#TXLEGE: How Jay Wiley's Son shaped Jay Wiley's pro-life convictions

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:5

Jay Wiley is running for the Western Travis County house seat currently occupied by Paul Workman; Wiley explains how a vote Workman took last session to preserve a pro-abortion loophole would have impacted his family:



Highlights:

• While his wife Sally was pregnant with their son Anders, they found out Anders had a heart defect.
• Offered the option of abortion.
• Obviously, they declined.

• Instead, they had heart surgery performed on Anders in utero; that was followed by additional surgeries over the years.

• Despite the challenges, today Anders is a thriving 10 year old.

• Thus, Anders is a textbook example of the type of baby who could be legally aborted under the "fetal abnormality" loophole Paul Workman voted to preserve.

• "Shamefully, liberal Republicans teamed up with Democrats to kill this amendment; Paul Workman was one of those Republicans.

• Workman then had the nerve to make a "journal statement" changing his vote.
• Wiley: "This is an example of the type of cowardice I'm running against in the Texas House."

• "Anders life has no less value than yours or mine."

Abbott goes 1 for 2 in first #TXLEGE endorsement round

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
Joshua 1:8

First off, the FANTASTIC news:



This is fantastic. Sarah Davis is a wretched legislator and an even worse human being.  In a world where we're starting to reconsider our longstanding policy of not focusing on personal conduct, Sarah Davis' combination of disgraceful personal conduct and a willingness to play the feminist card whenever someone calls her out politically is a level of hypocrisy that makes her a VERY tempting target.

Furthermore, there's a political angle here that's interesting regardless: Because this is Greg Abbott we're talking about, you know he polled Davis' district for both the primary and the general.  For Abbott to move forward here means that his polling said the narrative that "only a moderate can hold this district in the general" is BS.  Obviously, someone said that two years ago.

So good on Abbott, and good riddance to Sarah Davis.

But from the Trib article on the Davis announcement, this tidbit:

Abbott made his first endorsement in the 2018 House primaries last week, backing state Rep. Paul Workman, an Austin Republican who authored legislation for Abbott's special session agenda. Workman faces a primary challenger from his right, Jay Wiley.

Seriously?!?  Paul Workman?!?

As we wrote about Paul last month:

This isn't new. Paul Workman has now served four sessions. After that time, the Austin City Council remains as out of control as ever.

That Workman worked with the Governor on a couple of bills that went nowhere (because of the leadership Paul Workman voted for) doesn't offset the fact that the city of Austin now feels safer than ever to thumb their noses at the legislature.

Sigh.

Bottom Line:  This is such a typical Abbott thing to do.  On the one hand, getting rid of Sarah Davis is a public service for which the Governor deserves commendation.  But then he has to go and endorse Paul Workman....

#atxcouncil, #TXLEGE: "Sick Leave" mandate makes clear we can no longer afford Paul Workman

"[R]edeeming the time, because the days are evil."
Ephesians 5:16

Since last week's council meeting, we've had a recurring thought: The reason council keeps pushing this nonsense is because they don't fear the legislature.  And, for good reason, council will never fear the legislature as long as Joe Straus remains speaker.  And Paul Workman is a Straus loyalist....

Last session, Paul Workman filed a bill to eliminate the "ban the box" (note: that didn't actually ban the box) mandate council passed in 2016.  The bill stalled in calendars for a month before getting placed on the calendar too late for consideration.  Thus, the city of Austin's "ban the box" ordinance stands.

This isn't new.  Paul Workman has now served four sessions.  After that time, the Austin City Council remains as out of control as ever.

The reason why is obvious: Paul Workman is the least important member of the Travis County delegation, with the possible exception of Dawnna Dukes, to the speaker.  The Travis County Democrats are more important members of the speaker's team than Paul Workman.  And Joe Straus will always choose the Travis county Democrats over holding the city of Austin accountable.

Obviously, Jay Wiley is running again against Workman.  We've yet to decide how we will engage individual legislative races, beyond a general policy of opposing Straus loyalists.  But we will add that the personal threat this sick leave mandate poses makes it unacceptable to have a Republican state rep representing any part of the city of Austin who will continue to vote for a speaker who undermines legislative efforts to hold the city of Austin accountable.

Finally, we will give one piece of advice to Jay Wiley: 40% of HD-47 voters live within the city of Austin.  We would focus on those precincts with a simple message.  As long as Paul Workman remains in the legislature, nothing will change with the city of Austin.

Bottom Line  This cannot continue.

Paxton helps TPPF protect local Austin taxpayers!!!

"By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted,
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked."
Proverbs 11:11

This is great:

Texas Attorney General Intervenes in TPPF & Goldwater Institute Lawsuit to Halt Taxpayer-Funded Union Employees Agreement

AUSTIN – The Texas Attorney General today filed a plea in intervention in Pulliam, et. al. v. City of Austin, et. al., a lawsuit filed by the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) and Goldwater Institute challenging the City’s labor agreement with Austin Firefighters Association, Local 975. The lawsuit, filed last month, seeks  to halt the practice of “release time” also known as “association business leave,” and “union leave,” which assigns city employees to work for the union at taxpayer expense. The agreement violates the Texas Constitution “gift clause” provision that prohibits government from giving taxpayer funds to private entities without a public purpose.             TPPF General Counsel and Director of the Center for the American Future Robert Henneke said, “The City of Austin’s illegal release time agreement with the firefighters’ union hurts all citizens. By choosing to fund private political activities, the City diverts these resources from public safety services for Austin residents. As this practice negatively impacts the public as a whole, Plaintiffs applaud the Attorney General to intervene in order to represent the interests of all Texans.”

Read the whole thing here.

JAY WILEY faces down incumbent in HD-47 Debate!!

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

Jay Wiley and Paul Workman held their first debate on the Trailer Park Show this past Monday:



Highlights:

Workman opening:

• 911 service district
• Named dropped a bunch of obscure local bills
• Convention of States.
• Wants to end sanctuary cities next session.
• Author's Note: Ignores the fact that he's had three sessions to do so.
• Property tax Appraisal reform
• Author's Note: Ignores the fact that House leadership killed appraisal reform last session.

Wiley opening:

• Started reading Goldwater at 13.
• Phil Gramm mentee.
• TPPF
• Workman's amnesty bill

Workman - "Stalwart" on border security

Wiley - Texas can start a guest worker program, which Workman tried to do.

Education:

Workman - As much Parental choice as possible.

Wiley - Choice "as close to a magic bullet as we're going to get.

Black outreach:

Wiley - Economic liberty is for everyone

     - Not "interested in little groups."

     - Inspire people and multiply forces

Workman - RPT has an outreach director.

Top Issues:

Wiley - Property tax relief

• Only Travis County Republican should HAMMER property taxes.
• Hits Workman over the House's sales tax bs from last session.
• Appraisal reform and abolish property taxes over the long run.
• Sales taxes fairer than property taxes.

Workman - Water and Transportation (ie. Lobby issues)

Wiley - Straus isn't interested in property tax relief.

    - Simple Budget Reforms: Constitutional spending limits and zero based budgeting.

Relationships with other members;

Workman - Passing bills is "a lot of work."

Wiley - Grassroots coalition leaning on members.

Pot Legalization:

Wiley - Supports Medical and decriminalization.

Workman - "Absolutely opposed" "an awful idea."

Illegal Immigration:

Wiley - Enforce the law

Workman - Accuses Wiley of "wanting to load them up on busses."

Toll Roads:

Wiley - Opposed

Workman - For

Wiley: "If you're happy with your property tax bill, vote for the incumbent"

Don't Like Toll Roads?!? VOTE JAY WILEY!!!

"Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel."
Proverbs 20:17

Well, THAT'S Interesting:

Fiscal responsibility is the cornerstone of our campaign for Texas House.  That's why anti-toll groups Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF) and Texans for Toll-free Highways (TTH) have announced their endorsement of my candidacy. 

My opponent Paul Workman has been a strong and vocal advocate of toll roads.  

 

TURF is a non-partisan, grassroots, all-volunteer group defending citizens' concerns with toll road policy, public private partnerships, and eminent domain abuse. TURF promotes pro-taxpayer, pro-freedom, & non-toll transportation solutions.

Similarly, Texans for Toll-free Highways is a non-partisan political action committee also working to keep our highways toll-free.

What do PAUL WORKMAN and DONALD TRUMP have in common?!?

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

Apparently, they both give money to Democrats to "get things done" for their businesses:

DID YOU KNOW: Paul Workman has supported Democrats for years. From Politifact: "The Texas Ethics Commission's campaign...
Posted by Jay Wiley on Monday, January 18, 2016

Jay Wiley on Property Taxes

"But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God."
Nehemiah 5:15

Given the lukewarm comments on property tax relief the incumbent made earlier today, it's worth reviewing Jay Wiley's positions on property tax relief:

Eliminating Property Taxes = Economic Growth

Texas has one of the most burdensome property tax systems in the nation. Ever-increasing tax assessments have forced many Texans from their homes, led to costly lawsuits against assessment formulations, and is a complex mess that few people actually understand. Property taxes compel homeowners to effectively lease their own homes from the government.

Our property taxes are based on an imagined, or assessed, value of our home. Instead, a better system would be to tax the actual transaction price of the property when it is sold. This would remove the prospect of taxing homeowners out of their home through radically increasing assessments. This also eliminates the need for the 254 separate appraisal districts in Texas and their thousands of employees.

Texas should lower down our current property tax and eventually replace it with a small, understandable consumption, or sales, tax. Some of the most recognized economists in the country have estimated that such a replacement, dollar for dollar, would increase Texans’ personal income between 1.8% and 4.7% and trigger a net gain of hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

Economic growth is encouraged when the burden of supporting state government is lifted from homeowners and broadened to include everyone in Texas through the goods and services we all buy. Taxes are healthier and more fair when tied to economic activity and consumers’ ability to pay, instead of imaginary assessed value of a fixed asset.

Last legislative session, Paul Workman sided with Democrats and big government Republicans against providing property tax relief for homeowners until the pressure from conservatives became unbearable. We need conservative leadership with bold new ideas and the courage to fight for them.

Bottom Line: To see meaningful property tax relief, you need to elect a critical mass of legislators who are more interested in representing their constituents than appeasing taxpayer-funded lobbyists; in HD-47 that candidate is clearly Jay Wiley.

Addressing Texas' EXPLOSION of Special Taxing Districts....

"But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God."
Nehemiah 5:15

Watchdog outlines a subtle, but important, issue:

When former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs issued a report in 2012 on special purpose districts — largely invisible layers of government with the power to charge property and sales taxes — there were 1,675 of the suckers.

She sounded the alarm, waived the flag and irritated a few people in the process. But the special purpose districts continued to sprout up all over the state, now growing to about 2,000.

Combs is still beating the drum about the issue, even though she’s since left public office.

“There has been no effort to rein any of this in,” she said Friday.

Indeed, these ghost-like governments have continued to proliferate, according to data from the comptroller’s office. According to U.S. Census data, as of 2012, Texas has the third most special districts in the nation, trailing only California and Illinois.

....

Although a legislative committee was set up in 2013 to oversee the districts, Combs said, “They won’t do anything.” The lobby supporting the districts, from law firms that make a lot of money off the districts to mayors to judges to school superintendents, has been too powerful. Combs tried to get a transparency bill passed in 2013, but it was killed twice on the House floor on points of order.

“There’s a lot of interests that have a huge financial stake in the districts,” said John Colyandro, executive director of the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute in Austin. “Particularly those with not just taxing authority, but with bonding authority and that’s quite a lucrative area to be in.”

If you're a conservative, eliminating most (if not all) of these districts is a no-brainer; it's a testament to the entrenched power of taxpayer funded lobbyists that the number of these entities is exploding when it should be collapsing.

Here in Travis County, we're actually somewhat lucky.  While there are some small MUD's and water districts in outlying areas, for most of the County Central Health (our hospital district) is the only special district to which we're subjected.  Of course, their record is bad enough.

Enter Jay Wiley.

Last September, following their most recent abomination, Jay Wiley endorsed ABOLISHING Central Health.  To our knowledge, Jay Wiley is the first candidate to explicitly campaign on eliminating a specific local entity.  That stands in contrast with an incumbent who filed a bill last session to create a NEW special purpose district in Western Travis County.

Bottom Line: To curtail these unaccountable sources of taxation, legislators need to eliminate them within their districts. Unfortunately, the taxpayer funded lobbyist industrial complex loves these entities.  Kudos to Jay Wiley for endorsing the elimination of Travis' County's "Central Health" hospital district....

Workman FLIP-FLOPS; will now DEBATE Wiley

"So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."
Revelation 3:16

[Author's Note: Readers can familiarize themselves with the relevant recent history here.]

Well, we suppose that's progress:

As the only Republican State Representative elected from Travis County, I am used to taking on the liberal Democrat machine. And just as I am proud to stand up to liberal Austin (*), I am proud to stand up and defend my conservative record. That’s why I have agreed to participate in at least two debates. The details will be finalized after the filing period closes and all candidates for this race have been announced.

According to the Latino Limbaugh, at least one of those debates will take place on an upcoming Trailer Park Show:

Gabriel Nila

21 hrs

James Ritter and I are proud to announce that we are in the process of having a Workman-Wiley debate on The Trailer Park Show! The Workman campaign has agreed in principle to have the debate moderated my Michael Lee, James, and myself. We will work out the final details with both Workman and Wiley on this.

LikeCommentShare

Bottom Line: Good for Workman for changing his mind (we suppose), but the fact that we had to pull teeth to get him to appear in the first place epitomizes Paul Workman's lukewarm representation over the past half-decade....

-----

* -- While we're on the subject of standing "up to liberal Austin," we'll simply point out that Jay Wiley was a vocal opponent of the recent Courthouse Bond while Paul Workman was conspicuously silent.

Workman DUCKING Wiley

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Matthew 7:20

[Author's Note: The audio track isn't very good, you might need to crank up your speakers or use headphones to hear it properly.]

OUCH:

Paul Workman Refuses to Debate
Paul Workman refuses to debate.
Posted by Jay Wiley on Thursday, December 3, 2015

Highlights:

• President of the Republican Club of Austin wanted to schedule a debate between the two candidates.

• Workman refused to even discuss the issue and walked away.

• "I think it's a shame that we have a state representative unwilling to discuss the issues in a debate format."

Our First Round of 2016 Candidate Endorsements

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

It's that time in the political cycle.  With the Texas Republican primary only three and a half months out, we must separate wheat from chaff.  Therefore, Cahnman's Musings endorses the following candidates:

PRESIDENT

Ted Cruz (Previously Donated):

Among the candidates running, Ted Cruz defines the problems facing the United States best; because Ted properly defines the problem, he's able to properly discuss solutions.

Early in this campaign, Ted coined the phrase "Washington Cartel" to describe the entrenched culture he is running to break up and replace.  It's a devastatingly accurate phrase.  On issue after issue, corrupt career politicians in both parties have colluded with lobbyists and the media to pass the lobby agenda while stiffing voters.  Nothing is going to change in D.C. until you blow up the corrupt insider culture.  America's problems pre-date the current President and will, unless radical change occurs, continue long after he leaves.  Ted Cruz would be that radical change.  While other candidates have taken on bad ideas in the other party, no one in this race has taken on his own party like Ted Cruz.

It's uncanny how closely, after 4 years of observation, Ted's views on DIFFICULT public policy issues continue to mirror our own.  On issues like the border and national security, Ted strikes a middle ground between hawks and libertarians that draws on the best ideas of both but avoids their respective excesses.  Ted Cruz is the only candidate with a plausible path to the White House who understands our DESPERATE need to reign in the Federal Reserve.  Ted Cruz made the grotesque Export-Import "bank" a household name.  When it comes to judicial nominations (and saving babies), Ted Cruz has stated that he's NOT afraid of a confirmation fight.


UNITED STATES HOUSE

Matt McCall, CD-21:

In the Congressional district where we reside, Matt McCall is running for the second time against a 30 year incumbent who has failed to deliver.

We've been disgusted with our 30 year incumbent congressman since he voted for the TARP bailout in 2008.  Three years later, this 30 year incumbent attempted to pass a hideous invasion of internet privacy called SOPA.  Over 30 years, the incumbent has run up a record we described in 2012 as: "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad."

Despite having lived in his district for most of the past seven years, we'd never met the incumbent Congressman until earlier this year.  Strangely enough, Matt McCall's underfunded 2014 campaign managed to capture 34% of the vote.  Since then, the incumbent has voted modestly better, but a couple months of better votes cannot repair years of violated trust.  Matt McCall would be a fresh start.  Between a 30 year incumbent and a fresh start, the choice is obvious.

TEXAS SENATE

David Simpson, SD-1:

The best symbol for this race is the back microphone in the chamber of the Texas House of Representatives.

There is more than one good candidate in this race.  Between those good candidates, David Simpson is the one who was most frequently a public thorn in the side of House leadership.  There's a reason why Jonathan Stickland and Konni Burton support David Simpson.

On the policy front, David Simpson is the only candidate in this race to vote against Governor Abbott's godless act of socialism "pre-K" scheme.  The clearest way to send a message to Governor Abbott over "pre-K" would be to send David Simpson to the Texas Senate.  Finally, it's not a secret this website supports marijuana legalization.

TEXAS HOUSE (Running for Re-Election)

Jonathan Stickland, HD-92 (Previously Donated):


You know someone terrifies leadership when they resort to intimidation and lawlessness to stop him; Team Straus has done this to Jonathan Stickland more times than we can count.

Jonathan Stickland has a habit his colleagues despise: he reads bills.  Because Jonathan Stickland reads bills, Jonathan Stickland comes prepared to ask his colleagues difficult questions on the Texas House floor.  They HATE that.  Last session, at personal peril and legal expense, Jonathan Stickland (with an assist from Dan Patrick) killed a bill that would have granted law enforcement authority to rent-a-cops from the Federal Reserve.  For that alone, Jonathan Stickland deserves re-election.

Jonathan Stickland is the conscience of the Texas House of Representatives.  Jonathan Stickland keeps the Texas House of Representatives honest.  Jonathan Stickland has carried legislation to promote conservative priorities like Constitutional Carry and repealing tuition subsidies for illegal aliens.  Jonathan Stickland is a conservative champion.  Let's send Jonathan Stickland back for another two years!!!

Matt Rinaldi, HD-115:

This one was the most difficult decision.  That's not because of anything Matt Rinaldi did; Matt Rinaldi's awesome.  We just have such a low opinion of Matt Rinaldi's opponent that we're not sure he needs our help.

Before he was sworn in, Matt Rinaldi set the tone for the session when he publicly disemboweled the Joe Biden of Texas Republicans in a debate over the speaker's race.  During the session, Matt Rinaldi used social skills to play good cop to Stickland's bad cop.  By the end of the session, Matt Rinaldi had edged out Stickland as the most conservative representative.

One note about Matt Rinaldi's opponent: A former state representative, Matt Rinaldi's opponent is the latest entitled, narcissistic, progeny of a Texas political dynasty to attempt to buy public office.  Think of the Bush family minus the ethics and manners.  While there are plenty of positive reasons to vote for Matt Rinaldi, striking a blow against political dynasties is another good one.

Tony Tinderholt, HD-94:

The #3 conservative last session, Tony Tinderholt is the latest sensation to emerge from Tarrant County.

Early in the session, Tony Tinderholt filed a complaint against a lawless Travis County judge who attempted to use a probate case to re-write Texas' marriage laws.  In so doing, Tony Tinderholt gave Jon Stewart a fit.  If Tony Tinderholt can give Jon Stewart a fit, he's alright in our book.

Tony Tinderholt took out a Straus lieutenant in 2014.  Now, Team Straus is looking for revenge. Re-electing Tony Tinderholt would preserve a seat that had been in RINO hands until very recently.

TEXAS HOUSE (Challenger Candidates)

Jeff Judson, HD-121:

Jeff Judson is the strongest challenger Joe Straus has ever seen; that alone is sufficient reason to support Jeff Judson.

Jeff Judson is the former President of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.  Jeff Judson has run successfully for local office in the district.  Jeff Judson has defeated left-wing transportation proposals locally and is well versed in transportation policy.

Jeff Judson is also an outspoken school choice supporter.  Education is the most liberal policy realm in the Texas House, and Joe Straus has pledged to maintain the status quo if he returns.  Joe Straus is an obstacle to structural governmental reforms, and Jeff Judson is the strongest candidate to remove that obstacle.

Thomas McNutt, HD-8:

Thomas McNutt is running against Byron Cook; that alone is reason to support Thomas McNutt.

Thomas McNutt is a fourth-generation steward of one of the most successful family-owned businesses in Texas' History.  Thomas McNutt supports economic liberty and, unlike the incumbent, opposes illegal immigration.  Thomas McNutt will NOT kill 8 pro-life bills in committee out of spite.

Thomas McNutt has been endorsed by Empower Texans, Texas Right to Life, and Texas Values.  Corsicana is a conservative stronghold and its residents deserve better than a lawless state rep who supports corrupt, liberal, "leadership."  Thomas McNutt is the conservative consensus choice to replace a prominent member of the corrupt cartel that runs the Texas House.

Bo French, HD-99:

Bo French is running against Charlie Geren; that alone is reason to support Bo French.

Just this morning, Bo French was endorsed by Empower Texans.  As they write: “Bo French is a bold champion for values and principles that Texans hold dear,” said TFR’s president, Michael Quinn Sullivan. “Bo French’s smart, no-nonsense approach to good public policy is precisely what taxpayers are demanding. Just as importantly, French will fight the cronyism and corruption that has infested so many levels of government.”

Tarrant County is the leading edge of Texas' grassroots renaissance.  Up to this point, HD-99 has resisted these countywide, statewide, and national trends.  On March 1st, voters in Northwestern Tarrant County will have the opportunity to send Bo French to Austin to represent their conservative values.

Jay Wiley, HD-47:

We've known Jay Wiley since he ran for Austin City Council in 2014.  After he (barely) came up short in that race, we had hoped Jay Wiley would run for HD-47.  Thankfully, he did.

Jay Wiley is the choice for Travis County taxpayers based on local issues alone.  Unlike the silent incumbent, Jay Wiley was a vocal opponent of the recent courthouse bond.  The husband of an ob-gyn, Jay Wiley has committed himself to reducing your property taxes by eliminating the odious entity known as Central Health.

While it's in Travis County, HD-47 is one of the safest Republican districts in Texas.  There's NO reason for Travis County conservatives to pull punches.  Whether your motivating issue is property taxes, defending babies, property taxes, illegal immigration, property taxes, anything else, or property taxes, Jay Wiley is the clear conservative choice in HD-47.

CLARIFICATION: Wiley, Workman, and Houston

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,"
Acts 3:19

We need to offer a partial correction to something we reported Saturday.  Paul Workman endorsed repealing the Houston Bathroom ordinance in the middle of the day on Tuesday, NOT Wednesday morning as we originally reported.  Cahnman's Musings apologizes for the sloppy reporting.

Around 9AM, the Campaign for Houston posted a list (subsequently deleted) of elected officials and candidates who supported repeal of the bathroom ordinance.  Paul Workman's name wasn't there.  This is the list Jay Wiley posted to his Facebook page at 9:14AM:

Proud to be listed as one of the candidates opposing Houston's Prop 1, the Bathroom Ordinance that would allow men into women's restrooms.
Posted by Jay Wiley on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Likewise, HD-128 candidate Briscoe Cain posted the same list to his Facebook page:

Proud to be listed on this statewide slate of Republicans supporting Texas Values.
Posted by Briscoe Cain on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

At 12:12 PM, Campaign for Houston posted an updated list to their Facebook page that included Paul Workman (this was the list that Workman eventually published to his FB page):

Meet the local elected officials who are taking a stand against Proposition 1, The Bathroom Ordinance!Make sure you...
Posted by Campaign For Houston on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Most likely, this means Workman had his name added to the list between 9AM and Noon on election day; the irony of the move occurring at literally the eleventh hour does not escape us.

Bottom Line: On Saturday, we incorrectly reported the timing of Paul Workman's actions regarding the Houston bathroom ordinance.  For that, we apologize.  Nonetheless, jumping on a bandwagon at the last minute isn't impressive....

Workman's AFTER THE FACT flip-flop on Houston Bathroom Ordinance

"You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons"
1 Corinthians 10:21

[UPDATE: As it turns out, Workman actually endorsed the repeal vote on Tuesday afternoon, not Wednesday morning.  For that we apologize, though we hasten to add that it doesn't change the fact that Workman only hopped on the repeal bandwagon at the last minute.  We've written a more complete explanation here.]

On Tuesday evening, the Houston Bathroom ordinance lost in a landslide; on Wednesday afternoon, Paul Workman posted the following to his Facebook page:

Conservatives scored a major victory last night with the resounding defeat of Houston's Proposition 1 at the ballot box....
Posted by Paul Workman on Wednesday, November 4, 2015

You'll notice that Workman's post appeared NOT ONLY after the votes had been counted, but in the middle of the afternoon?!?  We wonder why.  That MORNING, Jay Wiley (who put his name on the line before the election) had pointed out:

Stood with conservatives from all over Texas, including a majority of House Republicans, to defeat the Houston transgender bathroom ordinance yesterday. Where was Paul Workman??
Posted by Jay Wiley on Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Do we need to say anything else?!?

Wiley endorses ABOLISHING Central Health!!!

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

The Central Health Hospital district, previously seen promoting subsidized abortion and raising Austinites' taxes to subsidize the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas, is back with more shenanigans:

For the first time since its creation in 2004, the taxing authority that oversees health care for needy Travis County residents is trying to fundamentally change who would be eligible for free or low-cost services.

In redesigning the health care system for uninsured and underinsured county residents, Central Health officials are discussing how to categorize patients based on medical need, while potentially raising the income threshold for services. The Central Health board this spring discussed boosting the threshold from its current maximum of $48,500 for a family of four to nearly $91,000.

That idea went over with a thud, but it’s not entirely off the table. Central Health staff is exploring options and the impact on taxpayers.

A fleshed-out proposal is expected in November, but the discussion is underway now because of an unusual partnership between the public Central Health and the private Seton Healthcare Family. The two created the nonprofit Community Care Collaborative in 2013 to produce a better coordinated, more integrated care delivery system for the safety net population they serve. And now they are trying to put that system in place as their answer to fixing a fragmented, inefficient network of care.

It comes at a time of uncertainty about how much federal aid will be available for indigent health care after Sept. 30, 2016. That’s the expiration date of a Medicaid program that is expected to generate nearly $260 million in the new fiscal year for Travis County safety net providers — unless the federal government renews it.

....

Seton is investing in the collaborative and building a $295 million teaching hospital that it will own where indigent patients will receive care. A legal agreement between Central Health and Seton allows Seton to retain $20 million a year for five years, a total of $100 million, to cover the costs of transitioning to the integrated delivery system, including hiring staff, setting up a call center, creating electronic records and other work, said Seton executive Greg Hartman, vice chairman of the collaborative.

Some observers have questioned whether Central Health is going too far to appease Seton, which has the right, under the legal agreement, to mutually decide with Central Health who should be eligible for taxpayer-subsidized health care services.

Empower Texans picked up the Statesman article, which we posted to the "Travis County Republicans" Facebook group along with a question for Jay Wiley:

Adam Cahnman via Empower Texans

19 hrs

Jay Wiley: Will you carry a bill to abolish Central Health next session?!?

Travis County Agency, Private Hospital Propose Subsidized Health Care For Upper Middle Class | Empower Texans℠

WWW.EMPOWERTEXANS.COM

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• Walt Manly, James Ritter and David Rogers like this.

Wiley's response:

• 

  Jay Wiley You bet -- it's an even bigger nightmare than we all understand. Let's just say I get an earful all the time from the medical rank and file that have to deal with the mess they've created.

  Like · Reply · 2 · 19 hrs
• 

  Adam Cahnman Oh wait, that's right, your wife is a doctor!

  Like · Reply · 3 · 19 hrs
• 

  Jay Wiley like I said, night. mare.

  Like · Reply · 1 · 19 hrs

Bottom Line: Central Health's latest boondoggle is business as usual for an organization that has previously subsidized the murder of children and the second wealthiest University in the country; kudos to Jay Wiley for his willingness to shut the whole mess down.