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.

WORLD Magazine: Education Results vs Spending...By The Numbers

Ronald Reagan once said, “If you serve a child a rotten hamburger in America, federal, state, and local agencies will investigate you, summon you, close you down, whatever. But if you provide a child with a rotten education, nothing happens, except that you're liable to be given more money to do it with. Well, we've discovered that money alone isn't the answer.”    



He couldn't have been more correct.  WORLD Magazine wrote a post they titled By The Numbers. in which they discuss this very issue.  Here are the stats they shared to drive Reagan's quote home:

10.3

"The percentage increase in the number of students in U.S. public schools between 1970 and 2016, according to a September study by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). The increase was from 45.9 million to 50.6 million."

57

"The percentage increase in the ­number of teachers in U.S. public schools between 1970 and 2016—from about 2 million to 3.17 million—according to the AEI study."

147

"The percentage increase in nonteaching staffers in U.S. public schools between 1970 and 2016—from 1.4 million to 3.3 million—according to AEI."

150

"The percentage increase, adjusted for inflation, in per-pupil spending in U.S. public schools between 1970 and 2016—from $4,934 to $12,220—according to AEI."

And finally,

287

"The reading score for 17-year-old Americans on the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 2015. This was virtually unchanged from the score of 286 in 1975. Scores on both reading and math have been essentially flat since the early 1970s, despite the more than doubling of spending per student and a sharp increase in the number of teachers per student. A Department of Education report concluded: “Average reading and mathematics achievement for 17-year-olds did not change significantly between the early 1970s and 2012 or between 2008 and 2012.”

So the next time your local school district comes to you with their hand out looking for a billion plus dollar bond, remember this and tell them to go take a hike, and not a tax hike.  




 

Who Are You?

Soooooo, who are you?  No, I'm not quoting the famous The Who song of the same title, I'm actually asking!  This question popped into my head about myself this morning while I was getting dressed.  Who am I?  I guess I could answer that question in any number of ways.  I'm a woman.  I'm a wife.  I'm a mom.  I'm a teacher.  More importantly, though, I'm a Christian.

I was reminded of that fact this morning when I put on my cross necklace.  The cross on this particular necklace is special to me because it belonged to my dad's mother.  She died when I was only ten months old, so I didn't get to know her.  The cross necklace makes me feel close to her.  I was reminded of something with even more significance than my grandmother's memory, though.  I was reminded of who I am.  I am His and He is mine.

I think we forget that from time to time.  We forget that other people are His.  No matter whether you're a Republican or a Democrat or whatever political party you align yourself with, you are a creation of God, and THAT is what defines who you are.  I guess this is technically a message we could have used during the election what with the mudslinging and all.  Now that the mud has ceased to fly and we're headed into the holiday season, I think it's a great reminder for all of us.

Yes, I am The Political Chicken.  No, I am not the Religious Chicken, although I do tend to veer towards stories from the Bible in hopes to encourage you in your faith.  I know I've been encouraged just by writing this.  Have a great rest of your holiday weekend and go into the holiday season with this reminder, "I am His and He is mine, and so are other people."

Nike or New Balance? And why?

Oh, hello out there in internet, social media world!  It's me, TPC!   There's been lots going on lately, but I haven't forgotten about you!  From Kaepernick and Nike to now New Balance and President Trump, there's always something brewing.

Colin Kaepernick.  His name has become synonymous with protest of the National Anthem sung before National Football League (NFL) football games.  He took a knee during the playing and singing of the National Anthem beginning last football season.  Has it really been two years since he started that?  I have by and large stayed out of it, and I really wasn't even going to 'go there', but here I go.

There has been a whirlwind of controversy ever since he decided to protest the National Anthem.  Many regular football fans have decided to boycott the NFL because of Kaepernick's decision to sit out during the National Anthem.  It has incited rage in some.  He's been called a myriad of names because of the protest.  Thing is, guys, IT'S ACTUALLY HIS RIGHT TO SIT IT OUT.

The NFL even supported his decision by saying that, "Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem."  Alrighty.  It's also YOUR RIGHT to not watch football because of the stance of the NFL. Since then, Nike has come out as making Kaepernick their spokesperson.  Conservatives lost their collective minds; burning their Nike shoes in the streets, y'all.  People went post apocalyptic.  SRSLY.

Now comes New Balance, not to be outdone by Nike, I guess, throwing their support behind President Trump.  The VP of Public Affairs, Sara Germano, tweeted last night that, "The Obama administration turned a deaf ear to us, and frankly w/President-Elect Trump we feel things are going to move in the right direction."  This is from a Forbe's magazine article published this morning.  And I know what my conservative peeps are all thinking: support New Balance because they support our president!  Not so fast, friends.

The article goes on to say that, "For what it’s worth, New Balance would likely have backed rival candidate Hillary Clinton, too, who reversed her stance on TPP after endorsing it three years ago as President Obama’s Secretary of State. On the campaign trail she, like Trump, opposed the deal, but her so-called flip-flop made some voters nervous that she’d change her position yet again if she made it to the White House." 


As they used to say on Sesame Street, "One of these things is not like the other."  Okay, so what's the difference?  One could say that Nike put their support behind Kaepernick for a publicity stunt.  Love or hate, it worked.  I mean, have you SEEN all of the anti-Nike memes out there?  Free advertising, hello!  So will we now see liberals burning their New Balance shoes in the streets?

One could also say that New Balance's decision was based on a business decision as to what was good for the company.  Which one of these reasons will cause my conservative friends to support which company more and why?  Will we continue down the road of emotions and knee jerks, or will we have a more steady hand going forward?  Remember, "Feelings are much like waves, we can't stop them from coming but we can choose which one to surf."

Nabisco 'Uncages' Barnum's Circus Animals

Everyone remembers special foods that they ate growing up.  Some of them were prepared with love by family members or neighbors.  Some were snacks purchased at the grocery store.  Case in point, Nabisco Animal Crackers which were more like cookies to me. 

My mom used to buy me a little box of them at the grocery store and I ate them throughout the store while she shopped.  I remember the bright, red box and the folded over bag inside the box aimed at keeping the snack inside it fresh and ready to be consumed by eager toddler fingers.

I would also study the outside of the box with the animals on the outside and try to match the cookies to the picture of the animals on the box.  That's a special memory.  Now, Nabisco has gone and ruined it.  I wish this was satire.  Oh, how I wish.

Today's headline reads: "Nabisco animal crackers uncaged after 116 years".  Really?  After receiving some pressure way back in 2016 from those loving, caring people at none other than People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, also known as P.E.T.A, the cracker conglomerate has decided to depict the circus animals on the front of that cute, little red box without the cage bars in front of them.  I can't.  My evens.   My childhood.

Y'all, PETA is the same group that actually KILLS animals.  In fact, they don't want people to 'own' pets at all.  The co-founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, has been quoted as saying that, “In the end, I think it would be lovely if we stopped this whole notion of pets altogether."   I'll recognize that there is abuse of animals and that's absolutely uncalled for, but the hypocrisy of this group is just astounding.

What could be even more astounding is that PETA has the kind of influence to change the face of a harmless picture of circus animals on an iconic snack.   Way to go, Nabisco.

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! 

Can't Chicken Just Be Good Chicken Because It's Good?

Can we just stop?  I know it's the fault of people on the left AND the right, but could we just stop politicizing EVERY issue and every item?  We're politicizing food; most recently with Blue Bell ice cream, and over the past few years, chicken.  Chick-fil-A chicken, to be exact.


Most recently, the company has been ranked number one in fast food for customer satisfaction.  Kind of goes with the corporate purpose that Truett Cathy came up with many years ago which is, "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive impact on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."  Pretty cool, huh?  Here's a link to the article written by The Daily Caller about our recent accolades.

Thing is, people are STILL politicizing the business.  I'm not even talking about the leftists, and trust me, there are some out there still doing that.  I'm talking about Chicks On The Right.   I follow them on Twitter (rethinking that decision now) and they re-posted the Daily Caller's article with the title, "Sorry, Libs, Chick-fil-A is Officially America's Favorite Fast Food Restaurant."  I mean, really?

Hey, it is totally cool that Chick-fil-A was voted number one, no doubt about it, but I'm starting to wonder if we have to take every chance we get to thumb our noses at liberals?  Then I start to ask myself the following questions: Does this comment or activity win us elections?  Does this convince people to want to vote Republican?  Does this advance our ball down the court any further than it was before we made the comment?

Do the memes of 'snowflakes' and 'safe spaces' help our cause?  Do the words, 'libtard' and 'Demonrats' do any good?   Just because the left does it to us, doesn't mean we have to respond in like kind. It's all a distraction from the issues.  Wag the dog, people. 

I have decided that I'm laying down my pitchfork and my torch.  I'm still in this fight for liberty and freedom for the long haul, though.  I just wish that more of my friends and colleagues would lay their torches down, too and pick up a walk list and do some promoting instead of demeaning.  As a good friend of mine eight years ago once said, "What 'FOR'"?