O'Keefe's San Antonio Election Fraud report raises many more questions than answers

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

Ahem?!?

Highlights:

• Racquel Rodriguez working for Mauro Garza.
• Republican candidate for U.S. House in the District currently represented by Democrat Joaquin Castro.
• Note: West side of San Antonio. 

• Project Veritas paid her $500 to tag along.

• If the first woman she visited was voting for Lloyd Doggett (CD-35), why is someone working in the Castro/Garza district (CD-20) even talking to her?!?

• Rodriguez confesses to several known illegalities.

• Unidentified third party was filling out mail in ballots on behalf of the dead.

• "Mauro allowed me $2500 to buy gifts."

• What kind of IDIOT do you have to be to discuss any of this in a text message?!?

• If James O'Keefe thinks there's anything "new" about the "normal" of shady election practices in Texas, he needs to learn more about Lyndon Johnson.

Wow.

We should probably start out with a disclosure: We've met Mauro Garza a couple times.  Don't know him well, but we have met.  He's always struck this author as a bit of a patriotic simpleton. Certainly didn't see this coming.

Suffice to say: At a minimum, Racquel Rodriguez must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. To the extent that he had foreknowledge of her activities, Mauro Garza certainly should as well. Whether or not the Bexar county DA chooses to prosecute is another matter entirely.

That being said, the whole thing is bizarre. With some voters, she's helping them vote straight Democrat. With others, she wants them to vote Republican. Sometimes she's trying to faithfully execute the voter's choice, others she's actively trying to influence voters. Just odd.

Unfortunately, we now know (not that there was much doubt previously) why THE REPUBLICANS killed the election integrity bills last session. No, really, bang up job Stephanie Klick. You too Valoree Swanson.

Even if it doesn't always break down into a neat partisan narrative, the process as a whole couldn't be less trustworthy.

Bottom Line: There's a lot we don't know, but none of what we do know looks good.

#TXLEGE: Freedom Caucus unveils priorities (while Swanson has hearing on debt transparency bill)

"Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes;
But by a man of understanding and knowledge
Right will be prolonged."
Proverbs 28:2

The Texas Freedom Caucus unveiled its priorities for the current legislative session:



Highlights:

• Same top priority as everyone else -- Property taxes/school finance.

• Austin ISD + Plano ISD will pay $900 million into Robin Hood just by themselves.

• Merit pay for teachers.

• "Our hearts are broken by the actions of the New York legislature." re: Abortion.
• Several related priorities.

• Pass Constitutional Carry/oppose "Red Flag" laws.

• Uniform Election Dates.

• Paper trail for ballot results.

• Religious liberty.

• Border stuff.

• Expand career and trade schools.

• Ban taxpayer funded lobbying.

It's a solid list.  It's basically the RPT priorities, plus some others added by the grassroots.  That being said, as someone who served on the committee, this author can assure readers that most of these items would have been RPT priorities had the committee not been limited to five.

However, the biggest story was who was not there.  Valoree Swanson had to miss the press conference...because she was laying out a bill in committee.  If you're looking for a sign things are moving in a better direction at the Capitol, the fact that Valoree Swanson is laying out a bill in February is a pretty good one.

Swanson's bill was a simple debt transparency bill that would restrict the number of items school districts can put on a bond proposition:

HB 134             Swanson                 
Relating to the form of ballot propositions in an election seeking authorization for the issuance of school district bonds supported by property taxes.

Putting it mildly, that bill does not get a hearing last session (especially in February).

Bottom Line: The process will continue, but today was a good day....

Freedom Caucus gets dirty with Harvey relief....

"But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another."
Galatians 6:4

UPDATE (8/30/2017): Apparently, we overlooked Valoree Swanson....




There have been a few photo sets circulating social media that are worth sharing.

First Briscoe Cain:



Also Jeff Leach:



Also, while we're on the topic, Cain also addressed a particarly grotesque piece of misinformation put out by the ambulance chaser lobby:

#TXLEGE: Numerous Strong #SpecialSession Property tax bills already filed!!!

"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

During his press conference announcing the special session, Governor Abbott said he wanted to see property tax relief in the form of "SB 2 [from the regular session] or better;" the precise language from the call leaves wide latitude for 'or better':

Legislation reforming the laws governing ad valorem property taxes.

While the big enchilada property tax bills have yet to be unveiled, a number of other property tax bills have been filed that fall well within the bounds of "or better":

• HJR 16/HB 44 (Keough): "Relating to a limitation on increases in the appraised value of real property for ad valorem tax purposes."
  
  While it could go further, Keough's constitutional amendment and bill would begin to reign in out-of-control appraisal growth and it would apply those limits to all property, not just residential homesteads.

• HJR 19/HB 71 (Bohac): "Relating to the limitation on increases in the appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem taxation."
  
  Bohac's constitutional amendment and bill is similar to Keough's but only applies to residential homesteads, not all property.

• HB 75 (Darby): "Relating to transferring to the property tax relief fund one-half of any unencumbered balance of general revenue at the end of a state fiscal biennium."
  
  Darby's bill would dedicate half of any unspent revenue at the end of a budget cycle to property tax relief.

• HJR 21/HB 82 (Darby): "Relating to the abolition of school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes.
  
  Darby's constitutional amendment and bill would eliminate the largest part of school district property taxes.
  
  [Note: Considering his role in killing property tax relief during the regular session, clearly Darby was taken to the woodshed by the Governor during the interim.]

• HJR 23/HB 88 (Bell): "Relating to a limitation on increases in the appraised value of real property for ad valorem tax purposes.
  
  Bell's constitutional amendment and bill is similar to Keough's but with a whole bunch of exemptions related to local corporate welfare agreements.

• HB 91 (Swanson): "Relating to the abolition of ad valorem taxes and a study of alternative methods of taxation to replace revenue lost to political subdivisions as a result of the abolition of ad valorem taxes."
  
  This is similar to the abolition of property taxes bill Swanson filed during the regular session and is consistent with the RPT legislative priority on property taxes abolition.

• SB 21 (Nelson): "Relating to the system for protesting or appealing certain ad valorem tax determinations; authorizing a fee."
  
  Nelson's bill is rather complicated, but to the best of our understanding it would increase taxpayer protections in the appraisal appeal process and give the office of the Comptroller significantly more jurisdiction over appraisal boards.

A cynic will note that a number of these measures are constitutional amendments, meaning they need 100 votes in the House and 21 in the Senate to pass.  Thus, some of these measures might be more intended for show than for implementation.  That's certainly possible, but if events break in the right way we don't think it's inconceivable that a few of these make it across the finish line around day 26 or day 27 of the special.

And, again, keep in mind that the main property tax measure has yet to be unveiled.

Bottom Line: The status quo crowd should have taken 5% automatic rollback elections when that was the deal on the table.

#TXLEGE: Four Hour local and consent sets tone for final House push....

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage."
2 Peter 2:19

After we left the UT board meeting, we went to watch the House local and consent calendar.  What a mess.  After four hours of crossfire stalling and a shady attempt by leadership to change rules, over 20 bills had been killed.

While Jonathan Stickland was a ringleader, he wasn't the only participant.  Briscoe Cain, Matt Rinaldi, Tony Tinderholt, Valoree Swanson, and others also did their thing.  On the Democrat side, both Rafael Anchia and Ramon Romero saw significant action.

Some highlights:

• Stickland and Cain knocked off a Sarah Davis bill to fund a "maternal mortality" study under Medicaid that might have been used to justify abortions.

• Travis Clardy had (at least) three bills knocked off the calendar and at times was trying to distract Stickland while he was speaking.

• Larry Phillips almost sucker punched a member of the Freedom caucus and had to be physically restrained by another member of House leadership.

• Several attempts to create new taxes were considered.

• Likewise several special purpose districts with eminient domain authority.

Following the calendar, Senfronia Thompson attempted to change the rules so that the bills which had been knocked off could be considered on the regular calendar; she backed down when Matt Rinaldi attempted to amend her motion to consider several bills that leadership is actively killing.

Bottom Line: Tempers are short (and we still have two more days to go)....

85th #TXLEGE and Property Taxes: Some Notes....

"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

UPDATE (5:22 PM): Looks like we made a boo boo....



With the Senate set to hear the property tax relief bill tomorrow having announced a date to hear the property tax relief bill, now is as good a time as any to write down some thoughts we've been pondering for the past couple months:

• Senator Bettencourt's bill, SB 2, is a good start.  But it's only a start.  Lowering the "rollback" rate (ie. the rate beyond which taxing entities must seek voter approval) will begin to reign in the out of control spending in which local governments across the state love to engage; furthermore, making appraisal boards an elected position brings meaningful accountability at the local level.
  
  But it doesn't go far enough.  Local governments can still spend more than they should, they just can't go as far as they can under current law.
  
  Unfortunately, it's probably about as far as you can realistically get and still find 19 votes in the Senate and 76 votes in the House.  That's obviously pathetic, but it's also reality.  That being said, it's important to pass something tangible this session and Bettencourt's bill qualifies.  Sometimes, when a patient is hemorrhaging, the first step has to be triage.

• Speaking of rollback rates, HB 15, Dennis Bonnen's property tax companion bill that was filed Friday...doesn't look entirely terrible.  Obviously, it's Bonnen, so trust is minimal.  That being said, if SB 2 and HB 15 can pass their respective chambers close to their current forms, the conference committee will be a productive discussion.

• There are several bills related to various aspects of the appraisal system; pretty much any would be welcome...but we only have the bandwidth to track so many bills.

• But getting a better rollback rate (and a better appraisal system) is only relief, it doesn't fix the problem.  The more we've studied this issue, the more we've become convinced that no parts of the current system are worth saving and that property taxes should be scrapped in their entirety.  HB 1050, by Valoree Swanson, is the vehicle for that objective.
  
  Nothing can change the fact that property taxes siphon capital into nonproductive uses.  To the degree that government needs (Note: SIGNIFICANTLY less) revenue to deliver core services, that revenue should be derived from sales taxes.  Furthermore, the property tax system is the mothers milk that feeds all sorts of other corruption in the legislature.
  
  The problem is political: we're nowhere close, in either chamber, to getting the votes that we need to pass a bill like HB 1050.  Indeed, HB 1050 has yet to even be referred to committee. Eliminating property taxes will be a multiple session process.  To be honest, we'd be content with HB 1050 simply getting a hearing this session.  That being said, kudos to Valoree Swanson for starting the conversation.

Bottom Line: For the 85th Texas Legislature to qualify as a good session on property taxes, the bare minimum is for the Governor to sign SB 2 (in its current form) into law and at least a hearing on HB 1050....

#TXLEGE House Announces formation of Freedom Caucus!!!

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

This can't hurt:

FREEDOM CAUCUS FORMED IN THE TEXAS HOUSE TO EMPOWER GRASSROOTS TEXANS

The Texas Freedom Caucus was launched today in the Texas House of Representatives. The Texas Freedom Caucus’ mission is to amplify the voice of liberty-minded grassroots Texans who want bold action to protect life, strengthen families, defend the bill of rights, restrain government and revitalize personal and economic freedoms in Texas.

The Texas Freedom Caucus (TFC) will be focused on first principles that are the hallmark of liberty-minded Texans. The policies supported by the TFC will be developed thru collaboration with grassroots leaders to identify priorities that are often dismissed in Austin.

“Go five blocks in any direction from the Texas Capitol, and you will see what interests are hard wired into the Austin establishment,” Caucus Chairman Rep. Matt Schaefer (Tyler) said. “The mission of the Texas Freedom Caucus will be to hard wire liberty-minded grassroots into policy making in Austin.”

The TFC will engage grassroots Texans on matters before session, during session, and long after session when policies are implemented at the agency level. The caucus is committed to restoring first principles – the right to life, liberty and property that are at the core of the freedom of America and the exceptionalism of Texas. The caucus will outline a set of legislative priorities after it holds a series of discussions with grassroots representatives from all across Texas. Thereafter, the TFC will support or oppose legislation in accordance with those principles.

“We don’t want our priorities to be determined from Austin down, but from the grassroots up. That includes taking things like the Texas Republican Party platform seriously,” said Schaefer. “There are thousands of people too busy working and raising their families to embed themselves in the legislative process. Their voices matter too, and we want to make sure they are heard, and their efforts are multiplied.”

The Texas Freedom Caucus will share many policy goals with other existing conservative organizations and caucuses, and it will buttress and complement rather than compete with those groups. The TFC will distinguish itself by providing a specific focal point for grassroots Texans interested in conservative policy-making in Austin.

The Vice Chair of the Caucus will be Rep. Bill Zedler (Arlington). The Policy Director will be Rep. Jeff Leach (Plano), the caucus Grassroots Liaison will be Rep. Matt Shaheen (Plano) and the Secretary-Treasurer will be Rep. Tony Tinderholt (Arlington). Other members include representatives Kyle Biedermann (New Braunfels), Briscoe Cain (Houston), Matt Krause (Fort Worth), Mike Lang (Granbury), Rep. Matt Rinaldi (Irving), Jonathan Stickland (Bedford) and Valoree Swanson (Spring).

James Bernsen will serve as Executive Director for the Texas Freedom Caucus.

Learn more about the group here.