication of effort.  I'm also disturbed because I keep hearing from professional organizations who have licensing or regulatory fees that they pay, that those dollars are not going to support that agency that is to oversee that profession; they are being diverted.  I think that we need to just say that is an indirect tax and be honest about some of this.  I think that's where government loses the respect of citizens as well as business owners because what they see is that they are basically speaking out of both sides of their mouth.  If I had to tell you something that I would repeal, sitting here today, I don't know if I could tell you one thing I would repeal as much as I would really like to tear apart the structures and take a hard look at what each of the agencies is responsible for, what their income sources are and are they delivering the services or is it really just a front for revenue for the state of Texas, in which case, let's be honest about it.  I mean, if you look at where our fuel taxes are going and so forth.  If you look at what happened with the Lottery, I would just say we have really been mislead on a number of things that I find unfortunate.  It's that behavior, and you know as a business owner, you're not going to succeed.

In closing, Ann had this to say about serving the community as a state representative and being a member of the community: "I think that constituent services; lets face it, your there day in and day out.  You're only up in Austin for six months every two years and it's what you do in the district that really counts and that's where the model of the chamber pays huge dividends, in my opinion; that customer service is essential.  I would just suggest that customer service, as you well know, that's job one and it will be job one for me."

*Don't miss tonight's candidate forum!*

What: Katy Libertea is hosting with Bob Price moderating 

When: May 8th 

Time: 6:30 PM

Where: 1773 Westborough Drive, Katy 77449 

The People Choose, Not the Party: Taking Back Harris County from the Slates

The people choose, not the party!  The people choose, not the party!  Remember that chant?  Oh, well, I guess you wouldn't unless you were at the Freedomworks Fly-In Bootcamp held in Washington, D.C.  back in 2011.  Myself along with fifty or so other activists from across the US gathered together for three days of intensive activist training.  We then spent the last day putting our training into practice.  See, we took a little field trip to protest the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), headed then by Senator John Cornyn to protest their practice of supporting the incumbent before and during the primary.  Although we were protesting the use of those funds to promote incumbent Senator Orrin Hatch during the primary, the sentiment was that the NRSC should stay out of primary races and out the way of the voting populous.  Sound familiar?

My point in sharing that story with you is this: that scenario sounds awfully familiar to the situation the voters in Harris County and the greater Houston area face at election time.  You've seen them before; those fabulous little 'slate' mailers where a PAC or an individual recommends who to vote for.  We here call those "pay to play" or "pay for play" slates.  The candidates have money extorted from them by the PAC in the neighborhood of $5000 or more in order to 'win' their election bid.  The three most offensive are Texas Conservative Review author Gary Polland, Dr. Steven Hotze and his group Conservative Republicans of Texas and last but definitely not least is Terry Lowry and the Linkletter. 


Notice I said, 'extorted'.  Yes, it is a free country and the candidates don't have to pay, but these slate mailers have made the political climate in Harris County such that if you want to win, then you shell out the money.  I have a problem with that.  The other problem that I have is that the local GOP affiliate does nothing to stop it.  Not only do they do nothing to stop it, the current county chair, Jared Woodfill is in bed with these three mailers. 

Thankfully, I'm not the only one shedding light on these practices.  The Chronicle came out with an article titled, "In your mail: Examples of 'pay for play' politics".  I should also give kudos to Ed Hubbard who was one of the original 'whistle blowers' on this practice.  He writes for a local blog called  Big Jolly Politics and has been personally driving the narrative  to bring this seedy, underbelly of local politics to the surface so that we can put a stop to it and let the people choose who they want to put in office to represent them, not the ones who are lining the pockets of these slate mailers.


James Wilson, a candidate for Texas State Senate District 7 knows the plight of the unendorsed candidate.  His opponent is slate-endorsed Paul Bettencourt and although Bettencourt will probably win his bid for State Senator, it should ultimately be because of the decision of the voters, not at the hands of a few top paid endorsers.  Here is what Mr. Wilson had to say in response to these mailers, "You won't see my name in these mailers because I refuse to PAY FOR AN ENDORSEMENT. Your next state senator should represent our families, not the special interests of these powerbrokers. Whenever you see people with these mailers, explain to them how this corrupt system is simply un-American."


How do we end this practice?  In my opinion, it starts with you, the voter.  We have to continue to share the truth about these mailers and then we have to make them irrelevant.  How do we do that?  Simple; when you see those mailers in your mailbox, throw them out and do your own research on who is best suited to be elected.  Those mailers are counting on you not to do your own home work to decide who best represents you.  Prove them wrong!  I'll even help you get started.  If you need a sample ballot to see who and what you'll be voting on, head on over to Harris Votes.org.  On the home page you will see "Sample Ballot".  Click on that link and type in your information and you can take it from there and remember, the people choose, not the party!