#TXLEGE: Meet the Constituent from whom Joe Straus is hiding....

"He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck,
Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."
Proverbs 29:1

We first met Columba Wilson when we testified on the same witness panel during a Senate education committee hearing this past regular session.  She has an autistic grandson and, as such, supports school choice for special needs students.  But, beyond realizing we were on the same side of the issue, we didn't talk much.

We had a chance to have a longer talk this afternoon and her story is incredible.

During 2015 and 2016, her grandson was physically abused and repeatedly locked in a tiny room by personnel at a Bexar county ISD; given this experience, it's obvious why she supports expanded choice for special needs students.

It gets better: During Columba's efforts at the Capitol these past two sessions, numerous legislative staffers have told her that she needs to meet with her own state representative to address her issue.  She's been trying for ages to do just that.  And, as a resident of house district 121, her state representative is...Joe Straus.

So, not only did Joe Straus refuse to meet with the Lt. Governor for nine months, but he's also refusing to meet with his own constituents who have a personal stake in issues currently before the legislature.

It's an incredible story that combines the abusive self dealing of the socialized education bureaucracy with the mendacity of Joe Straus.

We chatted with Columba this afternoon (and will post a more detailed version of her story below):



Highlights:

• Note: We said "her son" in the video, but it's actually her grandson over whom she has custody.

• "They had him locked up in a storage room."
• 5x10

• "The speaker of the house is my state representative."

• She's been trying to meet with Straus for four years.

• "I just never got any answers."

• "As my state representative, I don't have any place to go but him."

• School districts waste all sorts of money on attorney's fees that could be used to pay for special needs ESA's.

Columba Wilson's story in her own words:

This is a picture of the room where her grandson was kept: