Good Follow-up questions about Phil Wilson

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

Obviously, last week we wrote about the multifaceted disaster of Phil Wilson/the Texas Department of Health and Human services/the Lower Colorado River Authority.  We weren't aware of this when we wrote the original post, but apparently Mr. Wilson is a longstanding member of the good ol' boy crowd in Smith County.  Given the Smith County connection, JoAnn Fleming has some follow-up questions:

Mr. Cahn's blog got us thinking about the timing of Mr. Wilson's hire and Abbott's contact tracing contract. Here's our list of unanswered questions:

1. Why is a quasi-state agency “river authority” paying over $636,000 per year for a General Manager?

2. Why is Gov. Abbott entrusting the state agency charged with leading the COVID-19 response to a part-time commissioner?

3. Why did HHSC Executive Commissioner Phil Wilson sign the $295 million contract with MTX Group for contact tracing – approving it in two days – apparently without running due diligence backgrounds on MTX and the CEO?

(Note: As we’ve reported, grassroots leaders have uncovered plenty of questionable information about the contract, MTX Group and its CEO that Mr. Wilson apparently overlooked.)

4. How long can anyone hold two high level demanding jobs before mistakes become deadly – especially since HHSC regulates nursing homes, operates nearly two dozen state hospitals and state supported living facilities, and is one of the largest state bureaucracies with 36,600 employees?

5. Why is this double posting considered constitutional, legal, or even ethical and how long will the Abbott-ignored legislature allow this kind of elite nest-feathering to go on without question?

Well said...although we will politely (but very, very, firmly) suggest the answer to question #5 can be found here.

Bottom Line:  The world of legal political corruption in the state of Texas can be...quite sordid.

Medical Cartel Trying to Pull Fast One Though State Agency

"They are all adulterers.
Like an oven heated by a baker—
He ceases stirring the fire after kneading the dough,
Until it is leavened."
Hosea 7:4

Via. JoAnn Fleming:

The Good News: After Texans spoke out last month, the Texas Medical Board (TMB) scrapped plans to impose a minimum 10-business-day wait on patients seeking non-emergency care from an independent (out-of-network) physician at any hospital or surgery center in the state of Texas.

The Bad News: The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) stepped in and imposed a similar rule (applicable to independent physicians at in-network facilities), but without an opportunity for public input. This went into effect on January 1, 2020.

Because the Texas Dept. of Insurance adopted the rule on an emergency basis, there is now a 30-day comment period underway before the rule is adopted as a permanent regulation.

Additional Background: Last year the Texas legislature passed legislation (SB 1264) purporting to address an issue largely caused by insurance companies. The issue has been mislabeled as a problem of “surprise” medical bills. The real “surprise” is that insurance companies deny payment for needed care and add obstacles that prevent and delay patients from obtaining care from the physicians of their choice. Because of your advocacy, and the efforts of Senator Kelly Hancock, the version of SB 1264 that passed contained a good provision preserving the rights of patients and independent physicians to work together without interference from insurance company bureaucrats.

So, what’s the problem?

The TDI is now improperly inserting itself in between patients and independent doctors by implementing a 10 business-day waiting period for non-emergency care for services performed at hospitals and surgery centers. The regulation applies when the facility is in-network according to the patient’s insurance plan, but the physician chosen by the patient is independent (out of network). Currently, there are few facilities that are not run by collaborations between hospital corporations and insurance companies. This rule makes it extremely difficult for a specialist to work at a hospital without being bound to the dictates of an insurance company.

For example: if a patient who is enrolled in a health plan regulated by TDI wishes to contract directly with a surgeon who isn't in the insurer's narrow network, but utilize insurance coverage for hospital or surgery center fees, the patient would have to sign the TDI-approved waiver form, at least 10-business days before the procedure. During this forced waiting period, the patient may suffer in pain or experience worsening disease! That patient’s only other option for care is to agree to be treated by a doctor with whom the insurance company has contracted and who is under the control of the corporate medical system.

Keep in mind that a 10-business-day wait means in most cases at least a 14-day wait and as many as 17 days in situations where holidays add to the delay.

Unelected bureaucrats are attempting to force patients to wait for care from physicians of their choice! Rules like this, if left in place, are yet another step along the path to full corporate and government control of your medical care choices.

Call to Action!

Please take a moment now to speak out against this proposal before the comment period ends. The department will consider any written comments on the proposal that are received no later than 5:00 PM on February 10, 2020.

Your comments can be submitted by email to ChiefClerk@tdi.texas.gov or by mail to the Office of the Chief Clerk, MC 112-2A, Texas Department of Insurance, P.O. Box 149104, Austin, Texas 78714-9104.

The Commissioner will also consider written and oral comments on the proposal in a public hearing under Docket No. 2819 at 1:00 PM on February 4, 2020, in Room 100 of the William P. Hobby Jr. State Office Building, 333 Guadalupe Street, Austin, Texas.

The department requests that parties who plan to speak at the hearing send their written comments (or a summary of their testimony) to ChiefClerk@tdi.texas.gov to facilitate a meaningful discussion.

Attending the hearing? Email Dr. Sheila Page ssheilapage7@gmail.com.

We'd have to re-arrange our schedule to do it, but we're going to try to attend on Tuesday.

Regardless of whether or not you can make it, however, DO e-mail the Department of Insurance.  Obscure government agencies tend to back down when they realize the public is paying attention.  No promises, but the odds are decent.

Bottom Line: Figures they'd try to do something like this while everyone's distracted by the primary.

Abbott engages in "pro-taxpayer" publicity stunt (while TxDOT loses ANOTHER $5 Billion)

"A fool’s lips come with strife, and his mouth calleth for stripes."
Proverbs 18:6

LOL:

Gov. Greg Abbott is demanding that former U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold "cover all costs" of the special election to fill his seat using the $84,000 the Corpus Christi Republican used to settle a sexual harassment claim years ago.

Farenthold, who abruptly resigned earlier this month, had promised to pay back the $84,000 — which came out of a taxpayer-funded account — after that settlement was made public last year but hasn't so far.

In a letter to Farenthold on Wednesday, Abbott said the former congressman should return the money to taxpayers by funding the June 30 special election to finish his term.

"While you have publicly offered to reimburse the $84,000 in taxpayer funds you wrongly used to settle a sexual harassment claim, there is no legal recourse requiring you to give that money back to Congress," Abbott wrote. "I am urging you to give those funds back to the counties in your district to cover the costs of the June 30, 2018, special election."

 At first glance, it seems like a decent enough gesture.  Farenthold is certainly a jerk [Note: Though it's probably worth pointing out that, while WE called for Farenthold to go at the time, Abbott never did].  Furthermore, Farenthold is also departing in the most obnoxious way possible.

But come on...$84k?!?

That's not even a rounding error in government; that's not even a fraction of a rounding error.

Meanwhile, you'll never guess what landed in our inbox an hour ago:

Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF), Texans for Toll-free Highways PAC, and Grassroots America - We the People PAC contend the much-lamented funding shortfall is largely due to the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) bloat and mismanagement of funds. While metropolitan areas scramble to re-allocate funds to advance projects without tolls, as Governor Greg Abbott and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick directed last November, the anti-toll groups argue TxDOT intentionally squandered the nearly $5 billion a year in new funding on low priority projects so they could force toll roads on urban commuters.

The grassroots groups say this is a systemic problem identified in the 2016 Sunset Commission Staff Report which states, “As currently structured, TxDOT’s project development process is not meeting expectations and is not prepared to effectively handle the influx of new transportation funding projected to double over the next decade. TxDOT has not met key on-time or on-budget measures for several years, indicating underlying problems with the department’s management of its project portfolio through complex steps including environmental review, design, and right-of-way acquisition.”

....

Hall and Fleming point out that the passage of House Bill 20 in 2015 should have addressed TxDOT’s perpetual failure to allocate funding to the state’s 100 Most Congested Roads by forcing the agency to implement project scoring and performance measurements that ensure objective data, not politics, guide the agency’s project selection process.

“The Transportation Commission’s current process for determining how much money to allocate to different statewide transportation goals tends to favor horse trading among various interests more than consideration of performance information…Existing project prioritization process validates status quo instead of advancing projects based on need or impact. TxDOT’s current approach to prioritizing projects does not actually serve as a tool to evaluate which projects are strategically best, but rather works backwards to validate projects that are already in development,” noted the Sunset Staff Report.

[Note: Emphasis in original.]

Bottom Line: Why fix transportation funding (aka. doing the job to which you were actually elected), when you can grandstand over the minuscule cost of a special election?!?

#TXLEGE: Fleming makes important #SpecialSession observation...

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise."
Proverbs 12:15

We've already said our piece about how potentially game changing the upcoming special session could be, but JoAnn Fleming adds additional perspective:

If you listen to Gov. Abbott’s words (not what the media says he said), the Governor set the floor – not the ceiling – on many of these issues. When he actually issues the official proclamation for the special session, we will then know the exact wording – how narrowly or broadly – he defines the scope of each topic. Don’t forget the Governor can add issues to the special session during the special session. He can also call subsequent special sessions.

Read the whole thing here.

#TXLEGE: Curtailing the last minute budget nonsense....

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Matthew 6:21

This morning, we received a grassroots alert about the state budget:

The State Budget Conference Committee is still meeting to resolve the budget differences before the budget goes back to both the House and the Senate to be voted on. Agreement has not yet been reached.

Gov. Abbott has insisted the Conferees add back to the budget these items, which are opposed by a majority of the conservative grassroots groups:

$236 million for Abbott’s "high quality" prekindergarten initiative, taken out of schools' basic funding
$16 million for Abbott’s university scholar recruitment program
$86 million for Abbott’s Texas Enterprise Fund & $22 million for Film & Music Industry incentives (Corporate Welfare)
Total: $360 million!

Our pro-life wins in the House are also in jeopardy of being removed!

Please weigh in right now by telling the Budget Conferees you want the following:
1) Eliminate state funding for abortion providers & affiliates (i.e. Planned Parenthood)
2) Fund alternatives to abortion at the full $38.3 million for two years
3) No raid on the Rainy Day Fund or Transportation funds!
4) Fully defund the Enterprise Fund (Corporate Welfare)
5) Fully defund Film & Music subsidies (Corporate Welfare)
6) Ensure 24 full payments to the Permanent School Fund – no budget gimmick here!
7) Don’t rob basic school funding for new Pre-K programs.

Even if you don’t agree with all of these points, pick those you do and contact the Budget Conference Committee members ASAP! If you wait, it may be too late & then we’ll be faced with trying to defeat the budget – which is MORE difficult!

This is correct: The budget isn't a done deal...yet.

But we do have to say, that we're even "having this conversation" in the final few days of session is incredibly irritating.

One caveat: This is not another 2013.  For as much as we disagree with the allocation and gimmickry in this budget, it's not a 26% spending increase.  We still expect the top line number to come in below the Conservative Texas Budget target announced last summer.

[Note: Woe unto the legislature if they fail to come under that target.]

Bottom Line: It just is what it is, but what it is is incredibly irritating....

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Senator Jane Nelson: (512) 463-0112

Representative John Zerwas: (512) 463-0567

#TXLEGE: Another issue where Abbott's actions don't match his words....

"For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ "
Jeremiah 42:20

We haven't had the bandwidth to cover election integrity issues this session, but we signed this letter and ABSOLUTELY concur:

#TXLEGE 85 (R) -- Election Integrity Letter by Cahnman on Scribd

#TXLEGE: Patrick/Senate risk flushing their credibility with "Buffett Bill"....

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

Whoa, whoa...wait a second...sssay whaaaaaat?!?

A couple of years ago, famed billionaire Warren Buffett got into the auto dealer business without realizing a protectionist state law could stop him from selling cars in Texas.

On Monday, Buffett met with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and — according to multiple Capitol sources and an unchallenged news story — Gov. Greg Abbott.

On Tuesday, the Texas Senate used emergency powers to introduce what was quickly dubbed the “Buffett Bill,” Senate Bill 2279, granting the Oracle of Omaha a special exemption. On Wednesday the author set the bill for a public hearing in a Senate committee. And on Thursday it shot out of the panel like a lightning bolt toward the Senate floor.

In Capitol parlance, what Buffett is getting is known as a “carve-out,” a special deal for one company. In the case of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, it was an exemption from the supposedly hallowed rule that vehicle manufacturers can’t be vehicle dealers. Berkshire Hathaway also owns an RV manufacturer, Forest River Inc., in Indiana.

If the Legislature fixes Buffett’s problem, it won’t be the first time lawmakers have come to the aid of powerful interests. What makes the Buffett carve-out extraordinary is the speed with which it passed through the often clunky legislative process, the powerful auto dealer alliance supporting it and the stark contrast with other attempts — including by electric car maker Tesla Motors — to open up the state’s heavily-regulated auto market.

The special treatment for Buffett’s bill also lays bare the tensions between the statewide political establishment — led by Abbott and Patrick — and the drain-the-swamp grassroots that have helped put them in their current jobs.

“I do have a problem with a gazillionaire blowing into Texas and meeting with our officials and suddenly a bill gets fast-tracked,” said East Texas Tea Party activist JoAnn Fleming, one of the early and most enthusiastic backers of establishment-busting U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. “Republicans all run on being free market people except where there’s an asterisk, and then there’s a bunch of exceptions.’’

Economic protectionism is a touchy subject in the offices of the governor and lieutenant governor, neither of which answered questions about the Buffet Bill or the auto dealers’ firm grip on the Texas Legislature. Patrick’s office did confirm he met with Buffett.

....

A bill being pushed by Tesla Motors — arch enemy of an auto dealer network that has pumped millions into the campaign coffers of Abbott and others — is heading into oblivion faster than the company’s sleek Model X.

The Tesla bill hasn’t even gotten a public hearing, and nobody in the know at the Capitol is predicting the bill will go anywhere even if it does. That leaves Texas increasingly isolated from other big economies that have embraced the direct-to-consumer sales model Tesla has pioneered around the world — including in approximately 30 U.S. states.

....

But Tesla represents a direct threat to auto dealers because the bill would allow any manufacturer — not just the electric carmaker — to bypass car dealers altogether and sell directly to consumers. And a threat to auto dealers is a threat to the establishment.

In recent years, auto dealer interests, led in large part by one of Abbott’s largest donors — Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin of Gulf States Toyota — have poured money into the campaigns of the state’s top elected officials as part of a well-financed fight against Tesla, according to a 2015 study by Texans for Public Justice, a liberal watchdog group that tracks money and influence. Auto dealer interests have given nearly $11 million to state politicians between 2013 and 2016, with Abbott and Patrick, respectively, at the top of the heap, according to preliminary TPJ figures.

As it turns out, Friedkin, whom Abbott appointed to the board of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, has his own carve-out of sorts. His company is the exclusive distributor of Toyotas in Texas and four other states — while also having ownership interests in dealerships.

Friedkin's business empire might have run afoul of state laws designed to stop both manufacturers and distributors from becoming dealers themselves. But Carroll Smith, chairman of the Texas Auto Dealers Association, said Friedkin was cut out of the law because he had pre-existing dealerships when the bills were passed more than a decade ago. It's known as the "Friedkin exemption."

So...a liberal billionaire who helped raise money for Obama and Hillary Clinton visits the Capitol and a "narrowly tailored" bill starts moving while the bill that repeals the entire law in question languishes in committee?!?

Got it.

In fairness to those pushing the bill, an argument can be made that RV's and consumer automobiles are fundamentally different businesses and that a law intended to cover the latter shouldn't apply to the former.  Then there's the issue of what's politically feasible.  It isn't a crazy argument, but it is incredibly weak.

It's also the type of argument we normally hear from the House...but this time we're hearing it from the Senate.

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For the most part, this session, the Senate has been moving the ball in the right direction.  While we certainly don't agree with every action they've taken, it's hard to deny that they're considering and passing bills that deliver tangible progress on a wide range of priorities.  From property taxes, to taxpayer funded lobbying, to corporate welfare on the local level, to dismemberment abortion, to university tuition, to sharing economy issues, to any number of other issues, if the bills working their way through the Senate cross the finish line they will represent tangible (if imperfect and incomplete) progress.

And, similarly, the contrast with the House speaks for itself.

For now.

But if they press forward with a carve out bill for a liberal Obama donor while killing a much stronger free market bill that addresses the same issue, it doesn't take a genius to see how it would be used against them.  The (basically accurate) Senate good/House bad narrative becomes muddied and more difficult to explain.  This becomes even truer if Straus ultimately kills this measure.

[Note: If we were Joe Straus, and we got this bill from the Senate, we would kill it just to mess with Patrick.]

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We spent several hours this morning working Senate sources and, to the best of our knowledge, nobody seems to have any clue what's going on besides Dan Patrick and Kelly Hancock.  That's both a bad thing and a good thing.  It's bad because it's incredibly shady but it's good because it suggests that, in the club-like atmosphere of the Senate, there doesn't seem to be consensus among the members to move forward...yet.

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One silver lining: If this bill does move forward, it's vulnerable to a floor amendment that could substitute the Tesla bill for the "Buffett bill."  All it would take would be to have a Senator force the vote during floor debate.  But we've also learned from experience that courage from an individual Texas senator is...fleeting.

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Bottom Line: This is...difficult to understand.

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Office of the Lieutenant Governor: (512) 463-0001
Senator Kelly Hancock: (512) 463-0599

#TXLEGE: Grassroots update various limited government issues....

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28

[Note: The embedded video begins a few minutes after the press conference began.  We apologize, but that feed is the easiest one to format for this website.  You can catch the beginning of the press conference through this link.]

Various grassroots groups around Texas held a press conference this morning at the Capitol to update a number of issues:



Highlights:

JoAnn Fleming (Grassroots America, We the People):

• State revenues, according to the comptroller, are UP $8.7 billion this session.
• No Rainy Day Fund raid
• Maintain Full defunding of the Enterprise fund and film subsidies.
• Fund all 24 months of education in the current budget; failure to do so is simply an excuse for yet another supplemental next session.
• A watered down sanctuary cities bill won't cut it.
• Note: As we have said before, even the bill passed by the Senate doesn't do much.

Aaron Harris (Direct Action Texas):

• Nothing hotter on the local level than property taxes.
• Texas has a local government debt crisis.
• Texas has the Second highest property tax burden of states without an income tax (and New Hampshire doesn't have a sales tax).
• Taxpayer funded lobbyists oppose property tax reform.
• Local governments don't want to tell the truth about their spending.
• SB 2 is a step in the right direction.
• "Elected officials are not local control, voters are."

Dana Hodges (Concerned Women for America):

• Plugs Church Security act.
• Plugs privacy act.

C.J. Grisham (Open Carry Texas):

• Constitutional carry #1 RPT priority.
• The #1 argument against constitutional carry is money.
• HB 1911 moving forward.
• Only problem is that it doesn't apply to college campuses.
• 9 states have passed constitutional carry since the legislature last met.
• HB 2022 - Gets TABC out of the gun business.
• HB 1966 - Protects 2nd amendment rights of renters.

John Seago (Texas Right to Life):

• Not all allegedly "pro-life" bills actually save lives.
• There will be 100,000 abortions between now and the next legislative session if the legislature doesn't act.
• SB 415 - Dismemberment abortion ban.
• Passed Senate, hasn't even been referred to committee in House.
• 56 house members have signed onto companion bill.
• "This is a no-brainer issue."

Terri Hall (TURF):

• House is passing "the worst type" of crony toll road bills.
• If Abbott doesn't veto these bills, he's breaking a campaign promise.
• Public money for private profit equals corporate welfare.
• TxDOT has deliberately frittered away the money they got in '13 and '15 on low priority projects.

House Freedom Caucus outlines 85th #TXLEGE Priorities....

"As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
Proverbs 27:17

The House Freedom Caucus held their first press conference this afternoon:



Highlights:

•  Matt Schaefer
• First principles and the grassroots.
• Coordinating with grassroots.

• Jeff Leach
• 89 days left in session.
• Author's Note: Move we adjourn sine die.
• Life #1 issue -- Support ANY bill that defends preborn babies.

• Matt Krause
• Religious liberty isn't just a Sunday thing.
• Parental rights a guiding principle.
• Defending anonymous political speech.
• Ethics reform.
• Reduce occupational licensing.

• Jonathan Stickland
• Unapologetically supporting constitutional carry.
• No state funding for unconstitutional anti-#2A federal laws.
• Elimination of gun-free zones.

• Matt Rinaldi
• Budget Reform
• Constitutional spending limits
• Eliminate corporate welfare.
• Property tax reform
• Elminate Margins tax
• Parental educational choice.

• Matt Shaheen
• Coordinated and unified with grassroots.
• Already had two conference calls w/ grassroots.

• JoAnn Fleming
• Texas should be leading on Freedom and Liberty.
• Author's Note: LOL

• Q&A:
• Grassroots will be "force multiplier" when bills are in calendars.
• Municipal debt subcategory of transparency component.

Bottom Line: Our expectations are low, but this doesn't hurt.

Life, Liberty, and Property Kicks off the 84th #TXLEGE

"and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel"
Ephesians 6:19

The Life, Liberty, and Property coalition held their first "First Amendment Tuesday" this morning prior to Greg Abbott's inauguration; it is a FANTASTIC primer for citizen lobbying:

Michael Quinn Sullivan (Empower Texans):



Highlights:

• Learn the rules for petitioning government.

Tony McDonald (Empower Texans):

Highlights:

• House rule 1; section 5
• No signs or disruptive behavior (doesn't apply to Wendy Davis).
• Our opponents will use failure to practice decorum to silence us.

• Lobbying:
• "A lobbyist is a hired gun."
• There are rules about giving gifts.

• In a couple of weeks, committees will be assigned.

• How a bill moves out of the House (at least in theory): First reading -- > Committee -- > Calendars -- > Floor

• "Points of Order" can cut both ways.

• 2/3rds rule -- Senate is supposed to consider bills in the order they come out of committee.

John Seago (Texas Right to Life)

Highlights:

• Every pro-life victory is due to gubernatorial leadership and strong grassroots activism.\

• Legislators care more about what constituents think than "lobbying" groups.

• Remember, they work for us.

• Be respectful.

• Tell the what bills you support.

• Before you leave the office, have them respond.
• "Does this sound like a good bill to you?!?"
• There's all kinds of stalling techniques elected officials use:
• Office Tours
• Life Stories
• Asking a frillion questions about your life story.

Jeremy Newman (Texas Homeschool Coalition)

Highlights:

• Mostly parental rights stuff.

• Tim Tebow bill - Allow homeschoolers to participate in extra-cirriculars

• In laws can sue parents for "access" to children.

Ann Hettinger (Concerned Women for America)

Highlights:

• Tuesday 2/24 lobby day.

• Plano bathroom bill got enough signatures.

• Restoring SBOE authority.

Cathie Adams (Texas Eagle Forum)

Highlights:

• American laws for American courts.

More Harmony schools popping up.

• Defund
• Put their checkbooks online.
• Author's Note: Good grief, there are at least 5 in Austin alone.

• CSCOPE: The whack-a-mole continues.

JoAnn Fleming (Grassroots America: We the People)

Highlights:

• Interstate compacts for Border Enforcement.

• With GOP control of Congress, forces them on record.

• Interstate compacts bypass the President; only require congressional approval.

• Start with the 25 states suing Obama over Executive Amnesty.

• "The state of Texas spends too much, borrows too much, and relies too heavily on the Federal government."

• Restore state spending to it's core functions.

Day Before Session: JoAnn Fleming

"Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come."
Proverbs 31:25

JoAnn Fleming addresses the pre-84th #TXLEGE Tea Party event:



Highlights:

• "These high maintenance elected officials, it's like being pecked to death by a bunch of Chickens."

• Texas electorate - 1/3 D, 1/3 R, 1/3 Tea Party;
• "We've done that with virtually no money."

• Working from the ground up provides sustainability.

• Tea Party is framing the debate.

• At TPPF last week, Workman and Estes were falling over themselves to talk about how much they agree with the Tea Party.

• We will work with R's we don't trust: "On a case by case basis."

• Hire slow, fire fast.

• "There's no going up from a C rating."

• "Someday is here."

• "There is no reason why Texas shouldn't be a leader in the liberty movement."

• Need to have a conversation about how and why we spend money.

• "Every time government grows, liberty retreats."

• Let you elected officials know what you think QUICKLY.

• Rinaldi: Kill the idea of expanding pre-K
• Statist approach to education.

• Religious liberty is under assault in the state of Texas and we need to do something about it.
• Houston and Plano.
• Geren bragged about killing religious liberty amendment.

• We are GOING to reform TxDOT.

• It's past time to untangle our finances from the Federal government.

• Don Huffines' idea of term-limiting agency heads is an idea who's long past.

• They like to delay hearings or hold them in the middle of the night
• Written testimony is a good way to get around the games.

• Byron Cook says he has a "heart" for illegals.

• A lot of Reps only care about the border when the media cares about it.

Texas and Immigration: State Solutions to a National Challenge

"Do not remove the ancient landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;"
Proverbs 23:10

Because, yah, this isn't controversial:

Craig Estes:

• Situation in South Texas is "terrible"
• Washington D.C. created this problem and they're the only ones who can solve it.
• It's one of their enumerated powers in the Constitution.
• "The Feds owe us a half a Billion dollars (at least)."
• Border security and immigration policy are related, but they're different animals.

JoAnn Fleming:

• "The rule of law has been abandoned in the United States."
• If we continue to degrade the rule of law, we're going to end up with the same problems they have in Europe.
• DPS is just as vulnerable as Border Patrol.
• State presence helps, but it's still wide open on the border.
• Eliminate every single magnet that attracts illegals
• Including repeal of In-State tuition
• "It is time for Republicans to either put up or shut up and go home."

Alex Nowrasteh (Cato Institute):

• Current immigration mess was designed by labor unions.
• There is no green card available for a low skilled worker to come legally unless they're closely related to an American citizen.
• Three actions Texas Can Take
• Welfare Reform
• E-verify - Expensive, inefficient, and not particularly effective
• If it works, it hurts the economy; if it doesn't work, it hurts the economy.
• Guest worker visas
• You can't regulate a black market.

Paul Workman:

• Proposing "Texas Border Patrol" next session.
• Immigration will take care of itself down the line, but for now the focus is on Border Security.

How grassroots Texans are changing our statehouse

"Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became a unit, and took their stand on top of a hill. "
2 Samuel 2:25

Ft. Worth -- Ten days ago, JoAnn Fleming, Michael Quinn Sullivan and Jim Graham spoke about how the conservative grassroots are coming together across Texas:

Highlights:

• Balkanization within the conservative movement (fiscal conservatives vs. social conservatives vs libertarians) is a tool of the establishment.

• The origin of the coalition was the recognition of common enemies.

• There's safety in numbers.

• JoAnn Fleming -- Texas spends too much, borrows too much, and relies to much on the Feds.
• 11th in the nation for dependence on Federal $$$
• 3 big enemies: Big Business, Big Government, Big Media
• Nothing is more frustrating that elected officials that are genuinely clueless.
• "The longer they stay, the worse they get."

• Jim Graham -- Every year there are 70,000 abortions in Texas
• That's the population of Temple.
• Alabama, Oklahoma pass 5 to 7 pro-life bills per session.
• Took out three of the most liberal Republicans in the Texas Senate the past two sessions.

• During the 84th: First Amendment Tuesday every week.

• The real fight isn't R vs. D; it's establishment vs. the rest of us.

• There's no principle of liberty on which you can defend corporate welfare.

• The lobbyists in Austin don't want a change in #TXLEGE leadership.

• A lot of the House members who are on the fence have district that overlap with the new Senators.

Texas Border Crisis Press Conference

"You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess."
Deuteronomy 19:14

[Author's Note: This website does NOT agree with every sentiment voiced in this conference (especially the crap about the North American Union), but more voices, not fewer.]

Texas State Capitol -- Earlier today, grassroots leaders from across Texas held a press conference at the Capitol to urge swifter action from State Officials:

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

Highlights:

• JoAnn Fleming
• We live in "a sanctuary state"
• Our state officials haven't taken care of business.
• De facto commendation of state and local assets by Feds.
• Constitution prohibits this
• Texans already understand you can believe anything out of Washington D.C.
• Growing sense of the same thing in Austin
• DPS: Texas Gang Threat Assessment
• Children are 20% of the problem
• Call up the national guard and fund it.

• Jim Gibson -- Texas Border Volunteers
• Based 70 miles north of the border.
• We've already exceeded 2013 apprehension numbers and we've still got three months to go in the fiscal year.
• Dept of Homeland Security is stonewalling Cruz's office

• Katrina Pierson 
• Tea parties warned about this the past two sessions
• Almost 50% of our budget is Federal $$$
• This has been going on for a few years.

• Margarita Graham
• We've processed MS-13 members
• TB is difficult to trace.
• "Don't be shocked if in 2 or 3 years we have an overwhelming problem with TB."

• The less said about the next three presenters, the better.

• Ray Myers
• 300,000 more on the way.
• Trains bringing illegals to the U.S. are U.S. owned and operated.
• This is by design.
• Cloward/Piven strategy in action.

• Michael Openshaw
• The legal immigrants in his family are pissed.
• Why hasn't the press investigated the detention centers?!?

• Alice Linahan
• Children are being raped and brutalized on the journey
• Perry and Abbott: "Show us how you're different from Obama."

• Ken Emmanuelson
• Perry getting "poor legal advice"
• Texas national guard reports to Perry..."put them to work."
• 
  

Texans Demand a Conservative Budget

"But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’  Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself."
Deuteronomy 17:16

Texas Public Policy Foundation -- This morning, the Texas Conservative Budget Coalition held a press conference to discuss TPPF's new paper The Conservative Texas Budget:

Broadcast live streaming video on Ustream

Highlights:

• Talmadge Helflin - STAR FUND is the primary tax cut.
• Real Texas Budget was the Starting Point.
• We're two weeks away from state agencies beginning to request 2016/17 budgets.
• Expect a $1.5 billion supplemental in 2015.
• Author's note: Sigh....
• Texas' current spending limit is restricted to non-dedicated General revenue.
• The legislature will have to do this "voluntarily."
• Author's Note: Paging Dan Patrick!!!
• The economy of a state fares better "if it's a low tax, low spend state."
• "In times of plenty, we recommend the legislature keep spending at a level that's sustainable in the long-term."

• Vance Ginn - 2004-15 state spending up 62.4%
• 8% faster than inflation + spending.
• Limit state spending to 6.2% population + inflation.

• JoAnn Fleming - "The state of Texas spends much more than the legislature appropriates."
• Federal funds come from our pocket, "some magic fairy land."

• Michael Quinn Sullivan - "Texas has benefited...from the bad decisions of other states."
• "The least drunk person at the bar shouldn't be held up as a model of sobriety."

• Cathie Adams - "Texas Families have hopes and dreams, and we want to be able to afford them."
• Prioritize spending to prevent budget from growing more than 6.2%

• Jenna White - Conservative budget draws a line in the sand at 6.2%

• Chuck DeVore - "Spending restraint leads to tangible gains."
• "We can do better."
• "We can do better by allowing free enterprise to flourish."
• Eliminate the margins tax -- more than enough money.
• Prioritize infrastructure over welfare or other wasteful spending.
• Restructure spending to get more bang for the buck (Talmadge Heflin)
• Within the past couple months, TxDOT has come up with $350 million for rail (MQS) 

The full paper:

The Conservative Texas Budget

Highlights:

• "Texas has had a large increase in its labor force during those years from out-of-state migration compared to a declining labor force in many areas....Clearly, as fast as people are moving to Texas, job creation is keeping pace."

• "Texas current limitations on government spending are not sufficient."

• "These limits represent maximum amounts for the Legislature to use when determining the cumulative amount appropriated for each government agency.  The Foundation believes that the Legislature could easily spend less than this and still ensure provision of basic public necessities.  Nonetheless, if the Legislature stays within these bounds in The Conservative Texas Budget, it will have taken a substantial step towards reining in the growth of Texas government.

Bob Deuell resorts to Branch/Sitton Playbook

The lofty looks of man shall be humbled,
The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isaiah 2:11

We recieved this from a friend in Dallas County; reprinted in full with permission:

May 14, 2014 – Republican State Sen. Bob Deuell has stepped up his increasingly personal attacks on runoff challenger Bob Hall. Since 2003, Deuell has represented Senate District Two, which includes the counties of Delta, Hopkins, Hunt, Rockwall, Kaufman, Fannin, Rains, Van Zandt and part of Dallas County.

Given the serious nature of Deuell’s allegations that his opponent is a tax cheat and guilty of spousal abuse, conservative grassroots leaders Ken Emanuelson and JoAnn Fleming investigated the charges. Grassroots America’s Executive Director JoAnn Fleming said, “We have reviewed the evidence – court and IRS documents – and can confidently report that Sen. Deuell is being shamefully deceitful in his communications with his constituents and has certainly misled the media.”

Dallas Tea Party co-founder and attorney Ken Emanuelson added, “The primary results clearly show incumbent Bob Deuell has a very big problem in this race. He knows full well he can’t run for reelection on his voting record in Austin. If voters pay attention to Bob Deuell’s failing grades from conservative groups,[1] his support for death panels,[2] his support for in-state tuition for illegal aliens,[3] scores of new taxes,[4] contraceptives for children without parental consent[5] and free needles for drug users,[6] the voters of Senate District 2 are very likely to throw him out. He knows this and is pulling out all the stops to distract voters from the issues by dumping all the mud he can on surging challenger Bob Hall.”

Finding #1: Court Documents Prove Florida Family Court Completely Exonerated Bob Hall

Deuell claims the record shows that Bob Hall is guilty of spousal abuse. Deuell bases this allegation on a single document filed by Bob Hall’s ex-wife in the course of a heated legal dispute. Deuell was almost certainly in possession of the full file on Bob Hall’s litigation in Florida, but it appears that he sent only the “complaint” portion of the file to the media. It is also the only portion of the file Deuell mentions in his direct mail attacks on Hall.

The court documents actually contain a single complaint, filed by Bob Hall’s ex-wife in the heat of a dispute four years after their divorce, which made all manner of allegations against Bob Hall. What Bob Deuell didn’t disclose is this – the complaint was completely rejected and dismissed by the court.[7] Deuell’s private investigator surely unearthed the same documents we reviewed – Okaloosa County, Florida, court documents that completely exonerate Bob Hall – but Deuell deceptively withheld those documents from the media and his own constituents in order to conceal the truth.

In particular, Deuell purposefully withheld the “final disposition” court document, whereupon after a hearing before a judge, the complaint against Bob Hall was totally and completely dismissed in less than a month’s time [8] because the judge found absolutely no basis for the allegations set forth therein.[9] The court records show the plaintiff (Bob Hall’s ex-wife) accepted and agreed with the judge’s decision! The Record Search Certificate obtained from the office of Circuit Court Clerk in Okaloosa County, Florida, showed that no other cases involving Bob Hall even exist.

By way of background, the court that issued the temporary order takes domestic violence complaints very seriously. When a complaint (remember, a complaint is not a charge or conviction – it is simply a bare allegation) is filed, a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) is automatically issued on behalf of the plaintiff, and a date is set for a hearing before a judge. No evidence or testimony is required from the plaintiff for the TRO to be issued. The purpose of the hearing is to determine if the complaint is valid and warrants a “Permanent” Restraining Order or other action.[10]

Even the threshold for issuing a “Permanent” Restraining Order is very low. No physical evidence or witness testimony is needed to convince a judge of the need for a Permanent Order. If the judge feels there is even a small “indication” that any one of the complaints may have validity, the judge can, and most often does, issue a permanent order. At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge notes his findings on a “Final Disposition Order.”[11]

In this case, the judge felt that there was no evidence whatsoever that any of the allegations were true. The handwritten note by the presiding Judge (on the Final Disposition Order in case #94-DR-2087 S) shows “No Indications,” which means the Judge concluded there was absolutely no indication whatsoever that any of the allegations the plaintiff made on the complaint form had any factual merit.[12] Therefore, the Judge’s dismissal of case #94-DR-2087 S completely exonerated Bob Hall, the defendant, of any wrongdoing

Finding #2: IRS Documents Prove Bob Hall Took on the IRS—and WON!

Bob Deuell also makes much of the fact that Bob Hall has had multiple disputes with the IRS. Bob Hall does not deny standing up and fighting the IRS. The IRS disagreed with Hall on what he owed in taxes. Faced with the difficulty of fighting the IRS, many of us might decide to roll over and pay more than we owe. Bob Hall didn’t. Rather than roll over, Bob Hall chose to stand up against the IRS, and HE WON. In each case in dispute with a taxpayer, the Internal Revenue Service follows a standard procedure in contested cases by filing routine tax liens. These liens are automatically filed to allow the IRS to collect in the event they prevail, or if the taxpayer dies before the contested matters are resolved.

Bob Deuell proudly trumpeted Bob Hall’s tax liens, but was once again very deceptive. What Bob Deuell hid from his constituents and from the media is this – the IRS released every single “tax lien” Deuell referenced.[13] The official record shows there is no history of taxes due from Bob Hall to the IRS. In fact, in 2011, Hall received a refund from the IRS of more than $12,000 dollars. The IRS does not send refunds to people who owe them money.

Emanuelson and Fleming Conclude: “Sen. Bob Deuell has deliberately attempted to deceive both his constituents and the media in a pitiful effort to destroy the character of his opponent and thereby suppress the vote in the May 27 runoff election. The direct mail Deuell is using to spread these disgusting lies is some of the worst we’ve ever seen. He should be ashamed.”

Ken Emanuelson: “What Mr. Deuell doesn’t want voters to know is that he is terribly lacking in endorsements from conservative organizations because of his liberal voting record. He definitely does not want them to know that he was ranked – in a 2012 independent study by Rice University Political Science Professor Mark Jones – as the most liberal Republican state senator in Texas.[14] Mr. Deuell would certainly rather distract with deception than have folks know about his consistently low or failing grades from all of the conservative watchdog groups in Texas.”[15]

JoAnn Fleming agreed, “Mr. Deuell is clearly out of touch with the people of Senate District 2. In the results for the 2012 Republican primary ballot resolutions, 95% of SD 2 voters said they favored limiting any increases in government spending. Deuell ignored the expressed will of his constituents by voting to increase state spending 26%;[16] however, this is not a recent lurch to the left for Bob Deuell. In a 2011 interview with the Quorum Report and YNN, Deuell stated, ‘I’m advocating using the Rainy Day Fund – all of it. I also think we should raise the gas tax 10 cents a gallon and close loopholes in the sales tax.’[17] Deuell’s own words prove everything his opponent Bob Hall is saying about Senator Deuell’s liberal tax and spend voting record. Deuell cannot defend his record in conservative Senate District 2, so he has chosen to try to destroy Bob Hall with abject lies and distortions. Texans deserve better.”

###

[1] See, e.g., www.SenatorDeuell.com.
[2] The Association of American Physicians & Surgeons (AAPS) and Texas Right-to-Life labeled Senator Deuell’s SB 303 “The Death Panel Bill” because of the power it gave bureaucrats over life and death decisions.
[3] Sen. Deuell voted for S.B. 1528 (79th Leg.,) providing in-state tuition for illegal aliens.
[4] “We should raise the gas tax 10 cents a gallon” – Bob Deuell, March 5th, 2011. See also Dallas Morning News, “Another GOP senator supports gas-tax increase”; Senate Bill 855 (81st Leg.) would have created brand new taxing powers for transportation projects.
[5] Senate Bill 592 (81st), supported by Deuell, would have usurped parental authority concerning contraception for minor girls.
[6] See Senate Bill 308 (80th Leg.)
[7] See Form 1.998, Final Disposition Form, Case # 94-2087 FD, 7-12-94 http://www.scribd.com/doc/223095477/Final-Disposition-Form
[8] See Certified Dismissal, April 8, 2014 - http://www.scribd.com/doc/223095440/Certified-Dismissal
[9] See Final Disposition Form, supra.
[10] See, e.g., Florida Domestic Violence Benchbook http://www.fcadv.org/sites/default/files/Benchbook%20for%20Judges%202008.PDF
[11] See Florida Domestic Violence Benchbook, supra.
[12] See Final Disposition Form, supra.
[13] See, e.g., Certificates of Release of Federal Tax Liens - http://www.scribd.com/doc/223095505/Certificate-of-Release-of-Federal-Tax-Lien ; http://www.scribd.com/doc/223095443/Certificate-of-Release-of-Federal-Tax-Lien ; http://www.scribd.com/doc/223095445/Certificate-of-Release-of-Federal-Tax-Lien ; http://www.scribd.com/doc/223095457/Certificate-of-Release-of-Federal-Tax-Lien ;
[14] A copy of Prof. Jones study is posted at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qBhe1NjJYeNH6xs0L-k9WkyF-UjeEE9YJiSre7Qvr_Syeucm0n3Uz5GSpsNP/edit?usp=sharing
[15] See, e.g., www.SenatorDeuell.com.
[16] See “The Great Texas Budget Debate of 2013” - http://www.texaspolicy.com/center/economic-freedom/blog/great-texas-budget-debate-2013
[17] See “Tax increases proposed by Texas Senator” - http://arnoldpublicaffairs.com/2011/03/05/tax-increases-proposed-by-texas-senator/

The IRS and Texas "Ethics" Commission: Texans defend Free Speech

“I will punish the world for its evil,
And the wicked for their iniquity;
I will halt the arrogance of the proud,
And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
Isaiah 13:11

Several conservative organizations held a press conference this morning regarding various assaults on conservative speech coming from Barack Obama and Joe Straus:

Video streaming by Ustream

Ben Barr:

• 1970's -- SCOTUS said no to spending limits.
• Several other cases over the next few decades.
• All sorts of Retaliation after Prop. 8.

Chuck DeVore:

• TPPF's amicus brief was cited in the Obamacare Medicaid expansion decision.
• They defended ALEC in a 2012 WSJ op-ed.
• Their donor list was leaked shortly thereafter.
• Their donors were subsequently bullied by state officials.

Michael Quinn Sullivan:

• The Texas Ethics commission has pursued their case with atypical vigor.
• Byron Cook, in his hearing, didn't want to hear from the groups present.

Cathie Adams:

• Commends Perry for SB 346 veto.

Jonathan Saenz:

• SB 346 and similar efforts completely unconstitutional.
• Marriage supporters have faced retribution.

JoAnn Fleming:

• Both Political Parties.
• They don't like people paying attention to what they're doing.
• Will continue to inform people about what goes on in the Capitol.
• "Whatever it takes" to defend liberty.

Tim Graham:

• Conservative groups in Texas are coming together in a way they never have before.
• Fundamentally shifting power
• People in power don't want us looking in.
• Cook yelled at Gio
• We took out 12 RINO's this cycle; we'll take out 10 to 15 next time.

JoAnn Fleming: We have forgotten the meaning of Stewardship

Last Saturday, before the chaos erupted at the Capitol, Cahnman's Musings attended the Our Nation Campaign Prayer and Unity event at the Texas Capitol.  JoAnn Fleming was one of the speakers.  This is a message every believer needs to hear:



Highlights:

•  "As Christians, we have forgotten what stewardship means."

• God doesn't care how right you are on an issue if you don't speak the truth in the right way at the right time and in the right spirit.

• "Stewardship is about understanding that everything we have belongs to the Lord; the tax dollars they spend in this building [the Texas Capitol] belong to the Lord.  So when politicians waste money, they're wasting God's money.  Until you understand what stewardship is, you really can't understand the right way to make decisions about spending other people's money."

• We've got to demand more of our elected officials based not on politics, but on stewardship.

• God is greater than any giants that get in the way.

• "I would ask you today to pray for our state.  Out state is not nearly as strong as people would lead you to believe.  We have abandoned the principle of living debt-free in the state of Texas.  We will probably end this special session without the pro-life legislation being passed because of games by the people who put the political games together...God have mercy on us and on those men.

• We are to pray for those in authority over us; there is no fine print that says 'if they agree with you.'