#TXLEGE: Insufferable Senate Solipsists Waste Everybody's Time

"Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Though they join forces, none will go unpunished."
Proverbs 16:5

[Note: If you care about the details, Lauren McGaughy of the DMN live tweeted the early part of the hearing here.  Her thread contains links to coverage of later parts.  Masochists can watch the full hearing here.]

[Note II: The definition for 'solipsism' is available here (see definition #2); the definition for 'pompous' is available here.]

It's mercifully over.

Today's initial hearing of the Texas Senate's interim committee on so-called "Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety" accomplished nothing.  Unless you consider an unintentional case study in ego and political grandstanding an accomplishment.  It delivered on that count.

DPS chief Steve McCraw was the hearing's primary witness.  This would be the same Steve McCraw who, earlier this year, bungled the state's voter roll eligibility review.  Honestly, that tells you everything you need to know.  Only in government could someone with Steve McCraw's recent record of grotesque incompetence not get fired.

A vignette: During his testimony, McCraw prattled on for several minutes about the alleged threat posed by incels.  Seriously, frickin' incels.  Obviously, incels are a demented sex cult.  But they're completely irrelevant.  Yet one of the top law enforcement officials in the state of Texas actually jabbered at the Texas Senate about this topic.  Even worse, the Senate took it seriously.  It was embarrassing (or should have been).

Also, this happened:

. @SenJaneNelson just said there are privacy concerns with checking social media, says she doesn't want law enforcement to be reading all her tweets. 🤔#txlege

— Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) September 26, 2019

Apparently, Senator Nelson is unaware that Twitter is already a public forum.

Bottom Line: Obviously, recent events in El Paso and Odessa sucked.  That goes without saying.  Nevertheless, today's Texas Senate hearing was a reminder that showboating politicians rarely make things better after a tragedy.

#TXLEGE: Bonnen's "Select Committee on Mass Violence prevention" is a Rogue's Gallery

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

YIKES:

New: @RepDennisBonnen appoints 13 members to new House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety. Notably, @drewdarby4Tx is chair. #txlege pic.twitter.com/qHdc3QIEGL

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) September 4, 2019

That list...pretty much speaks for itself.

A couple of these can be justified due to geography.  Specifically, Joe Moody and Cesar Blanco are from El Paso.  So those are understandable.  Likewise, Brooks Landgraf from Odessa.

Still...Poncho?!?  Julie Johnson?!?  Disproportionate Democrat representation?!?

[sarc]We're sure Chairman Drew Darby, Charlie Geren, and Giovanni Capriglione won't sell out our rights. [/sarc]

Bottom Line: That this committee has an equal number of D's and R's despite a solid R majority tells you everything you need to know.

#TXSEN: Bobby Francis O'Rourke; typical Texas Politician (an ongoing series)

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

From Roll Call:

O’Rourke didn’t win [his initial Congressional campaign in 2012] because of anti-establishment fervor. He was the preferred choice of an influential group of local elected officials.

Former state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh (*) and former El Paso Mayor Ray Caballero led a movement to elect more liberal Democrats to state and local office and created a powerful political machine. Defeating an old guard politician like Reyes was just a continuation of the plan, and O’Rourke was in place to do it.

[Note: Emphasis added.]

[* -- Fun Fact: Eliot Shapleigh is Mayor Adler's former boss.]

It gets better:

But one of the biggest reasons why he hasn’t faced a serious primary is because many aspiring Latino candidates were also allies of Shapleigh.

For example, El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar, state Rep. Marisa Marquez, state Sen. José Rodríguez and others were mentioned as potential primary challengers in 2014, considering the 16th District has a Hispanic voting-age population of 79 percent. But none of them ran.

O’Rourke was unopposed in the primary that year. And in 2016, he defeated Ben Mendoza, who was coming off a failed run as an independent for the state House and didn’t raise or spend more than $5,000 in his primary bid.

Aspiring congressional candidates in the 16th District knew O’Rourke wouldn’t be in the seat for long.

Read the whole thing here.

Bottom Line: The more you learn, the more you realize you've seen this movie....

A **CLASSIC** Friday Afternoon, Holiday Weekend (Day before the Start of College Football season), DOCUMENT DUMP

"I am for peace;
But when I speak, they are for war."
Psalm 120:7

Sssssssssssay what?!?

New details are being released about Texas Senate Democratic nominee Beto O’Rourke’s arrest 20 years ago for drunken driving, including how a witness at the time reportedly said O’Rourke attempted to flee the scene after crashing his car.

The Houston Chronicle published police reports from O’Rourke’s September 1998 DWI arrest in Texas near the New Mexico border. The records, according to the paper, indicate the incident was a “more serious threat to public safety than has previously been reported.”

The arrest has long been public knowledge, but the details in the police reports had not.

The police reports published by the paper state that a witness said O’Rourke was driving drunk at a “high rate of speed” in a 75 mph zone on the interstate when he lost control and hit a truck. O’Rourke’s car crossed the center median and into oncoming lanes, the police report says, though no one was injured.

According to the paper, a witness stopped at the scene and said O’Rourke tried to drive away.

“The driver attempted to leave the accident but was stopped by the [witness],” a police officer wrote, according to the police report.

In fairness to Bobby Francis, this appears to have been a one off thing.  In the 20 years since, there hasn't been a repeat.  Still...leaving the scene?!?

That being said, the real story is how Bobby Francis got away with a slap on the wrist.  Anyone else would have been charged with a felony.  Must be nice to have a daddy who's a prominent local elected official.

[Note for out of state media: In Texas, the position called "county judge" is an EXECUTIVE position.  It could be considered the rough equivalent of being a Mayor, just at a different level of government.  Thus, while Bobby Francis' daddy clearly got him special treatment, daddy was not a "Judge" in the Judicial sense.]

The Houston Chronicle's collaboration, however, is choice.  Not just Friday afternoon.  Not just Friday afternoon in August.  Not just Friday afternoon, in August, on Labor day weekend.  But Friday afternoon, August, Labor day weekend, AND the day before the start of the college football season.  If the media wants to know why people hate them, this would be a good place to start.

Bottom Line: Must be nice to have a daddy who's a prominent local elected official AND a compliant media....

#VETOBETO: Campaign Finance Money Laundering Edition

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
1 Timothy 6:10

One of the more noteworthy aspects of Robert Francis O'Rourke is how, when you examine what he's actually done in life, he quickly emerges as nothing more than a typical Texas politician.

RedState's Brandon Morse is a friend of this website.  Last week, Brandon discovered several questionable financial exercises in the aspiring U.S. Senator's past.  Over the next little bit, we'll highlight each item individually.  Suffice to say, none of these opportunities would be available to average citizens.

First up, looks like Robert Francis has no qualms about using campaign funds to "generously" hire friends:

According to www.opensecrets.com, in 2015, almost 50% of the Beto O'Rourke's top expenditures went to former City Representative, Suzie Byrd.

In 2014, 24% of the representatives top expenditures went to Suzie Byrd, although the total amount was larger: $81,152.00 (made in 47 payments).

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines "cronyism" as: "the unfair practice by a powerful person (such as a politician) of giving jobs and other favors to friends."

For 2015, Open Secrets lists the top expenditure to vendors / recipients, and of those top expenditures, there is an amount for $21,000 divided in to 12 payments, and a seperate amount for $10,500 divided into six payments, for a total of $31,500. The payments are made to Moxie Communications and Consulting, which is owned by Byrd (Note 1).

A quick Google search for "Suzie Byrd" reveal her to be an El Paso based political looter of a type that is all too common in this state; she's currently on the board of El Paso ISD.

Must be nice to be able to clear over $120k in laundered political funds.

But what's even better is that Robert Francis did not face a serious political contest during that time.

Better still:

In both 2014 and 2015, O'Rourke profited from his political contributions, shifting money to Stanton Street Technology Group. In 2014, he paid his own company $39,063 (11.7% to top expenditure) and in 2015, he paid his own company $1,335.

So, in addition to paying his friend over $120k, Robert Francis managed to skim over $40k off the top for himself.

Also, keep in mind that the report linked above only covers two years (2014 and '15).  God only knows what the numbers are over a longer period of time.  We suspect it's higher.

Sinatra said it best:



Bottom Line:  Must be nice to be a former city council colleague of a sitting Congressman at a time when the Congressman in question isn't facing a serious political challenge....

Turns out O'Rourke is just your typical Good Ol' Boy Texas Politician

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

We'd missed this story from when Robert Francis announced his candidacy last year:

Just weeks before Rep. Robert Francis "Beto" O'Rourke (D., Texas) officially launched his Senate campaign, he sold property valued at over $1 million to a wealthy El Paso family that has donated thousands of dollars to his political campaigns.

O'Rourke, first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, announced last month after weeks of speculation that he would challenge Republican Ted Cruz for his Senate seat in 2018. The previous month, O'Rourke prepared for the campaign launch by unloading valuable property that his family had owned for more than three decades.

The Imperial Arms apartment complex, owned by O'Rourke through Imperial Arms LLC and valued by him at between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000, was sold on February 27, 2017, according to legal documents obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

The recipient of the building was Patricia "Isha" Rogers, who has contributed thousands to O'Rourke since his first run for Congress in 2012 and has already given him $2,500 this cycle.

Also contributors to O'Rourke are Rogers's sister Dede Rogers, who has given $11,500 including $5,000 this cycle, and brother Jonathan Rogers, who has given $5,100.

Shady real estate deal between incumbent elected official and a campaign contributor...that's pretty Texas.

But here's the kicker:

"I've known them for a really long time," O'Rourke said. "Her dad Jonathan Rogers was mayor of El Paso when my dad, Pat O'Rourke, was county judge in the early 1980s, so I've known her since we were kids."

Exqueeze me?!?  Baking powder?!?

You're saying that the son of a former county judge (and current U.S. Congressman) made a shady real estate deal with the daughter of the former mayor of the largest city in said county?!?

Now THAT'S Texas!!!

[Note: This author hadn't previously known that Robert Francis' father had been County Judge.]

Bottom Line: Never, ever, ever forget that the primary political activity in the state of Texas is to grease the skids for shady real estate deals by the politically favored.

UT Regents rubber stamp almost $400 MILLION in new debt

"There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it."
Proverbs 21:20

Some of these projects are probably worthwhile, but the overall package is ridiculous:

Regents approve PUF proceeds for capital projects, including first-of-its-kind collaboration 

AUSTIN—The University of Texas System Board of Regents today approved $392.2 million from Permanent University Fund bonds as a source of funding for nine capital projects at UT academic and health institutions. 

This year’s provision included a new approach by Regents – cross-institutional facilities funding for a first-of-its-kind collaboration, an example of Chancellor William H. McRaven’s charge to UT System institutions to break down silos, operate as a “team of teams” and leverage the System’s collective size, talent and scale to attack challenging issues facing our world today. 

At the Chancellor’s recommendation, Regents approved $45 million in PUF bonds for a cancer collaboration among UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Health San Antonio, UT Health Northeast, UT Medical Branch in Galveston and UT Austin’s Dell Medical School. The funds will be divided roughly equally among the five institutions, targeting the most critical capital needs in each setting. The money may be used to renovate existing facilities or build new facilities. It could also be directed toward the purchase of equipment and information systems, including systems that would enable digital health services such as telepathology and teleradiology.  

.... 

 The bulk of the total — $347.2 million — is earmarked as a source of funding for several new important facilities at UT academic and health institutions that will provide the opportunity for world-class research, teaching and clinical care for Texas and beyond.

Read the whole thing, including the full list of expenditures, here.

-----

While we're on the subject, check out this gem they discussed in the executive session:

U. T. El Paso: Discussion and appropriate action regarding the purchase of approximately 458 acres of land out of the J. Baker Survey #10 and the I. F. Harrison Survey #54, located on Paisano Drive and Interstate Highway 10 in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, commonly known as the former ASARCO smelter site, from ASARCO Texas Custodial Trust, for future programmed campus expansion.

And what, pray tell is the "former ASARCO smelter site"?!?

University of Texas System officials are in negotiations to possibly purchase the former Asarco copper-smelter site in West Central El Paso for expansion of the UTEP campus, Asarco site trustee Roberto Puga said.

The environmental cleanup of the site is nearing completion.

....

The smelter site has restrictions and obligations that the buyer will have to meet, Puga has said. One of the biggest obligations is for the buyer to preserve and monitor a 5-acre landfill where hazardous waste is buried, he has said.

No residences can be built on the 210-acre smelter site. But commercial buildings, classrooms and stadiums could be built there, he has said.

No price for the land has been publicly disclosed.

Separate press report makes another good point:

The Board of Regents is chaired by El Paso businessman and philanthropist Paul Foster.

So they, literally, intend to spend tens of millions of dollars to purchase a toxic waste dump; read the the whole thing here and here.

Economic Protectionism: Food Trucks in San Antonio and El Paso

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

Spider House Cafe -- Last night, in an event sponsored by the Institute for Justice's Texas Office and the Texas Millennial Institute, Arif Panju spoke about economic protectionism and how those laws have been used to restrict the growth of the food truck industry in El Paso and San Antonio:



Highlights:

• Economic liberty is the right to earn an honest living.

• That right pre-exists government.

• A lot of economic protectionist laws have their roots in Jim Crow.

• El Paso: City Council passed anti-Food Truck laws in 2010.
• Had to stay at least 1000 feet from brick and mortar establishments
• Made almost the entire city a no-vending zone.
• Couldn't stop unless a customer flagged you down.
• Maria Robleto, IJ's client in the case, had build a business from scratch selling candies into an "old school, traditional, taco truck."
• "We sued the city of El Paso in Federal Court" and the city caved and repealed the ordinance.

• Economic protectionism has been around for a long time, but "picked up steam" during the New Deal.
• "The only way that the government could grow was to change the way the courts reviewed economic legislation."

• Saying no to the government is not activism, it's judging.

• San Antonio: City Council passed laws saying you have to stay at least 300 feet away from brick and mortar establishments unless they give you a notarized note with permission.
• San Antonio Food Truck association had no interest in challenging unconstitutional laws.
• They were politically connected insiders.
• IJ sued on behalf of their client Rafael Lopez and the city caved and repealed the ordinance this past week.

Whatever happened to Pickett's Federal Reserve Rent-a-Cop bill?!?

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
Galatians 6:9

One of the biggest controversies of the 84th Texas Legislature concerned a bill by (Straus' committee chair) Rep. Joe Pickett (D - El Paso) that would grant state law-enforcement powers to private Federal Reserve security guards.  When they attempted to sneak this bill through the Local and Consent process, Jonathan Stickland knocked it off the calendar.  That exchange was the direct antecedent to Chairman Pickett's actions against Stickland in a committee hearing later that evening.

Unfortunately, the House passed the bill through the regular Calendars committee a week later.

But what happened after that?!?

It's often said in the Texas Legislature that "delay equals death."  The Texas Senate received Pickett's bill from the House on May 14th.  Lt. Governor Patrick sat on the bill for a week.

On May 21st, Patrick referred the bill to the Criminal Justice committee...where it died without a hearing.

They never took it up.

Bottom Line: Joe Pickett's bill to grant law enforcement powers to a subset of private security guards never reached the Governor's desk...thanks Dan Patrick!!!

Breaking Up Texas' Medical Cartels

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight.
Proverbs 11:1

Crony Capitalism takes many forms.  Some of those forms kill people.  In Texas, 'scope of practice' laws protect the medical and higher education lobby at the expense of consumers forced to suffer without medical care.

Today, TPPF held "Let the People In: The Scope of Practice Reform in Texas":

With the implementation of ObamaCare forcing all citizens to sign up for health coverage, Texas faces a physician shortage. As a result, thousands of newly insured patients will have a hard time finding a doctor, while those with coverage will have more difficulty accessing care. What can be done to relieve the mounting stress on our healthcare system?

One possibility for Texas lawmakers is to relax scope of practice rules, as many other states have done, and allow advanced practice registered nurses more freedom to treat patients according to their education and training.

Join us as our panel of experts review current scope of practice limitations and propose reform measures to keep Texans healthy.

Leading off was William Sage of UT-Austin.  He quoted Milton Friedman's argument against medical licensing from 1962.  His point about how medical licencing creates cartels was obvious and well received.

Joe Straus' Obamacare point man, Rep. John Zerwas (R - Richmond), argued in favor of de facto death panels.  Calling consumer choice "redefining the practice of medicine," Zerwas argued cartels are necessary to "protect the public" from themselves.  Zerwas failed to explain how a system that is allowing tens of thousands of people to go without care is properly defined in the first place. When challenged about the positive outcomes these reforms have produced in other states, Zerwas scoffed and listed several unconvincing reasons why Texas is different. Zerwas also belittled a midwife who spoke about her professional experience.

The star of the event was Christy Blanco, a nurse practitioner from El Paso who moved her business to New Mexico to flee Texas debilitating regulations.  Blanco described her harrowing efforts to comply with Texas' byzantine maze of provider restrictions.  Her efforts have left her tens-of-thousands of dollars in debt.  She told the heartbreaking stories of patients left without care when she failed.  Given that there's no evidence additional education improves patient outcomes, Blanco asked: "What benefits do these restrictions provide to Texas?!?"

Medical cartels always restrict supply.  Politically connected providers create barriers to entry to restrict competition.  Scope of practice laws are one form of cartel.  Given that 19 states have lifted these laws and achieved equal or greater patient outcomes, these laws have no defense.  Yet another argument in favor of new leadership in the Texas Legislature.

-----

Update: TPPF has more here.

Freedomworks Packs the House Tonight in Austin!!!

Tonight, in Austin, at least 120 Patriots attended Freedomworks' Come and Take It event.  The event was held to introduce Freedomworks' plan to help counter Battleground Texas.  Fortunately, with no PA system [Freedomworks' Director of Grassroots] Whitney Neal's loud mouth came in handy....:)

Whitney (pictured above) opened her presentation by highlighting how Colorado went Blue.  She described how Colorado Republicans stopped doing their job.  She made the unfortunate point about how raiding the Rainy Day Fund in Texas is similar to the fiscal shenanigans Colorado Republicans pulled in the mid- 2000's.

Next up was an update on Battleground Texas' activities.  Two factoids of note is that they're training people to start at the local level and that they have a paid staffer on every major college campus in the state.  Also, 80% of their donations are in state.

Freedomworks is using Texas as the guinea pig for their national efforts.  They're intend to open offices around the state to grow leaders from the local level.  They're also developing data-analytics software that's supposed to be awesome!

The first major action is a community building weekend October 4 - 6.  It will include training sessions on Friday night and events on Saturday.  Already, there are block-walking events planned in El Paso and the Valley.

Travis county elections trains deputy voter registrars every month on the first Tuesday.  This is a step everyone needs to take.  The next one is the Tuesday after labor day; we'll be there.

The bottom line is that at least 120 people showed up tonight to make Texas a deeper shade of Red; that can only be good news!!!

Judge Tim Sulak and the El Paso Stadium Boondoggle

Cahnman's Musings frequently listens to talk radio via 690 KTSM in El Paso.  Because we listen to this station, we've kept an eye on the ongoing boondoggle of El Paso's new minor league baseball stadium.  It was strong armed through the political process through the usual suspect of local government contractors and special interests.  When citizens objected, they took the city to court and (through some weird foible in state law), it ended up in the Austin courtoom of Judge Tim Sulak.  In that ruling, Judge Sulak did what Judge Sulak does best:

District Judge Tim Sulak on Wednesday sided with the city of El Paso, ruling that the process to demolish city hall and move forward with the ballpark project was legal. 

"It is my judgment, based on the evidence, the authorities and the arguments that the authority to issue and the actions taken to secure or obtain, the public securities are legal and valid," Sulak said at Wednesday's declaratory judgment hearing.

....

Wednesday's ruling also allows the city of El Paso to sell bonds to fund the project.

....

The decision can be appealed, but the Judge set a surety bond of $1 million.That means if they appeal within 30 days, the opposition of the city needs to put that money up.

In other words, Judge Tim Sulak has a pattern of making it prohibitively expensive for concerned citizens to challenge big-government special interests.

OFFICIAL ENDORSEMENT: Bryan Hughes for Texas House Speaker!!!

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; when a wicked man rules, the people groan."  Proverbs 29:2

What would you say if I told you that the man who the Texas Constitution grants near dictatorial power over half of the Texas Legislature views economic growth exactly the same way as Barack Obama?!?

Sadly, he does.

In October 2011, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus told the El Paso Times "you can't cut your way to prosperity."  The previous June, Barack Obama said the exact same thing.  That Joe Straus deliberately echoes Barack Obama's core economic philosophy should tell you everything you need to know about Joe Straus.

But there's more, a whole lot more.

Joe Straus is in the Texas Legislature for two reasons: to spend the people's money and to enrich his family's cronies in the corrupt casino gambling industry.  Due to an unexpected surge in oil and gas revenue, Texas is blessed with a modest amount of extra cash, which Straus wants to blow on pork-barrel projects.  Joe Straus also dogmatically refuses to support the Texas Budget Compact, the most important step the 83rd Legislature can take to defend Texas' economy.  This shouldn't be surprising, considering that in the 82nd legislature, Straus chose to prostitute himself to the usual suspects of corporate welfare johns instead of minimizing the burden on Texas taxpayers.  Joe Straus' Obama-esqe crony socialist 'leadership' is an economic risk Texas cannot afford.

Fortunately, there's a declared alternative.  Bryan Hughes, Straus' opponent in the Speaker's race, supports the Texas Budget Compact.  That's good enough for me.  An across the board fiscal and social conservative, Bryan Hughes has been endorsed by Concerned Women for America, Freedomworks, and Young Conservatives of Texas.  He's also been endorsed by Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, but that endorsement only counts for half because Michael Quinn Sullivan is a dirty Aggie.  Bryan Hughes is committed publicly to the economic reforms Texas needs to survive the coming storm.

Last summer, Texans witnessed a U.S. Senate primary between an establishment insider, and a guy who had taken on the insiders and won.  The Texas House speakers' race is exactly the same.  An assault is about to come out of Washington, and to have any chance of withstanding it, Texas must have our own house in order.  Given the near dictatorial powers the Texas Constitution grants the Speaker of the House, the speaker's race could determine if the 83rd Texas Legislature passes the Texas Budget Compact.  For that reason, Cahnman's Musings unapologetically, unconditionally, and unreservedly endorses BRYAN HUGHES FOR SPEAKER OF THE TEXAS STATE HOUSE!!!

Barack Obama's Anti-Texas Policies

I might be helping launch a new, Texas-specific, endeavor soon. As part of that process, I wanted to document the anti-Texas policies of the Obama administration.  Here they are, in all their horror.

• Under Barack Obama, border violence in Texas is up precipitously.

• In 2011, in El Paso, Barack Obama claimed the U.S. Southern border is "more secure than ever."

• Barack Obama's administration tried to dismantle energy production in West Texas over a freakin' lizard; Obama backed down.

• Barack Obama's administration shut down energy development in the Gulf of Mexico for almost six months; making matters worse, the rigs left.

• Barack Obama's EPA attempted to shut down Texas' air-permitting processes; Texas kicked their ass in court!!!

• Barack Obama's regional EPA administrator claimed a desire to 'crucify' (yeah, that crucify) energy producers.

• Barack Obama's Defense Department classified the Ft. Hood jihadist attack as 'workplace violence.'

• Barack Obama's Defense Department is refusing to de-classify the Ft. Hood shooting report.

• Barack Obama's Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napoletano, gave a Muslim Brotherhood operative a security clearance, which he then used to illegally disseminate classified information he gained from the Texas Department of Public safety.

• Barack Obama tried to shutdown the Texas Women's Health Program after Governor Perry refused to force Texas taxpayers to fund Planned Parenthood.

• Barack Obama's Justice Department, led by Eric Holder, is trying to stop the voter-ID law the Texas Legislature approved in 2011.

• Barack Obama signed into law an unconstitutional Bill of Attainder against Texas.

• Barack Obama failed to deploy sufficient Federal resources to combat Texas Wildfires in 2011 (*)

* Both Rick Perry and I believe the Federal Government shouldn't be a major player fighting wildfires; unfortunately, when you're in the middle of a crisis, you have to work within the current screwed-up system.

Barack Obama is bad for America; he's even worse for Texas.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security hires Fire-Fighters in El Paso

"The Powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states, respectively, or the people."
- Tenth Amendment, United States Constitution

I saw this story today. It made my head explode. It is the perfect example of our federal government's ass-backwards priorities.

I've written about Federalism and Local Control before.  Put simply, the Federal Government has no business making decisions about the local firefighting needs of any city.  The notion that bureaucrats in Washington D.C. can do a better job than local officials would be comical if it weren't so dangerous.

In his book Fed Up, Governor Rick Perry wrote:

As the saying goes, a jack of all trades is a master of none.  The Constitution commits the federal government the solemn responsibility for keeping our nation, and our citizens, safe from threats foreign and domestic.  This is its primary function.  But, because the federal government has inserted itself into so many aspects of our lives and into so many domestic responsibilities entrusted by the Founders to the states, it can no longer focus on the very duties assigned to it under the Constitution. (115)

Amen to that.

Here's a suggestion for the Department of Homeland Security, if they really want to spend money in El Paso, TX: SECURE THE DAMN BORDER!!!