Texas vs. Florida in Limiting and Eliminating Tenure for College Professors

If you know me, you'll know that I'm not one to champion incumbents for the sake of incumbency.  Nor am I one to champion what Lt. Governor of the state of Texas Dan Patrick does; no offense, Dan.  We come down on different sides of different issues and I feel personally that some of what he does is more zealous than need be.  However, I find myself mostly in agreement with what he and Governor Abbott are in the process of doing when it comes to college professor tenure.  Check it out:

I love Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) and what they do.  I subscribe to their emails and one that they sent out this morning had me clicking the link to read the articles on the issues they cited. One such article was about how Texas AND Florida (wtg DeSantis!) are attempting to put an end to college professor tenure to depoliticize the college classroom.  Bravo.  The reason I say that is because there is absolutely nothing wrong with a system of checks and balances.  Plus, I don't love the fact that college students sometimes become indoctrinated while going to college.  That's not entirely the professors' faults, but they will definitely take credit, I imagine, if one of their students leaves college in agreement with their liberal ideology.

Now, there's a difference between the legislation being introduced by Texas and Florida, and to be honest, I like the sound of Florida's bill a little better.  Texas' version is a little bit heavy handed to say that Texas will flat out end tenure where Florida's bill puts them in a position to review teacher performances every five years, including tenured faculty.  

    "Under the bill, teachers will be evaluated along several metrics, including accomplishments and productivity, and performance metrics, evaluations, and ratings. The evaluations will also address recognition and compensation considerations, as well as improvement plans and consequences for underperformance."  

    “Florida’s students deserve a quality, affordable education and don’t need ideological activists and political organizations determining what they should learn,” DeSantis said in a statement. “By ushering in strong curriculum transparency requirements and providing accountability for tenured faculty, Florida is standing with students and parents across our state.” 

Conversely, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick's bill as I mentioned before would eliminate tenured employees AND it would go a step further to fire any professor who taught Critical Race Theory.  This has some with their hackles up about free speech and that the firing would infringe on first amendment rights.  

"Free speech advocate Jeremy Young is concerned that initiatives like Patrick’s pose a serious threat to academia. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, said in a February statement that Patrick’s plan represents a “mortal threat to academic freedom.”  

“Patrick’s proposal is a craven attempt to score political points. It will create a climate of fear among teachers and students alike. It should be rejected,” Young said."

This sounds a bit like term limits for college professors, which I don't have a problem with.  As I stated before, Florida's bill seems a bit better.  Take a look at both and you decide.  And, as always, if you like what you see, call and let your representative know that you want them to support the efforts made by the Lt. Governor and conversely, if you don't like it, tell them that, too.

Parental Rights Deserve Eternal Vigilance: Arizona's SB 1473 Proves It

"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few." -Wendell Phillips
Eternal vigilance.  That means you have to keep your eyes on things, right?  For like, a really long time.  As an activist, eternal vigilance over our freedoms is something that comes to mind for me.  One of those freedoms is the right to parent a child the way that you, the parent, see fit.  Fighting for parental rights was actually my first foray into politics back in 2009.  It's a subject that I will always be passionate about.The gubmint don't always agree with that sentiment.  Take a look.

Recently an article on that topic came across my email and I thought it was worth sharing. Texas Public Policy Foundation puts out a daily email about stuff that's happening around the U.S., not just Texas or Harris County.  They published an email about a bill in Arizona about drug addicted babies being removed from their mother's care and their parental rights being terminated.  Now, that might sound logical to you, especially if the mother has proven the capability to harm her child.  As Paul Berlin would say, Now, for the rest of the story..."

The idea of the bill is to actually remove the provision that so many states have which is known as 'next of kin' or 'kinship' law.  The state of Arizona wants the default to be that the child be placed with total strangers, not with grandma or an aunt or uncle.  Say what?!?   
        "When children really must be taken from their parents, study after study has shown the children do better when placed with relatives than when placed with total strangers,” reports Richard Wexler in the Arizona Daily Star  and tucson.com“That’s why 45 states have a preference for kinship care in their state laws. SB 1473 would remove the kinship care preference in Arizona law and set up new barriers to relatives that create a subtle de facto preference for affluent strangers.”

I share this with you because no one's parental rights are ever free from the danger of being removed.  Think it can't happen to you?  Think again.  As I said in my opening quote: 
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few." -Wendell Phillips

Does a Brexit Equal a Texit?

Texit.  Secede.  You knew it was coming.  After Britain decided to leave the European Union, in my estimation, it may have girded the already enthusiastic secession movement that is alive and well in Texas.

It's also known as the Texas Nationalist Movement, headed by Daniel Miller, (at least he's the one quoted in the articles I've read).  From the articles I've read, most of them from left leaning news sites, they are all poking fun at the 'idiocy' coming from the desire of Texans to leave the United States.  Words like 'treasonous' and 'idiotic'  have been thrown around by the authors of these articles. The conversation is going to have to be had before long.

Since my involvement in the beginning of the tea party movement, I have heard those desiring to restore the 10th amendment and give power back to the states.  Matter of fact, I've even seen and heard my own Congressman, John Culberson claim to want to restore states' rights.  So how's that legislation working out for ya, John?  Not too well, since I haven't personally seen it gain any traction.  Personally, I think it's all talk. 

Thing is, I have heard rallying cries and shouts made by my own compadres about secession, but I have seen no plan put in place to do it.  What would that look like, exactly?  I am no expert on secession, so I turned to my friend Google to find out more about it.

From a Forbes article written in 2012, that discusses the success or failure of the state of Texas after declaring independence, there were a few interesting points made in favor of secession.

"After all, it has in spades everything that made America’s economy so great–lots of land, natural resources, deep human capital (Texas universities are world-class), the rule of law, the “protestant work ethic”/”frontier mentality” (or whatever you want to call it), etc. plus something else that America used to have, which is a political and social consensus which is hostile to regulation.
Thanks to this Texas, already a very healthy economy in its own right, could essentially arbitrage America’s most egregious regulations to suck economic value away from America."
A few examples, and I'll just list them here in bullet point style.  You can click the link here if you want to read them in their entirety.

-Obviously, the biggest room for arbitrage is immigration..."You could also argue that Federal policy has been holding Texas back, and that in an independent Texas a coalition of Latinos and business interests would create a pro-immigration equilibrium."

-With a devalued currency and very little labor regulations, Texas would become a manufacturing haven

-In turn, Texas could become a technology haven.

-Same thing with healthcare..." It’s interesting to wonder whether Texas healthcare policy would be a “free-for-all” or a kind of Friedmanite voucher/HSA utopia, but in either case it’s easy to see how starting a biotech or medical devices company could be made easier in Texas.  

So, IS a Texit feasible?  The author of the Forbes article made the argument FOR an independent Texas merely for fun, for speculation.  Could it work?  That remains to be seen.

They Didn't Let Us In At First, Either: Tea Party vs. GOP

Lots of times I write about my political involvement and my faith and draw parallels between the two.  Well, I'm feeling inspired again to do just that.  I like to get you thinking; share my inspiration with you and hope to get you motivated and involved in some way.

Last Sunday while I was sitting in church, the pastor was talking about how to be a fisher of men.  How to draw others to Jesus and lead them to salvation.  Pretty normal discussion to be had in church, I suppose.  While I was sitting there, however, it hit me that in some ways, those who are GOP or part of the conservative/tea party movement could also be considered evangelists of sorts, spreading the word of limited government and personal responsibility to the masses.

The title of the sermon was "How to Land a Fish".  We could title ours, "How to Land a Voter".  He gives us in step one the instructions, find a pond.  Find a pond?  What does that mean?  It means find a place to fish; not your usual circle of friends or Christians, but those who need desperately to hear the gospel.  Again, same thing with us; find someone who needs to hear the conservative message.

Step two was to develop patience and perseverance.  

The pastor was teaching from Mark 2:1-4.  Here it is for your reference:
"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.  So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.  Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.  Since the could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on."

Picture it, a room so crowded with people that no one could get in.  People standing shoulder to shoulder and even though they turned and saw the four men carrying the paralytic on their shoulders, they didn't move a muscle.  Hold it right there.  Now, imagine the crowded room is full of establishment Republicans.  They're crowded in there like sardines and they're happy with their stagnant, stuffy ideals.  They love BIG government and the idea that government knows better than the average joe.  Hmph.

Then the tea party comes to the meeting.  Heh.  They've got a heavy load on their shoulders, too.  What is that heavy load, you say?  LIBERTY.  FREEDOM.  AMERICA.  The tea party looks inside and sees there isn't any room being made for them.  Do they give up?  Nope, and neither did the men who came to get Jesus to heal the paralytic.

So what did those men do?  They carried that heavy load, the paralyzed man up on the roof top and they started digging through.  Yeah, they did.  Then they lowered that man on his mat down in front of Jesus.  Right in front of Him.  "When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

The tea party did something similar.  We weren't given an easy entrance to the party.  We may have tried to shove our way through the crowd, elbowed a few folks out of the way and began to make a difference.  Then with the heavy load of liberty and freedom on our shoulders, we climbed on the roof top.   That wasn't enough, though.  We started digging.  We started phone banking and block walking, we started running people for office, We elected conservatives to the Senate, Congress and to the state house.    We're not done yet, either.

Now, I realize that by all counts the moniker of 'tea party' is essentially done being used.  I still, however, count myself as a small part of what I look back on as the tea party movement or contingent of the GOP.  Did the tea party make a difference?  I'd like to think so.  Did the direction of the country go exactly the way we wanted?  No.  Does anything ever go according to plan?  No.  I know I'm personally willing to cut my losses and stay involved.  Others may disagree, but that's the freedom that we all share.  The freedom to continue to fight for principals and ideals, as well as the freedom to not.

The pastor also mentioned that fishing is dirty work.  I think we can all agree that the work of maintaining liberty and freedom is dirty work, too.  It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.  Count me in, and I hope I can count you in, too! 

Senator Bettencourt Attempts to Improve TIRZ and Management Districts' Transparency

What the State of Texas needs is more un-elected bureaucrats and more management districts able to pass bonds stealthily and meet without notifying the public.  Said no one ever.  I can't remember the last time I met a tax payer who was eager to open their wallet to pay more in taxes.  Or a tax payer who thought it was a good idea for taxing authorities to veil their activities from the public.  I know I personally cannot stand it when that happens, and the truth is, it happens everyday and we don't even know about it.

Which is why I was so glad to see that my own state senator Paul Bettencourt had authored a bill, SB 2047 to correct some of the veiled tendencies of these smaller management districts in and around the state of Texas.  I can think of one type of management district that I would love to see more transparency imposed on; the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone(s) or TIRZ for short.  If that acronym rings a bell, it should because I've written about them not once, but twice right here on my humble little blog.  I'll include the links to catch you up in case you've forgotten since they made their debut.  Here's the first one titled, So What Is A TIRZ, Anyway?.
The second article highlighted a specific problem in the Uptown TIRZ, called Uptown TIRZ Terrorizes Traffic.

In reading the bill, however, there were a few questions that I had and I fired the questions off to Senator Bettencourt's office.  After reaching out to his staff, I found out that the bill that I had come across, SB 2047 was actually just for Management Districts, not for the TIRZ's.  However, they pointed me to a bill that Senator Bettencourt had authored as well, SB 650.  The questions I asked were more or less in the text of SB 650.  His staff was supremely helpful.

The Political Chicken (TPC): Are these regulations retroactive for the TIRZ that have already been formed?
Senator Bettencourt (SB): "Please keep in mind that SB 2047 focus was on Management Districts, not TIRZ.  They are similar but at the same time different.  SB 650 was Senator Paul Bettencourt's bill on TIRZ reform that was heard in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.  SB 2047 was not heard by IGR.  The bill would have applied only to those districts that would have been formed after the enactment of the bill, September 1, 2017.  It would not have been retroactive."

TPC: How does a TIRZ or a management district obtain a non-profit status?  Does a non-profit status exempt them from being required to comply with the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA)?
SB:  "They are subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act."

TPC:  A few of the TIRZ that already exist, ie, St. George Place, Uptown and Memorial City are hardly 'unproductive, underdeveloped or blighted'.  How can the state of Texas disband these TIRZ that are more self-serving, IMHO than helpful to the areas they supposedly serve?

 SB: "Senator Bettencourt filed SB 650, which would have provided reform to the creation of TIRZs. Under current law, one of the avenues for property to be placed into a reinvestment zone is via a petition put forward by at least fifty percent of the appraised property owners in the proposed zone.  However, there is little guidance for those petitioning to help understand what type of land would qualify.  SB 650 would have added the requirement that the land to be included via land owner petition must be unproductive, underdeveloped, or blighted.  Additionally, it directs the Texas Attorney General to develop definitions for these terms.  Furthermore, SB 650 would have required the use of dedicated revenue be used on land located inside of the zone.  SB 650 also would have added a notice requirement prior to the issuance of tax increment bonds or notes.  It provides that notice must be given to property owners in the municipality in which the district is located, members of the commissioners court, and each state senator and representative whose district includes territory in the county in which the zone is located.  Additionally, it must provide notice to the commissioners court and members of the legislature in which the zone is located when the municipality submits their request for approval to the Texas Attorney General.  There were also various bills filed that would have made it easier to disband these zones."

Also - note that this is not an issue that is on the call for the upcoming special session.

So, there you have it, boys and girls.  We'll have to wait until the next legislative session to get more transparency from the municipal districts AND the TIRZ's.  I would like to personally thank Senator Bettencourt and his staff and the efforts he and his team put forth during the 85th legislative session to increase transparency in government on all levels which is what his constituency in Senate District seven sent him there to do.   Well done, Senator Bettencourt!

Dr. Hotze, You're Doing it Wrong

Alright, folks.  I've held my tongue as long as possible, but when you run across internet gold like this, sometimes you've just got to speak out.  Over the years since I started this blog, I've not been shy about my disdain for a few people that would call themselves 'party leaders'.  Those that run a 'conservative' PAC in the state of Texas that formed some time ago to enable those in charge there to continue to gate-keep from their high horses.  As one of my activist friends would say, "Name names."  Oh, don't you worry, that's coming.

Steven Hotze is well-known in Harris County for his contributions to the local political scene.  By that I mean that he runs a slate mailer with paid for endorsements by candidates seeking elected office; mostly state representatives and judges that are local to Harris County.  He also uses his place of position to lobby in support of traditional family values laws and potential laws that come across the desks of state legislators.  He opposes abortion, gay marriage and the bathroom bill which would allow people to use bathrooms and locker rooms of the sex with which they identify.  This has been and still is a hotly contested issue seeing as how it's been raised again in the Texas 85th special session coming up on July 18th.

I actually AGREE with Dr. Hotze on his traditional family values.  I'm pro-life and pro-traditional marriage.  I, too, am a Christian and feel called by the great commission in Matthew 28 where Jesus gives us the charge to, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."  There's just one glaring problem with Dr. Hotze's method; he's doing it wrong.

I'm not an avid reader of the Huffington Post by any means, but this article showed up in my news feed, and I just had to say something.  In the article, it quotes Dr. Hotze as saying in the name of Jesus, "...May they (legislators) be consumed, collapse, rot and be blown away as dust from their current positions because of their wicked works, thoughts and deeds. May people scorn them and nations abhor them. May their punishment lead them to repentance and faith in Christ. May God’s will be done in their lives."

I can't think of a worse prayer.  I do not agree with that at all.  If Dr. Hotze is truly about Christ and doing His work, he's doing it wrong.  This is an embarrassment to the name of Jesus and to Christians alike.  It's also an embarrassment to the GOP.  And we wonder why we can't win people over with our conservative principles and values.  To counter what Dr. Hotze is saying, I'm reminded of the scripture verse in 1Peter 4:8 which says, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins."  

Well, I guess there's just one thing left for me to say to Dr. Hotze, "Bless your heart."

'Bigotree' Emerges in Texas Democrat's Druken Tree Crash

In the world of social media, often after a tragedy occurs somewhere in the actual world, Tweeters, Facebookers and Instagrammers take to their pages and profiles and change their profile pics in support of the victims of the heinous crimes.  Those profile pic changes can be felt around the world, I'm sure of it. 

One other thing that just comes naturally to the Western world is hashtags.  Hashtags are often invented to help show solidarity with the victims of crimes.  Those hashtags are imperative in healing a hurting world after a terrorist attack.  It's been proven.

Let us look at the incident that happened just yesterday here in Texas.  One Democrat State Representative, Victoria Neave, was arrested for allegedly drinking and driving after she crashed into a tree.  It's a bit ironic, though, her alleged drinking and driving when she was one of many state reps who supported Texas' ban on texting and driving.  I detect a bit of a double standard.

Speaking of double standards, myself and a few other friends noticed that there was little to no support for the tree that was victimized in the crash.  He's subsequently been named 'Albert' and we'd like for you all to show your support for him, too.  I mean, where's the love for Albert?  The profile pics?  The hashtaggery?  You'd support people, but what about a tree? 

That tree was just standing there, minding its own business, not hurting anyone.  He was a shelter for little woodland animals, all of which we can assume that representative Neave hates because she so carelessly crashed into their home.  Why not?  I mean, if a GOP representative crashed into a tree, he or she would be accused of hating on trees and nature and woodland animals.

So, if you want to help Albert the tree, you'll download the picture and use it as your profile picture immediately.  Together, we can make sure this never happens again!

*satire* 

Back To Home School

I should probably title this blog, "Buzzkill", because that's what I'm going to do to you; I'm going to kill your summer vacation buzz.  It's that time of year that all children plan to head back to school.  Since I am a home school mom, it's time to go back to home school.  That can raise anyone's anxiety level for sure, but if you're anything like me, you've been planning your return to home school for quite sometime.  I have a few tips and ideas for those home school moms who are planning on going back to school.

That might sound like an oxymoron since you do school at your house generally, and you're not technically going 'back' anywhere, but hear me out.  You are going back to a mindset and an action, although not necessarily a place.  So aside from the physicality of the return, let's talk about back to homeschooling.

I have been homeschooling for a while now, about eight years or so and for the me, the following have been successful in helping us to get through the school year.

-Designate a space in your house for school work.  If you can, I find that it works best if you have a room that you can designate to teach in.

-Decorate your space with appropriate items; maps, globes, instructional posters, etc.  That helps make it feel more like an actual classroom.

-Set a schedule and try to stick to it.  This one is hard, especially for me since I tend to be creative and want to wander off a bit.  Keep it loose, if that works better for you, but kids do need structure.

-Welcome your kids back to school with a welcome back note situated at their desk or place at the table for the first day at school.  I did this last year, and my middle son asked me if we would do that again.  I took that as a sign that it meant something special to him and I'm always looking for things to do to make my kids feel special.

-Recognize their achievements.  I have lots of awards certificates and I hand them out somewhat randomly so that they are unexpected little rewards and surprises for my kiddos.  They love them!

-Celebrate milestones like graduation!  We didn't celebrate a kindergarten graduation for any of my boys, but we decided to commemorate the end of fifth grade with a graduation.  We invited grandparents and a few neighbor kids over and had cake. We even read a speech to our son about his accomplishments and what made us proud of him.  It was a special day for not only him, but for the family as well.

-Give your home school a name.  We chose our name and even have a mascot.   Although we will never have an organized sports team, we are a team as a family and that is even more important than being on a soccer team or football team any day.


This is something that we haven't done yet, but I've seen before on Pinterest (ahem) that lots of public schools commemorate the fiftieth day of education by dressing up as the 50's; poodle skirts for girls and leather jackets and jeans for boys.   Also, when the 100th day of instruction passes, the school staff and students celebrate by dressing up as old people with wigs and mustaches and walkers, etc.  It looks like a lot of fun!

I hope I've helped to make your transition from summer time to school time just a bit easier!  Happy Teaching!

The Texas GOP Does Not Need A Gatekeeper

Notice the title?  Gatekeeper as defined by Wikipedia is this:  "A gatekeeper is a person who controls access to something."   There are gatekeepers for all kinds of activities and clubs and even churches, for that matter, but since I'm involved in the political world, I'm thinking of the GOP.  I can think of a gatekeeper of the Republican party; actually I can think of a few of them.  Someone who thinks that the Republican party is an arm of the Baptist Church; where religiosity and exclusion meet.

You know the kind of person I'm talking about.  The kind of person who uses their Christianity and 'holier than thou' attitude as a weapon.  Who invokes the name of Jesus to instill fear in those who would oppose them.  Who ALWAYS paint their opponents as less than Christian or as not conservative enough.   Let me tell you something, I have a personal relationship with Jesus, and that's not the Jesus I know.

There's a saying that goes something like this, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words."  Funny, it doesn't say anything about shouting others down and shoving the Bible down people's throats.  As I've said, I'm a Christian, and that's not the Jesus I know.  The Jesus I know is about love and compassion and grace and mercy.  "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"-Romans 2:4

This is MY blog and this is MY opinion.  So, take it or leave it.  However, it is my feeling that Jared Woodfill along with Steven Hotze are religious gatekeepers for the Republican party.  Or at least, they try to be.  They want to keep the 'riff-raff' from joining in the ranks of the Republican party, and I'm not even talking about elected officials.  I'm talking about activists, precinct chairs, you name it.  Anybody who doesn't agree with their opinion lock stock and barrel are sinners, and not to be included in the Republican
 process.

I've got news for you folks, we are ALL sinners, saved by grace, and while we're talking about sinners, let's remind ourselves who Jesus was often found in fellowship with.  Jesus didn't eat with the religious elite, remember? He didn't rub elbows with the Pharisees or with Pontius Pilate.   He ate with the sinners and tax collectors and the broken and the sick.   He was ALL inclusive.

Funny thing is that Jesus wasn't and still isn't about passing a purity test.  If you came with a desire to be changed, to accept his forgiveness and mercy and grace, you could and you still can.  If we elect Jared Woodfill as State Party Chair, there will be rules and purity tests for the activist who want to become involved.  Information will not be disseminated to all activists, but only to  a select 'worthy' few.  He will turn this party into a top down tool for his power the same way he treated the Harris County Republican Party.

No, the Texas GOP does not need a gatekeeper.  What it needs is a leader.

My Pick: Ted Cruz For President

Nobody loves an underdog story as much as I do, and Ted Cruz's story was that of an underdog in his bid for US Senate.  I supported him when he had 2% name ID in the polls against David Dewhurst back in 2012.  Dewhurst was predicted to win.  By a lot.  The grass roots rallied around Ted because we needed Ted in the Senate badly. 

We needed someone who would represent the values and the concerns of Texans and Ted Cruz was that man.  Now, as he makes his bid for President of the United States, we need a president that will represent the best interests, values and concerns of United States citizens and I still think that Ted Cruz is that man.

I hear you starting to shake your head in disagreement, and that's fine.  You're entitled to your own opinion, but let me finish.  Ted Cruz kept the promises he made to the people when he went to Washington, D.C.  He was and still is, the grass roots candidate. He has defended the constitution time and time again and referred to said document at his 'touchstone'.  "My touchstone for every question is the constitution."  Probably hadn't heard that from many if ANY of our current or former legislators.

He was and still is (to me) the rallying cry for the American people to be listened to and heard by their representatives.  He recognized the frustration of the people when he and his staff fashioned the hashtag #makedclisten.  Some folks claim that it was a 'fake' filibuster, but when Senator Rand Paul was there for his filibuster to delay the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ellen Kagan, Senators Cruz and Lee were right there with him, standing shoulder to shoulder to keep the confirmation of a legislate-from-the-bench, liberal justice from taking place.

I understand now, that folks want to call him 'establishment' and so on.  I'm curious what that word means to those who are calling him that.  To me, the establishment Republicans were the guys who didn't want to change anything about how politics were done in Washington, D.C.  They didn't want push back or questions from 'we the people', much less wanting us to be involved at all.

That has not been the case with Senator Cruz.  He has reached out to the grass roots to ask for help when the Senate wanted to usher in a bill to take away our second amendment rights.  He teamed up again with Senator Mike Lee to send a letter to his Senate colleagues regarding the second amendment rights and asked the grass roots to help support his efforts.  Here he is in a video, explaining how thankful he is for the help he received and what it was like to be yelled at by senior Senators for not being a 'squish'.  Hmmm...

I've heard complaints about Cruz saying that he can't build coalitions or bring teams together.  My friend Erin Anderson had this to say in response to the naysayers when the news broke that some of the Bush family was going to join the Cruz finance team, "Y'all, what did you think coalescing behind a candidate would look like? Of course people from other campaigns are now joining Team Cruz. You better believe he'll need and want support from all across the GOP spectrum in the general election. It doesn't means he's "selling out" - they are coming to him, and together they are broadening the coalition.
If you were for a more "moderate" candidate, doesn't this show "extremist" Cruz can work with others? If you're Team Trump, isn't this exactly the kind of deal-making your guy promises?"

Which brings me to my next point.  Now that he's made a run for President, he's been called all kinds of names; from liar to the establishment.  As a Ted Cruz supporter, now I'M establishment or a RINO, if you will.  What makes it wrong to support the candidate or the would-be incumbent when he or she actually does what he or she says they're going to do?  Are we still just a bunch of Outragers Anonymous, or are we actually looking for good and decent legislators?  Are we sending the wrong message to our legislators by never being satisfied with what they've done, saying that good isn't good enough?  I wonder.

I won't be deterred.  I haven't given up on the possibility that Ted Cruz will be the GOP nominee for President.  I'm still working at the grassroots levels of government and will continue to do so, because our future and our children's future is too important to quit.  As Ted Cruz signs in his photo pictured above, "The fight for Liberty never ends."

Happy Third Birthday, Political Chicken!

It's that time of year again, fair readers!  Yep, you guessed it!  Time to celebrate another trip around the sun with yours truly, The Political Chicken!!  TPC is officially three years old and in that time, we've covered lots of issues, candidate endorsements and challenges to folks running for office, not to mention the 84th legislative session of the Texas legislature.

Let's take a look back at a few of the articles that topped the charts here at The Political Chicken, shall we? As I mentioned in this particular blog post, nothing gets folks in a community excited like a bond election, amiright?  That's why "Katy ISD: Got Debt?" shot to the top of the charts with 667 views, an all time high for The Political Chicken (TPC).

Coming in a close second was the article I wrote about the resignation of Steve Munisteri as State Party Chair for the GOP and the choice that the SREC faced in choosing his successor.  Check it out here, titled "State Republican Executive Committee to Select New State GOP Chair March 7th".  It hit second place with 652 views.

"As Iron Sharpens Iron", one of my very first favorite blogs, comes in at number three with 347 views.  Good articles can stand the test of time, and I'm especially proud of that one.  Check it out, you won't be disappointed, I promise.

I'll share the two articles that were nearly tied for fourth, one that I wrote a long time ago that also stands the test of time titled, "Sex, Lies and Politics" and another article that I wrote fairly recently titled, "Jared Woodfill: Tenet vs. Track Record".  Each one had around 340 page views.

Now for a few of my favorites that I wrote that didn't have a stellar amount of page views.  "Could We Be Living In The Twilight Zone?" was one of my personal favorites, but it didn't top the charts.  With only seventy-seven views, it didn't even break the hundred mark.  Next on the list was what I considered to be a timely message, titled "Come Back To Me Before You Go Back To School" in which I encouraged parents, students and teachers to revisit their faith to help see them through a new school year.  It had just seventy-eight views total.

Just a few more to go.  Two of my favorite topics, if you haven't noticed are politics and Christianity.  So of course, the next title should be no surprise, "Politics and Christianity: Can The Two Work Together?"  That came in with a grand total of ninety-three page views.  And one of my absolute favorite past-times is, yep, you guessed it; picking on my favorite Congresscritter, John Culberson.  I put his 'Jeffersonian Republican' principals to the test here in, "Is John Culberson a Jeffersonian Republican or Not?"  Sad to say, his platform was full of holes; Swiss cheese, even.

That's all for this edition of TPC.  This isn't the end, it's just the beginning!  Remember, The Political Chicken is going places!!

State Republican Executive Committee to Select New State GOP Chair March 7th

This just in: Texas remains a red state!  After the November 2014 election, Republicans see victories all over the state!  Okay, well, maybe it's not as recent as I made it sound, but it's still a fact worth celebrating.  Think about who we have to thank for that victory?  Well, lots of devoted volunteers from around the state, that's who.  GOP County Chairmen are the immediate leaders of each county in Texas and their boss is our State Republican Party Chairman, Steve Munisteri.  Without a clear plan in place, our state party and each county party might not have done nearly as well in this last election, and I almost hate to do this, (almost), but I need to bring your attention back to my ground zero; Harris County.

In March 2014, Harris County elected a new county party chairman.  Jared was the ousted 12 year incumbent,  from the spot..  Although you'd think that someone who had been in the position for that long and kept getting re-elected MUST have been doing a great job, right?  WRONG!

Sadly now Steve Munisteri is resigning as our State Party Chairman after five great years of service to us.  We will miss him, but know he's going on to bigger, better things.  That leaves the position open and since his resignation comes before the next state convention, the job of electing a new chairman falls to the State Republican Executive Committee or SREC for short.  There are four candidates in the field, Robin Armstrong, former State Vice Chairman, and current National Republican Committeeman for Texas, Wade Emmert, current chairman for Dallas County GOP, Tom Mechler, current State Party Treasurer and of course, Jared Woodfill, the recently unseated Harris County GOP Chairman.

Let's take a look back at some of the highlights from Jared's tenure as Harris County GOP Chairman:

Jared Woodfill Led the Decline of Harris County Republican Dominance

• The Harris County Republican Party delivered Harris County for the Republicans in every presidential election from 1968-2004 and Gubernatorial elections from 1994-2006.

• With no county party organization and a lack of leadership from Woodfill, Obama and the Democrats won Harris County in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

For 12 Years Jared Woodfill Failed to Grow the Grassroots
• Over 600 of Harris County’s 1,064 precincts did not have a Republican Precinct Chair.

• 20 years ago Harris County had over 700 Republican precinct chairs. When Woodfill left office there are fewer than 460.

Jared Woodfill Lost the Trust of Grassroots Donors
• A review of Texas Ethics Commission documents show that in 2012, under Jared Woodfill’s leadership, the county Party spent $.78 of every dollar raised on consultants and paid campaign
advertisements with only $.01 going to grassroots activities.

Jared also mismanaged his own personal finances and The Houston Business Journal recently reported the IRS has placed a $40,000 lien on theWoodfill Law Firm for unpaid taxes.  Hmm...

Now, let me ask you if you think that this resume that I've shared qualifies Jared to be the state party chair?  Jared dutifully ignored the development of the grassroots, and pandered to a select few he surrounded himself with at the peril of the party.  He spent more money on high dollar consultants and he let the pay-to-play slates take over Harris County which allowed candidates for any and all offices to be chosen by a few top paid endorsers!   

We've come so far as a state, we cannot afford to let Jared take the helm and repeat what he did in Harris County to the State GOP.  The election will take place on March 7, 2015 at the next quarterly meeting of the SREC.  Let me tout some of Steve's record: From his resignation announcement:  
"It has been my honor to serve as RPT Chairman since June 2010 and oversee our party’s efforts during the last three election cycles. I am proud that by working together, we have had a net increase of 1,182 Republican officeholders during my time in office, representing an increase from 45% of all state officeholders to 67%. We have also set the all-time record for most number of elected Republican Texas State Representatives and Republican Texas Congressmen, as well as tying the record for most number of Republican State Senators.
At the same time, we paid off the party’s debt to $0 for the first time in 18 years and have remained debt free since November 2010 while bringing in over $22 million in revenue. This would not have been possible without the support of literally tens of thousands of grassroots activists and donors, for which I will be forever grateful."

Debt paid off to $0.  A net increase in Republican officeholders and an all-time record for most number of elected Republicans in the State House and State Senate.  Texas can't afford to go backwards.  The vote is scheduled for March 7th.  Contact your SREC representatives and let them know who you support.  Just say 'no' to failed leadership!

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!

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 Grassroots Have Spoken: Scott Turner for Texas Speaker

"When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods, but in favors; when you see that men get rich more easily by graft than by work, and your laws no longer protect you against them, but protect them against you … you may know that your society is doomed."  Ayn Rand

Texas, we're there.  Need proof?  Look no further than the race for the Speaker of the House.  "The money is flowing to those who deal not in goods, but in favors" has never been more prevalent than in the dynamics of the Speaker of the House race.  Folks, we're in a battle for control of the agenda for the 84th legislative session and the stakes couldn't be higher.

Texas is known as a bastion of conservatism.  It's a Republican 'red' state, but far from conservative, by my standards anyway.  If we want to make it truly conservative, then we the people of Texas have got to keep our eyes on ALL of our elected officials to ensure that they are voting correctly and really and truly taking a stand to protect our freedom to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  The Texas Speaker of the House plays a big part in all of these facets of liberty and if you are a friend of liberty, then you are no friend of Joe Straus.

I have written several articles about the speakers race and have discussed how important it is for us to have a say in who is elected speaker.  The handwriting is on the wall, folks.  County Republican parties all over the state of Texas have endorsed Scott Turner for Speaker of the House.  Not only that, but the body of delegates at the Republican State Convention held in June of 2014 voted to pass a resolution in which the vote for Speaker should be a vote cast by none other than the voters of Texas!

To pile onto the sentiment of unrest over the decision for Speaker of the House, on Monday night, the largest county in the state of Texas endorsed Scott Turner for Speaker.   I'm happy to say that I'm a member of the Executive Committee of the Harris County GOP by way of being a precinct chair.  The resolution was written and introduced by precinct chairman David Wilson with three speakers for the resolution and three against.  After some heated debate, the vote was taken and it passed. 

I'm not sure what more proof that the representatives need that we want a change in the Speaker of the House!  We all know the old saying, "Follow the money."  All of the representatives' support for Joe Straus has been bought and paid for.  I included a link in my previous blog, called, "Is the Republican Delegation of the state of Texas For Sale?" of all the different reps who have received  money from Straus.  We need to make a change.  I don't know about you, but I for one am tired of our representation being bought and paid for.  Scott Turner for Speaker!

November 2014 General Election: Why Local Elections Matter

Hello, Texas, it's that time of year again!  No, I'm not talking about Pumpkin Spice Latte time at Starbucks or even Halloween, although both of those would apply.  I'm talking election time!  You may be making Halloween plans or even Thanksgiving plans, but for now, I'd like turn your attention elsewhere; to local and statewide elections, that is.

On the eve of early voting in a mid-term general election, I'm writing this to remind you of how important elections really are and how doing your homework on the candidates that are listed on the ballot can make a huge difference in the outcomes of court cases and policy decisions that are made.  Putting liberty minded, conservative candidates into elected positions is a HUGE start! All the candidates on the ballot have websites and they would love to hear from you!  Ask the tough questions and decide for yourself.  Don't rely on the slate mailers, dubbed pay to play by myself and many other local bloggers. Read my write up about them here and another local blogger called Rhymes With Right, whom I just become acquainted with, writes about them and other local issues here.  Another local blogger, Pondering Penguin has even written about pay to play on a state level and you can check it out here.

Now, granted, some of this may be more useful during a primary, but I still think it's important to know who you're electing.  You might be saying, it's too late, early voting starts tomorrow!  To that I say, it's only too late if you wait to make up your mind on November 5th.  Now, I have been part of the liberty movement for the past five years or so and been part of several organizations.  One of which was my own group called Katy Mommy Patriots and while we were a group, we put together a few research projects. First is a  document called, 'Who Are These People?'  Just a basic job description of local elected officials in Harris County.  I don't know about you, but keeping track of what the District Clerk does versus the County Clerk does can make my head hurt.  So we put together a guide to help keep all of it straight.  Your welcome!

The next project was one called 'How to Vet a Candidate' and it is also a great resource on different ways to gather information to make an informed decision on who to vote for.  The two worked really well together, actually.  I hope you find both of them helpful.

There are a myriad of candidates on the ballot; many statewide offices are up for grabs; Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General to name a few.  We also find ourselves voting for lots of judges as well; family court judges, supreme court justices for the state of Texas, etc.

Seeing all of these positions to be chosen, important ones at that,  I hope you will answer the call to get out and vote.  Your voice counts, make it heard. Early voting starts tomorrow and goes until October 31st and election day is November 4th.  If you want freedom, in its simplest form, then why not take an active role during an election?

Katy ISD: Got Debt?

There are many issues that we encounter and deal with as a community on a local, city, state, and a national level.  Some are more controversial than others, obviously.  There is one issue that can tear apart an education community or school district faster than any of these other issues; a school bond proposal.  Want to make it even more divisive?  Throw in a new football stadium proposal in the bond proposal.  Look. Out.


The Katy ISD bond is no different.  And sadly, it's a statewide epidemic.

However, even the folks that support the bond are coming up short on their logic, seemingly failing to consider what the passage of this bond would do to the local and state economies.  The debt of Texas' cities is comparable to California's cities, even to that of bankrupt Detroit.  Even Breitbart has picked up on it in this article titled, Texas Cities Should Learn from Bankrupt, Spendthrift Detroit.  Jess Fields said, "Texans must work to ensure that our localities do not rack up enormous debt and waste money on pet projects we cannot afford. Taxpayers should demand that local governments spend money on priorities, like good public safety and sound infrastructure."

On the other side, the Katy LiberTea group led the fight in 2013 and helped defeat an earlier bond.  Their desire to see the bond voted down is no different this time around.  Cyndi Lawrence, president of Katy LiberTea has this to say about the state of affairs in the Katy Independent School District: "We acknowledge the fact that Katy ISD is a highly desired community. We need to look at a package that addresses classroom space for our kids and that is fiscally responsible. This community has expanded so much because it is a great area to live, but we want it to remain that way. We do not want our community to be in such a large amount of debt.  This bond reminds me of Bills that come through the U.S. House, the INTENTION is always good, but somehow tons of pork gets added and then the intention of the Bill ends up lost.  We need to be more transparent and fiscally responsible when preparing a bond.  There has been way to much “fluff” money added to this current bond package. This bond should only be addressing growth while respecting the community’s hard earned tax payer dollars. According to debt at a glance, for school districts of similar size in Texas, Katy ISD ranks the 5^th highest in debt with the amount of $1,234,844,928.  The cost per student is $19,172."

Cyndi continues: "The community has already voted down the 2013 $99,000,000 bond because most felt like the school district was proposing to spend too much money on things that are not necessities. Here we are a year later, and not only did they NOT listen to the community’s concerns, but they added 700 MILLION more dollars to the bond and MORE “fluff.” This is not representative of what the community wants and what is best for our children. They need to consider our concerns and address the growth needs in a fiscally responsible manner. Our community and our children will be paying this debt off for years to come."

Most people think that conservative groups are always railing against any sort of bond referendum or proposal.  That's simply not true!  To back that up, I thought it would be interesting  to include some quotes from some folks who would like to remain anonymous.  The first person comments concerning the stadium that has been injected into the bond:

"Why is the stadium being forced into a bond that is primarily for education and facilities pertaining to education? Why is it not on its own ticket?"

"The stadium did not make the vote last year and there has been a whole year to prepare for a better solution. Why has Katy ISD not researched and secured corporate sponsors, stadium naming rights, and etc… They could sell seat options, raise ticket prices, and paid parking. There are many ways that this could have been sold to the voters without shoving it down our throats in a bond that includes mass much needed educational components. That's just dirty and unethical no matter what side your on."

"Sometimes you have to pay to play!"

Some people are not even talking about the stadium.  Here's one taxpayer who is concerned about whether or not Katy ISD already has the money on hand to spend without passing the bond: 

"On the KISD Bond issue, I have a house that last year was valued at $92,500 - KISD taxes $1415. This year the same house value was upped to $149,000 - KISD taxes $2279. This appears to me to be a little more than $10-$20 per year. And it's a rental with no exemptions. So, if my KISD taxes are going up $864 per year, I guess that I am accounting for the $10 increase for 86 houses. They should not need any bonds approved inasmuch as the increase in valuations more than makes up for the bonds they want to issue."

Here's more from another concerned citizen about the tax rate:

"KISD tax rate is 1.5266% (1.1266 M&O and 0.400 I&S). This is before the planned tax rate increase in the proposed bond. This current rate is already higher than over 93% of all other school districts in TX and even higher than CFISD. Not sure how that is possible with the behemoth of a Berry Center cost already included in CFISD M&O and I&S rates. Good news is it is still lower than Allen ISD but they already have their 60MM stadium. Well it's really even more than the 60MM when you add the costs they are currently incurring to repair all the cracked concrete in it."

Unfortunately, as is always the case with school bond debates, those presenting rationale, financial reasons to oppose the bond will be labeled “anti-children.” 

These are real concerns from real people.  They are legitimate concerns, too.  None that can just be explained away by the pro-bond side as 'ignorant' or uneducated.  If you live in Katy ISD, please consider a 'no' vote on this bond.  It's time that we stop loving our children to debt. 

2014 RedState Gathering Held August 7th-10th

Attention!  Attention all RedState and Freedomworks fans!  There is a very exciting event coming to Ft. Worth, Texas next weekend!  It's none other than the RedState Gathering which proves to be a very exciting event with a great line up of speakers.  

You may be asking, "What IS RedState Gathering?"  Glad you asked!  From their event website: "In August 2009, RedState hosted the first RedState Gathering. Held annually, the Gathering has quickly become a leading grassroots event and has featured notable speakers such as Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Nikki Haley, Gov. Bobby Jindal, to name but a few. In 2011, the Gathering served as the launch pad for Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential bid. The Sixth Annual RedState Gathering will be held in Forth Worth, August 7-10, 2014."

It starts next Thursday, August 7th with Registration and a Governor's Reception with Governor Rick Perry.

The fun continues on Friday, August 8th, with a list of fantastic speakers: Governor Rick Perry, Former US Senator from North Carolina, Jim DeMint, Former VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Ben Sasse, US Senate Candidate-NEbraska, and John Ratcliffe, Candidate for US House District 4.  Now for the line up from the great state of Texas!  State Representative and Speaker of the House Candidate, Scott Turner, Konni Burton, State Senate Candidate for District 10 and our very own US Senator Ted Cruz from Houston!  Not to be missed is the reception following the event on Friday evening with Senator Ted Cruz at Joe T. Garcias in the Stockyards District.

More excitement, (if you can stand it) on Saturday, August 9th with the following list of speakers: Governor Nikki Haley, Congressman, Jim Bridenstine, Republican National Committee Chair, Reince Priebus, our own Attorney General and candidate for Governor, Greg Abbott.  Also, Ken Buck, Candidate for US House in Colorado's District 4, Paul Dietzel, Candidate for US House in Louisiana's District 6 and last but not least Drew Ryun from Madison Project.

RedState Gathering will also feature the following:

Panel Discussions on Obama Scandals, an Elections Preview and more featuring guests from Towhnhall and our very own RedState Contributing Editors.

• Saturday Evening Reception with Attorney General Greg Abbott
• Texas Motor Speedway – Food, Drink and a special surprise
• Ends with Sunday Brunch at 10 AM
• Freedomworks, who is no stranger to grass roots efforts is partnering with RedState to put this event together.  I'm a huge fan of both organizations.  
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• I had a chance to meet Erik Erickson at a Grass roots Boot camp back in 2011, also in Ft. Worth. and I'm so happy to see them working together.  
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  • "The 2014 RedState Gathering Agenda has come together nicely and is sure to please. Thanks to the speakers, sponsors, and of course the activists who have registered to attend, the 2014 RedState Gathering will be the best yet. Don’t miss your chance to attend."-RedState
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  • Just to review: RedState Gathering is happening next weekend, beginning on August 7th at 5:00 PM and going until Saturday, August 10th.  The event is to be held at The Worthington Renaissance Ft. Worth Hotel, 200 Main Street.  For more information for tickets and lodging, click on this link.  I'll be helping out at the Freedomworks booth on Saturday!  See you there!