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Obama is on the Attack (August 30, 2010)

Help us take back America

President Obama came to our state a couple of weeks ago and insulted Americans for Prosperity and in doing so insulted you.

He challenged American's motives - if we dare oppose his agenda.

He doesn't understand that true community organizers are Americans who are working hard to earn a living, taking care of their families, and paying their taxes -- and any volunteering we do in our communities doesn't involve using public dollars.

Here is what President Obama said at a Democratic fundraiser at the plush Four Seasons Hotel in Austin:

“Right now all around this country there are groups with harmless-sounding names like Americans for Prosperity, who are running millions of dollars of ads against Democratic candidates all across the country. And they don't have to say who exactly the Americans for Prosperity are. You don't know if it's a foreign-controlled corporation. You don't know if it's a big oil company, or a big bank. You don't know if it's a insurance company that wants to see some of the provisions in health reform repealed because it's good for their bottom line, even if it's not good for the American people.

“They don't want you to know who the Americans for Prosperity are, because they're thinking about the next election. But we've got to think about future generations. We've got to make sure that we're fighting for reform. We've got to make sure that we don't have a corporate takeover of our democracy.”

Radio talk show host Mark Levin rebuked Obama saying Obama specifically attacked AFP by name. Is this Presidential? Who does this? A Hugo Chavez wanna-be does this. Americans for Prosperity is trying to save this republic

Obama will not intimidate us and he will not silence us or drive us away. Honest American citizens can influence this government and stop the Pelosi-Reid-Obama Agenda. Perhaps that is what President Obama is afraid of.

After all, we aren't Americans for Redistributing Wealth - we are Americans for Prosperity.

The President is so worried about YOU - Americans for Prosperity members - and we are using the community organizing tools against the Community Organizer. He wants to demean, smear…if you weren't effective, he would not waste his time. Yes, we are on his radar screen. He can watch us…he can watch us take back America!

We will defend the constitution and stand on the shoulders of the Founding Fathers and we won't be intimidated.

We are creating a new army of patriots - hundreds of thousands of us. Our goal is nothing less than liberty.

Will you help us take back this nation? Please show your support by contributing and show President Obama that you aren't “big oil” or “big banks” - YOU are the American People.

Texas News Texans Need to Know About (August 30, 2010)

Dallas Morning News - August 23, 2010

POOLS HAVE COST DALLAS TAXPAYERS UP TO $136 PER VISITOR

Over three summers, Dallas taxpayers paid $136 for each visitor who swam at Exline pool in South Dallas, one of the city's 21 public swimming pools. Between 2007 and 2009, the second-highest cost per visit – $80 – was at Glendale pool in east Oak Cliff. In comparison, a ticket to Six Flags' Hurricane Harbor in Arlington, touted as North Texas' largest water park, can be bought online for $19.99.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/082310dnmetpools.2669111.html

Austin American-Statesman - August 22, 2010

PLAN FOR RATE INCREASE RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT AUSTIN ENERGY SPENDING

As Austin Energy plans its first base rate increase in nearly two decades, a question has surfaced: In monthly bills, should customers pay for more than the cost of electricity? Many Austin Energy customers might not know it, but they pay for much more. New streetlights. The city's economic development office. Research into sickle cell anemia. And a green-living expo, among at least $130 million in spending last year that has little or nothing to do with electricity, according to some city officials and civic activists.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/plan-for-rate-increase-raises-questions-about-austin-871974.html

Houston Chronicle - August 23, 2010

FIKAC: STILL WAITING FOR THE 'ASPHALT FAIRY' TO FIX THE ROADS

When GOP Gov. Rick Perry was pushing the much-maligned Trans-Texas Corridor, he liked to say there was no “asphalt fairy” to build roads without money. Now that the corridor idea has withered, Perry hasn’t disclosed a new plan for an increasingly congested system predicted to run out of highway fund money for new projects in 2012. Instead, Perry is slamming Democratic challenger Bill White for refusing to rule out a gasoline-tax increase among options to pay for transportation needs.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7166430.html

Austin American-Statesman - August 22, 2010

AAS: MORE SPENDING, BETTER SCHOOLS?

Before giving the Austin school district any more money, parents, teachers and other taxpayers should ask what the district is doing with the money it has. It is fair to question whether Austin is getting the results it should with the dollars it's spending — about $10,000 per student in 2009-10. And we all should question whether investing more money will yield better performance.

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/more-spending-better-schools-870514.html

Amarillo Globe-News - August 23, 2010

IN THE RED, LAWMAKERS MAY GET SCHOOLED

Nearly 5 million students from kindergarten through 12th grade are back in Texas public schools today, most with some degree of anxiety ranging from excitement to consternation. Perhaps just as anxious are school administrators and other officials, but not for reasons that are purely academic. For starters, in next year's session of the Legislature lawmakers are expected to face what could be the largest budget shortfall in state history, perhaps as much as $18 billion over the next two fiscal years.

http://www.amarillo.com/stories/082310/new_news2.shtml

Fort Worth Star-Telegram - August 23, 2010

TEXAS CONSIDERS CUTTING THOUSANDS OF JOBS TO MEET BUDGET

State officials are presenting a somber picture of extensive job cuts and service reductions as they outline contingency plans to curtail spending by 10 percent over the next two years. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which runs the state prison system, says it could lose at least 4,700 positions and possibly as many as 7,200, including correctional officers and parole staff. Scores of other state entities are also drawing up plans to make unwanted personnel cuts that they say could have a withering impact on their public mission.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/08/21/2417313/state-budget-contingency-plans.html

Austin American-Statesman - August 23, 2010

PROPOSAL: STATE COULD MAKE ITS OWN ELECTRICITY FOR CAPITOL COMPLEX

Austin's next power plant might be in the Capitol complex. Don't panic. There are no plans for smokestacks rising from a coal-fired plant or windmills spinning on the Capitol dome. The Texas Facilities Commission is talking to lawmakers about an ambitious $40 million to $60 million plan that would combine gas-fired electricity generation and the use of waste heat to cut the complex's electric consumption by 40 percent.

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/proposal-state-could-make-its-own-electricty-for-873312.html

Austin American-Statesman - August 22, 2010

STATE WILL ASK HEALTH INSURERS TO JUSTIFY 'UNREASONABLE' RATE HIKES UNDER FEDERAL HEALTH LAW

Texas' long-standing policy of keeping its hands off health insurance rates unless a consumer complained or a health plan's premiums soared 50 percent in a year is about to change. Under the new federal health law, the Texas Department of Insurance will ask insurers to justify "unreasonable" premium increases, a consumer protection measure that starts this year, after Texas gathers data on insurers' premiums. Texas doesn't need legislation to enforce the law; it has had the authority all along, state officials said. But that authority wasn't regularly used.

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/state-will-ask-health-insurers-to-justify-unreasonable-871976.html

Austin American-Statesman - August 22, 2010

E-TEXTBOOKS ARE ON THE WAY, BUT NOT DOMINANT IN CLASSROOMS YET

The same digital revolution that upended the music industry and is transforming TV, movies and books is slowly working its way into classrooms. In many schools, students are just as likely to carry a cell phone as a backpack. Schools and libraries are wired, outfitted with desktop, laptop and netbook computers with high-speed Internet access. Many of them are beginning to experiment with touch-screen computer tablets like the Apple iPad or increasingly powerful smart phones.

http://www.statesman.com/life/e-textbooks-are-on-the-way-but-not-871780.html

Muslim Day at Six Flags 09/11 Weekend (August 23, 2010)

By Fred DeRuvo

Hey Kids, did you know that the folks at Six Flags are pulling out all the stops to create a Muslim Day at their parks? Wow!

That's right, tell Mom and Dad that you want to head over to the nearest Six Flags Amusement Park to enjoy Muslim Day and guess what? It's going to happen this year on 9/12 - wow, missed 9/11 by THAT much!

My first question is WHY would ANY amusement park feel the need to have special days that celebrate any particular religion? Moreover, though I see a Catholic Family day, I do not see anything labeled "Christian Day." That would probably be intolerant.

At any rate, if you missed it, the day of this year's Muslim Day is only one day AFTER the anniversary of the original 9/11 in which Muslim terrorists flew planes into the WTC buildings. Over 3,000 people were killed (SACRIFICED) by violent members of the Islamic faith. While it is not ON 9/11, it is being advertised as the weekend of 9/11.

So a country that was founded in biblical principles (not Qur'anic principles) now has companies pointedly offering special days for those within the Islamic faith who apparently need to be recognized for all that they gave to this country during its founding years and through to today.

There is something drastically wrong with the way the world is going and we all know where it's heading. Well, if you read and understand Scripture in its plain and normal (literal) sense.

The tragedy is that too many are doing their level best to placate individuals who hate this country. The Muslims who are NOT violent (like their jihadist counterparts) are not a threat to this country, but they are also not a DETERRENT to the more violent members of Islam. They simply either get out of the way, or remain in the shadows. The violent members of Islam are also not taken in by the attempts of companies like Six Flags to be placated.

If it isn't a demand for a mosque at Ground Zero, or now Muslim Day at Six Flags on the weekend of 9/11 anniversary, Muslims continue to push their agenda on the American people. They are not only pushing their agenda, but people and companies are bending over backwards in order to "respect" the Islamic faith. This means that employees of Six Flags are required to wear long pants instead of shorts, regardless of the temperature. Bare legs may be offensive to Muslims. I wonder if they shower in the dark.

For violent Islamic jihadists, there is no such thing as being placated. Will people ever learn? Will companies ever understand? Not until it is way too late.

Facts checked and confirmed. Also, for more information http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/07/six-flags-h...

Taxpayers On The Hook For $2.4 Trillion – In Local Gov’t Debt (August 23, 2010)

By mjsamuelson

It's much "sexier" for bloggers and the MSM to talk about the trillion-dollar national deficit and even Texas' projected budget shortfall than about local government debt. But I like talking about pesky local government, mostly because I believe that the government closest to us also does the most damage. When you consider than in just the last decade, local government bonded debt has gone from $1.5 trillion to $2.4 trillion, I think my point is proven.

Steven Malanga of City Journal has written a fantastic story about this problem, in which he points out that it isn't just the figure that's so shocking, but what is being purchased with it: "...giant development projects, for starters, including many in which the private sector has wisely shown little interest, except when government subsidizes them." Malanga goes on to explain how this problem originated:

These projects trace their origin to the urban-renewal movement of the 1950s, when states and the federal government cleared tracts of supposedly blighted urban slums and replaced them with large, centrally planned housing projects. Over time, such efforts became so widespread that even thriving communities were declaring themselves blighted to justify construction. The nature of the projects changed, too, as politicians increasingly issued bonds to make bets on private ventures whose economic benefits were uncertain, at best.

I think we're all too familiar with what kind of structures are deemed so essential that local governments throw bonds on the ballot when they think we aren't looking, and pass them at astounding rates. We get Taj Mahal high schools, Coliseum-esque football stadiums, cathedrals for administration buildings. And that's just for starters, of course. Bicycle "boulevard" projects, park improvement plans...the debt to which your local government is willing to obligate you, your children, and your grandchildren's children goes to pay for every boondoggle under the sun, and almost always without your complete prior knowledge and informed consent.

And of course, it's worse than that, if you can believe it. Malanga points out that local governments "increasingly use the municipal debt to create the false appearance that they are balancing the budget."

Bond debt is not a new thing in American history; Malanga tells us that the first municipal bond debt on record in the United States was in 1812, to pay for a canal. But just because something has been done repeatedly, and sometimes successfully, in the past does not justify the continued use (and some would say abuse) of the practice today.

For the most part, Malanga's story focuses on those states and municipalities who have reaped a bitter harvest from being unable to meet bonded debt obligations, and what he has written here ought to serve as a stern warning. Texas is not immune to the problems California and New Jersey, and neither are Austin, Houston, and Dallas immune to the problems of Charlotte, North Carolina. In fact, Texas is served best by the strong state economy that leaves the local government debt problem in the quiet shadows - when your state has one of the lowest unemployment rates and is still the number one state for Fortune 500 companies, it's hard for voters to get agitated about ISD debt to the tune of $250 million and more. But that's exactly the problem, isn't it? We appear to have it so good here that we're missing the problems that are a real drain on our resources, and which will haunt us during the state's tough budget cycle ahead. Texas is among the worst in the nation for local government debt per capita (to get an idea of what that means, see this 2009 Denton Record Chronicle article)

I love what Veronique de Rugy had to say about this: "The bottom line: If this debt in the states should be added to the federal debt — and especially if this debt has to be repaid back with higher taxes — there is one very large bill coming our way. Remember, there is only one taxpayer, not a state taxpayer and a federal one."

Too true. As such, there can be only one solution, and you can bet I don't mean electing tax-and-spenders at the bottom of the ballot. This is why we need partisan elections, on uniform election days, to uncover the worst of the seemingly innocuous, hide-behind-the-rhetoric, tax-and-spend bureaucrats who lurk in county commisioners' courts, city councils, school boards, MUD boards, and so on.

And just to drive my point home: the city of Austin, as of August 2009, has $4,653,793,433, or over $4.6 billion, in outstanding bonded debt. That's just the principal amount, and is just city debt, not what taxpayers owe to the local ISDs or to Travis County. (Thanks to the Bond Review Board for the information). It also obviously does not include the $90 million in brand new bond debt that the city plans to ask taxpayers for this November.

Sleep well.

Guess Who Wants Gov. Perry to Violate the State Constitution (August 16, 2010)

You likely won't see this story in detail on how the new stimulus money will hurt Texas. One would need to be involved in the legislative process, and know our Texas Constitution, to understand how this bill, supposedly to save teacher jobs that Pelosi and Obama wants passed, and is calling members back to pass, is an attempt to take control of local education and local budgeting.

This administration is not only busting the federal budget and bankrupting America, they now want to tell us how to spend our money in Texas. The President and the Dems will smile before the cameras and tell America how they are saving teaching and firefighting jobs, but they will not tell America that this is part of a plan to control state budgets from Washington and control education. What disturbs me the most is how sneaky it is. They know exactly what they are doing, or would not be doing it. They have trashed the U.S Constitution. Now they are now trying to trash the Texas Constitution. And they know that hardly anyone will know what is going on because the media will not fully understand what is happening below the surface and most people will not ready deeply below the headline. But I am alerting you and you will now know and can pass it on to others.

HERE IS THE DEAL: New stimulus money intended to protect primarily teacher jobs would send 800 million to Texas to go to classrooms. However, Texas Democrat Congressman Lloyd Doggett inserted language that says Texas would not get the money unless the Governor guarantees to continue funding after the fed money runs out.

First, this is unconstitutional. The Governor of Texas does not write the budget and cannot guarantee expenditures now, or in the future. The legislature also cannot guarantee spending beyond the 2 year budget cycle we pass each session. You can plan to spend money beyond two years, but you cannot guarantee it.

The money has to be appropriated every 2 years when we meet to write the budget. It is not possible, practical, or allowed by the Constitution, to guarantee monies beyond the budget cycle, Texas House and Senate Democrats understand this, but apparently Texas Democrat Congressmen do not.

Lastly, it is outrageous that the Obama administration is interfering with your tax dollars, your education system, and your state budget. Anyone who has any doubt that this administration wants total federal control only need to understand this issue. Looks like another lawsuit and l once again appears this administration wants to punish Texas .Problem is they were in such a rush to do so they did not even read or understand the Texas Constitution. The Governor couldn't do it if he wanted to do it; it's not in his authority and it's unconstitutional.

State of Texas Challenges Federal Government's Offshore Drilling Moratorium (August 16, 2010

AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today filed a legal challenge to the Obama Administration’s offshore drilling moratorium. The State’s legal challenge charges the Administration with violating a federal law that requires the Secretary of Interior to consult with affected states before imposing an offshore drilling moratorium. Filed on behalf of the State of Texas, Governor Rick Perry and Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, today’s legal action names the following defendants: the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI); DOI Secretary Kenneth Salazar; the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement – formerly known as the Minerals Management Service – and BOEM Director Michael Bromwich.

“The federal government ignored the State of Texas and failed to comply with the law when the Secretary of the Interior unilaterally imposed the Administration’s offshore drilling ban,” Attorney General Abbott said. “Under federal law, affected states are guaranteed the right to participate in offshore drilling-related policy decisions, but the Obama Administration did not bother to communicate, coordinate or cooperate with Texas. Worse, the Secretary of the Interior failed to consider the economic consequences of his decision, which will cost the Texas economy millions of dollars – and threatens far too many hard-working Texans’ jobs.”

Court documents filed by the State set forth that the Administration unilaterally imposed its offshore drilling ban without properly coordinating with the State of Texas. Further, the Administration also improperly failed to consider the moratorium’s economic impact on Gulf Coast states, including Texas. Under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), the Interior Secretary must coordinate with affected states and weigh a moratorium’s economic impact before imposing an offshore drilling ban. Despite the OCSLA’s requirements, the Obama Administration did not consult with Texas on either issue.

On July 12, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the current offshore drilling moratorium without any prior notice to or communication with the State of Texas – despite the fact that Texas refines more oil than any other state. As the State’s complaint explains, an economic impact analysis produced by Louisiana State University has projected that Texas will suffer a $622 million decrease in Gross State Product because of the six-month moratorium. Thus, Texas clearly meets the statutory definition of an “affected State” under the OCSLA. Nonetheless, the Department of the Interior did not give the State of Texas an “opportunity to participate” in the federal government’s decision-making process – which constitutes a violation of the OCSLA and the Administrative Procedure Act.

As the State’s legal challenge asserts, the Administration’s failure to consult Texas led the Secretary of Interior to implement an unjustified, arbitrary and capricious policy that will inflict economic harm upon coastal communities – particularly those that are most dependent upon offshore drilling for jobs and tax revenue. The legal action seeks a court order declaring that the State of Texas must be provided a reasonable opportunity to participate in the formulation of the Secretary’s offshore policy. Further, the Secretary must give due consideration to the drilling moratorium’s economic impact.

Today’s legal challenge targets the Administration’s second offshore drilling moratorium. The first drilling moratorium, which was also imposed without proper notice to – or consultation with – the State, was retracted by the Administration after multiple private parties successfully sued the Administration in a federal district court. A June 22 decision in the federal district court for the Eastern District of Louisiana enjoined the Administration from enforcing its moratorium. Undeterred by the court ruling – and once again without notice to or consultation with Texas – the Interior Secretary simply withdrew the initial moratorium and imposed a second offshore drilling ban on July 12, which halts all drilling operations in water depths of greater than 500 feet

Assistant Attorneys General Nicholas Canaday III and Nichole Bunker-Henderson with the Environmental Protection and Administrative Law division will serve as lead counsel to the State of Texas in this case.

Democrat Nominee for Railroad Commission Mum on Obama coming to Town (August 16, 2010)

The 2010 Democrat nominee for the Texas Railroad Commission is conspicuously quiet on President Barack Obama’s visit to Texas.

Jeff Weems, the rarely silent wanna-be Railroad Commissioner who has gotten rich off of defending BP, Enron and a gaggle of other big oil clients, has had nothing to say about Obama’s visit to Texas on his website, Twitter account or his Facebook page.

This is odd for two reasons (aside from the fact that he rarely is without words):

1) Weems is such a big fan of President Obama’s, he gave him so much money, the Obama campaign had to send Weems a refund because he exceeded his contribution limit of $4,600 (Weems contributed $5,000 and received a $400 refund.)

2) Weems is a big supporter of ObamaCare. He attended NetRoots Nation, the nation gathering of left-wing bloggers. Admission to the event required attendees to make phone calls in support of ObamaCare. Weems gladly participated.

“Mr. Weems’ silence, while a nice change of pace, is deafening. If I were a Democrat running for office in Texas, I wouldn’t want Texans to know I support President Obama’s extreme left-wing policies like ObamaCare either,” said Corbin Casteel, consultant to the Republican nominee, David Porter.

“Texas voters will have to ask themselves one simple question: if Weems supports policies that destroy our country’s health care system, what will he try to do if he has the opportunity to regulate the Texas energy industry?” concluded Casteel.

Multiple Ranches In Laredo, Texas Taken Over By Los Zetas (August 9, 2010)

by Digger - Republished with permission from DiggersRealm

http://www.diggersrealm.com/mt/archives/003439.html

Where are the 10,000 armed National Guard Gov. Perry has begged for since last year??! Surround & exterminate them - Waco style!!!

Update - Story is now 100% confirmed by second source within the Laredo Police Department

The bloodbath continues along our southern border and now word is coming in that Los Zetas, the highly trained killers formerly with the Gulf Cartel, have crossed into the United States and taken over at least two ranches in the Laredo, Texas area. I am receiving word that the owners of the ranches have evacuated without being harmed. As of this hour I cannot confirm 100% on the situation (I am at around 90%) - though the source is law enforcement in the area.

Founder of the San Diego Minutemen Jeff Schwilk tipped me off to this story and passes along the following information on the location. The ranches are said to be "near Mines Rd. and Minerales Annex Rd about 10 miles NW of I-35".

Update - Statement from Mr. Schwilk

I can personally vouch that this info came in late last night from a reliable police source inside the Laredo PD. There is currently a standoff between the unknown size Zeta forces and U.S. Border Patrol and local law enforcement on two ranches on our side of the Rio Grande.

The source tells us he considers this an "act of war" and that the military is needed on the border now!

Whether it is lone members or squads is not certain.

Anonymous sources in law enforcement in the Laredo area tonight have passed on word that US law enforcement agencies are in the area and are weighing their options regarding the ranches. The media has been silent on this incident and some law enforcement in the area says that they are furious that the media is not reporting the whole story of the continued violence along the border. Their frustrations are understandable because keeping the truth suppressed continues to hamper law enforcement from receiving the true support they need along the border.

The ranch assaults come on the heels of attacks in Nuevo Laredo that shut the city down as a gun-battle raged in the streets. Los Zetas blocked off intersections with vehicles and used fragmentation grenades to attack Mexican law enforcement. In the end 12 were killed and 21 injured in the assaults. Citizens in the area were told to stay in their homes and bullets whizzed all around.

Cypress Times

The U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo had posted warnings on its website hours before the gunfire was reported by Texas citizens, “We have received credible reports of widespread violence occurring now between narcotics-trafficking organizations and the Mexican army in Nuevo Laredo.”

The U.S. Consulate went on to say, “The consulate confirmed that fragmentation grenades were used in the attacks and that suspected drug-gang members had blocked several roads, adding that it advised ‘all U.S. citizens in Nuevo Laredo to remain indoors until the security situation improves.’”

US Citizens in Laredo called 911 after hearing gunfire and explosions just across the border. Laredo police spokesman Joe Baeza deflected the concerns of citizens with what I see as utter contempt. He said there was no spillover violence onto the US side and "We were getting reports from people who live on the river's edge that they could hear gunfire and explosions from the Mexico side," Baeza said, "We didn't have any incidents on the American side. It's hard for people to understand who don't live here ... They're not Vikings, they're not going to invade us, it doesn't work that way."

This was said just a day before the reported breaking news on the ranches being taken above.

Violence has been on the rise along the border. In April 2010 a Border Patrol agent in Laredo shot and killed an lllegal alien drug smuggler near the Rio Grande

The Los Zetas are highly trained killers initially trained by United States Special Operations forces to combat the drug cartes within Mexico. As the drug war heated up the Zetas saw more money in working for the cartels and joined up with the Gulf Cartel.

In March, 2010 there was a fracture between the Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel when a Zetas leader was said to have been assassinated by the Gulf Cartel. They demanded that the killer be turned over to them. When the Gulf Cartel refused the Zetas captured 16 Gulf Cartel members.

Since March Los Zetas abandoned their stronghold in Reynosa and moved to Nuevo Laredo, just across from the border with Laredo, Texas. There are estimated to be over 1,000 Zeta members there.

Additional Sources: Houston Chronicle Borderland Beat

Be sure to visit DiggersRealm.com

I'm surprised the liberal Houston Chronicle would publish this. Governor wannabe White has turned Houston into a safe harbor (sanctuary city) for illegals.

If it's the government's job to enforce illegal "immigration", they are doing a piss poor job of it, like everything else they have tried to control!

Texas Higher-Ed Students Face Ambition Tax (August 9, 2010)

In 2003, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3015 which deregulated tuition and required all public universities to set aside a certain percentage of every student’s tuition each semester to fund needs-based financial assistance programs for Texas residents.

This means that a Texas student paying $2,500 per semester in tuition will have $500 of their tuition set aside each semester for financial assistance programs under HB 3015. Students are obligated to pay into the fund even if they themselves receive some kind of financial aid. Over four years, the student will pay $4,000 into this program – a substantial amount considering that many students pay for college through student loans, requiring interest payments. In fact, if the student financed all of their tuition they would owe an additional $550 in interest on the tuition that was set asides for another student.

Tuition deregulation created two parts to tuition: statutory and designated.

Statutory tuition is the rate that the state mandates colleges to charge, and is the same for all public higher education institutions. It is currently $50 per semester hour for in-state students and $327 for out-of-state students. 15% of graduate and undergraduate statutory tuition is set aside and reserved for the Texas Public Educational Grant and Emergency Tuition and Fee Loans.

Designated tuition is determined by each institution. According to the Texas Education Code, there is no limit on how much designated tuition can be charged. Universities are required to set aside 15% of graduate and undergraduate designated tuition that exceeds of $46 per semester credit hour, and finances needs-based financial assistance programs selected at the discretion of each university. In the 2008-09 term $100 million in tuition was set aside from students for this purpose.

An additional 5% is set aside from undergraduate designated tuition to fund the Texas B-On-Time Loan Program. Set asides collected for this program go to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which controls the program. Although the B-On-Time program awards loans to both private and public institutions, only public institutions are required to set aside students’ tuition. This creates an unfair burden for students attending public institutions by forcing them to share the bill for other students attending private institutions.

Since 2003, tuition rates have increased 86%. As the costs associated with higher education have continued to rise, more students and families are struggling to pay for college and must find additional funding sources to meet the growing costs. Yet many of these same students are unaware that a significant portion of their tuition is used to provide financial assistance to other students.

Not all students benefiting from tuition set aside programs are legal Texas residents. In 2001 HB 1403 enacted a loophole for non-legal Texas residents allowing students seeking financial aid that are non-U.S. citizens, who are ineligible to apply for federal student aid, to meet the Texas state residency requirements and can complete the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) in lieu of the FAFSA form. These students can then compete for state funds without being U.S. Citizens or legal U.S. residents and makes them eligible for financial aid programs including the Texas Public Education Grant, the Texas Grant, and Texas State Exemption Programs.

Students of Texas universities graduate with the 4th largest amount of average debt after obtaining a four-year degree in the country. Texas Commissioner of Higher Education, Raymund Paredes, says that the average Texas student graduates with about $20,000 in student loans- a figure he said has roughly doubled in the last decade.

Transparency Needed in Texas (August 2, 2010)

One way to measure the quality of state government transparency efforts is to look at how easy it is for the average citizen to actually access and search through government documents.

In the case of Texas candidates and other state officials must file personal financial disclosure forms that list their income, assets, and liabilities. However, the documents are not available online in a searchable format. This makes it very difficult to search and sort through the more than 3,000 filings submitted by elected and appointed state officers, members of the boards of river authorities, executive heads of state agencies and state political party chairs. In order to access these documents Texans need to file requests for paper forms with the Texas Ethic Commission.

State Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco and Sen. Rodney Ellis filled separate bills recently requiring online posting but both did not make it through the legislative process.

Online databases of all documents related to elected officials make is easier for ordinary citizens, journalists and watchdog groups to keep a closer eye on government actions. Interestingly, the local Texas newspaper, The Texas Tribune, decided to take matters into their own hands by creating an online application that allows citizens to search for officials and view, print, and download all 3,070 paper forms without the hassle of making an official request. It is a good start; however the records are not searchable. All records should be made available online in Texas.

Texas Opposes Financial Takeover (July 26, 2010)

AUSTIN – In response to the recent vote on the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill, Americans for Prosperity-Texas Director Peggy Venable issued the following statement:

“We commend Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn for holding firm and opposing the disastrous Obama-Dodd-Frank big bank bailout bill that will cost taxpayers billions.

“This bill will all but guarantee future bailouts. It does nothing about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It takes the choice of ‘credit or debit’ away from consumers. It creates a new federal agency with thousands of bureaucrats that will tie up everyday financial transactions in red tape. It will not prevent another financial crisis, but it will dramatically expand the size, cost, and intrusiveness of the federal government.

“AFP-Texas members appreciate that Senators Hutchison and Cornyn opposed this terrible legislation, and when they struggle against the red tape of the bill’s new federal bureaucracy they will remember that it was the 60 senators who voted for the bill who are responsible.”

Klee’s Kaleidoscope joins in the commendation. Too bad we don’t get a chance to vote the 60 Senators who voted for this abomination out of office.

Klee Appointed State Chaplain (July 12, 2010)

Following the 92nd Annual Convention of The American Legion, Department of Texas held recently at the Holiday Inn in Beaumont, Texas, Harvey H. Klee, was appointed Department Chaplain 2010-2011 by the incoming Department Commander, Ken Mueller. Chaplain Klee is a member of Frank Griggs American Legion Post 370 in Llano, Texas where he holds the position of Hubmaster and Webmaster.

At the Convention, Klee was also awarded third place in the 2010 TEXALPA (Texas American Legion Press Association) Dan Fallon Award category for outstanding web design for Post 370’s web site. www.amleg370.org.

The Department of Texas is comprised of 524 American Legion Posts, 4 Divisions, and 23 Districts and has over 82,000 members.

Chaplain Klee had previously been appointed Department Chaplain for the years 1999-2000, 2001-2002, 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 which is a record in the Legion’s 92 year history. Harvey also serves as Chaplain for the Legion’s 21^st District and is a member of VFW Post 10376 in Marble Falls. He holds the position of Assistant Chaplain for the State of Texas for the Chapel of Four Chaplains and is a Chaplain for the Highland Lakes Honor Guard, a local organization certified by the Department of Defense to provide military funeral honors for honorably discharged veterans.

Chaplain Klee is the author of, “A Chaplain’s Story, Manual and Guide, now in its 2^nd Edition. He is the founder and President of the Texas Chaplains Association which has over 162 members. As an attorney, he also serves as an Associate Chancellor for the Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church and is a member of the Highland Lakes UMC in Buchanan Damn where he serves as Chairman of their Administrative Council and webmaster. www.highlandlakesumc.org.

Harvey resides with his wife, Suzanne, in the community of Lone Grove in Llano County. They have 11 children, 14 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Texas Leads the Nation in Job Growth – Again (July 5, 2010)

AUSTIN – Americans for Prosperity Foundation released a study that shows Texas continues to lead they way out of the economic downturn by adding more jobs than any other state during the month of May.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Texas Workforce Commission, Texas added 43,600 nonagricultural jobs in May. This marks the largest over-the-month increase in employment in the nation and is the largest monthly gain in more than three years.

“Individuals and businesses are flocking to Texas during these tough economic times,” said AFPF State Director Peggy Venable. “The reason for this is clear – our business environment is competitive, taxes are low, and we have no income tax. All of the right elements are in place to ensure prosperity and opportunity in our state.”

Texas continues to show positive employment growth as 2010 progresses. Texas employment figures have consistently outperformed national employment data, and the state remains among the strongest job growth environments in its region.

“Texas truly is a beacon of fiscal sanity in the nation,” Venable said. “Other states – and our leaders in Washington – would do well to implement similar policies that have led to the prosperity we enjoy in Texas. Our leaders have kept taxes relatively low, limited the growth of government and enacted common-sense regulatory and civil justice reforms.”

Americans for Prosperity Foundation launched an initiative called Lone Star Strong to highlight how public policies impact economic success. On the website, www.LoneStarStrong.com, legislators, members of the media, and private citizens can see what other economic areas Texas leads the nation and which policies have led to such success in the state.

The study is available at http://lonestarstrong.com/2010/07/texas-employment-is-strong-continues-to-improve/.

California Condemns Arizona’s Laws but Not Its Own (July 5, 2010)

LA City Councilman Blasts AZ Law for Provisions in CA Penal Code. Will they also now boycott their own state?

Before critics of Arizona’s new immigration law make fools of themselves, they should really try to read the bill. And if those critics are officials of other states or cities, maybe they should take a quick tour of their own laws first, too.

Kerry Picket at the Washington Times interviewed Los Angeles City Councilman Ed Reyes, who said that he would need his passport to travel in Arizona, but she points out that the very same provisions to which Reyes objects exist in California’s own penal code:

The Los Angeles City Council’s vote to boycott Arizona caused more consternation than anything else. LA City Council members voted an overwhelming 13 – 1 to terminate any city contracts with Arizona (worth around $7.7 million) as did other American cities who have considered resolutions to protest the Arizona law or seek boycotts. Among these cities are San Francisco and Saint Paul, Minnesota. …

“I cannot go to Arizona today without a passport,” Los Angeles Councilman Ed Reyes, a Democrat, said before the vote. “If I come across an officer who’s had a bad day and feels the picture on my ID is not me, I could be summarily deported — no questions asked. That is not American.”

Kerry has plenty of audio within the Times article, but transcribes the key points:

PICKET: Where exactly in the law does it say that? Considering that it prohibits that? As I’m asking here, federal law which has been around for about seventy years has been saying that undocumented individuals have to be carrying papers, so what exactly has changed between federal law of the last seventy years and Arizona’s law?

REYES: What’s changed is you have a very active effort to round up people that look a certain way, and if you have proof you are an American citizen that let you go, and if you don’t they deport you. So now, that I look like a Mexican, and I am Mexican American, I become a target.(AUDIO)

PICKET: Why is this law considered any different than what has been around for the last seventy years…because it’s being enforced?

REYES: Why does a state have to call that out? Why can’t it just follow the federal law like you said for the past seventy years? (AUDIO)

Well, why does California have to call it out, Councilman Reyes? Kerry did a little digging and found this nugget in Section 834b in the California Penal Code:

(a) Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.

(b) With respect to any such person who is arrested, and suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws, every law enforcement agency shall do the following:

(1) Attempt to verify the legal status of such person as a citizen of the United States, an alien lawfully admitted as a permanent resident, an alien lawfully admitted for a temporary period of time or as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of immigration laws. The verification process may include, but shall not be limited to, questioning the person regarding his or her date and place of birth, and entry into the United States, and demanding documentation to indicate his or her legal status.

(2) Notify the person of his or her apparent status as an alien who is present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws and inform him or her that, apart from any criminal justice proceedings, he or she must either obtain legal status or leave the United States. (3) Notify the Attorney General of California and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service of the apparent illegal status and provide any additional information that may be requested by any other public entity. (c) Any legislative, administrative, or other action by a city, county, or other legally authorized local governmental entity with jurisdictional boundaries, or by a law enforcement agency, to prevent or limit the cooperation required by subdivision (a) is expressly prohibited.

Sounds very similar to the provisions of SB 1070, the bill that prompted LA’s City Council to launch its boycott of Arizona.

Will they also now boycott their own state? They do seem to be conducting a boycott of common sense and legal scholarship at City Hall.

Joe the Plumber at the Summit (June 28, 2010)

AUSTIN – Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, will be in Austin this July 4th weekend to help empower citizens to take back America at the Texas Defending the American Dream™ Summit.

“We are thrilled to have Joe the Plumber speak at the Summit,” said AFPF State Director Peggy Venable. “His fearlessly speaking out as an ordinary citizen led the exposure of then-candidate Barak Obama’s plan to ‘spread the wealth.’ Obama’s agenda isn’t working for us, and we are fighting to stop the bankrupting of America. We need more bold grassroots activists like Joe, who are ready to stand up for conservative principles and take back America.”

The Summit events on July 2-3 feature some of America’s foremost free-market voices and top experts joining Joe the Plumber, including nationally-syndicated columnist Herman Cain; Wall Street Journal columnists Steven Moore and John Fund; conservative comedian and FOX News contributor Steven Crowder; ESPN commentator Craig James; Texas Gov. Rick Perry; actress and conservative activist Janine Turner; AFP Foundation President Tim Phillips and former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

“Today, the voices of average Americans need to be heard. We are encouraging people to join our patriotic program this Fourth of July weekend and together, we can make a difference. While some policies are threatening to destroy the American dream – higher taxes, out-of-control government spending, job-killing regulations, and endless red-tape – we have a chance to defend that American dream,” Venable said. “This Summit will be Texas’ largest gathering of grassroots leaders from across the state coming together to learn more about issues and how we can together take back America.”

The Summit will include educational sessions on some of the top policy issues in the state and nation today, as well as programs for tea party organizers, a program for high school and middle school students, and instructional sessions on using social media like Facebook, Twitter and blogging.

More information on the 2010 Texas Defending the American Dream Summit can be found at www.TxDream.org.

Obama Ignores Texas Plea for Help (June 28, 2010)

By Omar Villafranca

Still No Word on Troops to Texas-Mexico Border. Perry's request goes ignored for more than a year.

National Guard troops will be headed to the U.S.-Mexico border, but Texas is still waiting for an official answer to its request for help.

President Barack Obama has agreed to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico. The White House said it has not decided where along the Southwest border, which includes parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, the troops will be deployed.

Gov. Rick Perry has sent letters to Obama, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano requesting National Guard troops for the Texas-Mexico border.

Almost a year and a half after the first letter was sent, Perry hasn't received an answer.

"We've not received approval (or denial) regarding Gov. Perry's request," said Perry's spokeswoman, Katherine Cesinger, in an e-mail. "But we remain hopeful that the federal government will provide the resources we've requested, including 1,000 Title 32 National Guardsmen, to secure the Texas-Mexico border."

A spokesperson at the Department of Defense said he couldn't give more information on the status of Perry's request.

More than 300 National Guard personnel are already on the U.S.-Mexico border engaged in counternarcotics missions.

UAV Flights on Texas-Mexico Border (June 28, 2010)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) released the following statement on the beginning of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights along the Texas-Mexico border:

“The beginning of UAV flights over the west Texas portion of our border with Mexico marks an important advancement for border security in our state. High-tech tools have been spread thin among the southwest border states for too long. We are working hard to make round the clock aerial surveillance the standard for all 2,000 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, and I hope this development is the first of many steps to bring our border detection and security efforts into the 21st century.”

On May 20, Sen. Hutchison, ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, convened a meeting between Federal Aviation Administrator J. Randolph Babbitt and members of the Texas Congressional Delegation. Administrator Babbitt committed to working closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to approve the use of UAVs along the entire Texas border before the end of the summer. He also agreed to create a streamlined process so that future requests to expand UAV coverage in Texas and the rest of the nation can be approved much more quickly than has been experienced to date.

Senator Hutchison has also pushed to expand the presence of UAVs, or drones, to help protect the southwest border through legislation. Hutchison authored an amendment in the Senate Commerce Committee that would allow CBP to obtain at least six new drone systems and hire pilots to operate them with the ultimate goal of covering all 2,000 miles of U.S-Mexico border every day of the week. Expanding the availability of UAV resources allows border enforcement officials to more efficiently and consistently monitor the border and respond to illicit activity.

Last week, Senator Hutchison joined with other border state Senators to offer a series of amendments to the emergency war supplemental appropriations bill to heighten border security to an emergency spending bill that the Senate recently passed. The goal of the amendments was to provide resources and support, including UAVs, to border enforcement officials. The amendments were not passed.

The CBP reports that only about 700 miles of the 2,000 mile-long southern border are under effective control. Portions of the southern border that are ineffectively monitored become open portals for drug cartels, arms dealers, human traffickers, and even terrorists. Aerial surveillance using UAVs is a force multiplier, and it allows border enforcement officials to more efficiently and consistently monitor the border and respond to illicit activity.

Voter Fraud in Texas, Part 1 (June 28, 2010)

By Steve Miller, Texas Watchdog.org

Charged with illegal vote harvesting, a political worker explains how voter fraud works

ALICE, Texas - Zaida Bueno, accused of illegal vote harvesting in the 2008 primary in Jim Wells County, is up-front about her deeds. Yes, she helped coach votes and collect mail-in ballots for a number of local elected officials over the past eight years.

"County, the whole county and the whole courthouse – city council, school board, any election you name, I’ve done," Bueno says.

She even worked for Jim Wells County District Attorney Armando G. Barrera in 2008, handling ballots for the campaign.

"I put them in my bag, I want to make sure nobody sees, you know, you're not supposed to do [this]," Bueno says. Then, she drops them off in the mail and leaves the post office quickly.

Trouble is, Bueno's line of work corrupts the vote and is against the law.

But Bueno says she didn't know that. After all, it was the candidates themselves who were giving her the instructions, she said.

"I would not have done it if I thought it was illegal," she said during a recent interview in her home in Alice.

Bueno, 55, was charged in February with four counts of illegally possessing mail-in ballots. Her case, along with charges against accused vote-harvesters Cynthia Lopez, 46, and, Norma Lopez, 50, is being heard in the Live Oak County courtroom of County Judge Jim Huff.

The charges, being pursued by the state Attorney General's office, are misdemeanors.

Mail-in voter fraud has prompted changes in election law, caused investigators from the AG’s office to comb South Texas and landed a number of people in court. Lawmakers have been urged to bolster the laws governing mail-in voting, but haven’t done so since 2003.

Most charges come out of South Texas, where generations of politiqueros, or political workers, such as Bueno have worked at getting out the vote for particular candidates.

In its simplest form, assisting others to vote, particularly the elderly and disabled, is not a crime.

But state law requires an assistant to co-sign the ballot envelope, and prohibits people from assisting more than one voter.

An assistant isn't allowed to possess the voters' ballots in most situations - the law is designed so that the voter, not a political worker, sees to it that the ballot is mailed. Bueno was charged with violating this rule.

Bueno lives in a small wood-frame house with her children, three sons and two daughters, ages 22 to 38. The house is a rental, $569 a month, about a 15-minute walk from downtown Alice.

Bueno lives on Social Security benefits of $695 per month plus $173 a month in food stamps, court documents show.

If it’s not a comfortable living, it’s cozy and familial, and on a recent Friday afternoon, cars came and went and the place buzzed of activity.

To earn extra money each spring, Bueno followed a blueprint laid out by generations of politiqueros in South Texas. It is a living she has renounced given her legal trouble.

Candidates begin to announce the fall before a March primary, and also begin choosing a team to help harvest votes. The workers are often listed on campaign finance reports as canvassers, and sometimes as employees.

After Bueno found several candidates up and down the ballot to work for, the rush was on for the blank mail-in ballot applications, which the elections administrator is legally obligated to provide to anyone in whatever quantity they desire.

“They know the money is there, and the more cards (you) take, the more money you get,” Bueno said.

She said the going rate is $150 for the successful return of 50 mail-in ballot applications.

Politiqueras might request up to 300 applications each, she said, then the candidates pay for the stamps, and the applications are mailed to the voters.

That's where Bueno's willingness to pound the pavement, and sweet-talk some voters, came in, as Bueno made her rounds to the voters' homes.

As part of her paid work, “I have to push [the candidates], you’ve got to push their name," she said.

“I can’t tell them who to vote for. I will go to you, and you don’t know how to write or read," she said. So Bueno tells the voter who she's helping.

Do the voters ask for suggestions?

“Yes, they do, but I vote for the one I want, the one I am helping,” Bueno said. “But I am not going to write your ballot, I want you to tell me which one you want. ... You tell me, ‘I don’t know that lady, but I know (the other candidate), he has been in Alice for a long time, and I say ‘you are sure that’s right.' " They say ‘yes,’ I put [the ballot] in the envelope, and nobody knows but me, you.”

Voter Fraud in Texas, Part 2 (June 28, 2010)

By Steve Miller, TexasWatchdog.org

Bueno said she began her politiquera work at the behest of a neighbor, Elida Garza, who suggested it as a way to pick up extra pocket money. Garza was running for the school board of the Alice Independent School District.

“And she said, ‘Zaida, I want you to help me,' " Bueno said. “I had never done this in my life. She told me how to do the whole ballot, and she told me what to do. She gave me a list of names, and that’s how I followed it. I did it forever.”

The extra cash came in handy for Bueno, a former home caregiver.

“I raised my kids with half of the election."

A reporter called a phone number for Garza over several days, but no one answered.

Bueno said she worked in 2008 for three local candidates – Lupe Martinez, who was running for Justice of the Peace, Tavo Figueroa Jr., who was seeking the tax collector spot and Barrera, the DA candidate. That year's primary vote-harvesting is what brought Bueno to the attention of state prosecutors.

Bueno is listed on Barrera’s campaign finance reports as a canvasser and employee, earning $1,375 from January through March.

Barrera, the Jim Wells DA, acknowledged that he had hired some people to work for him dealing with the mail-in ballots.

“I don’t know how many we hired, but I explained the rules to them,” Barrera said. “I told them they could not be picking up ballots. Whether they followed the rules, I don’t know.”

The campaign finance reports of the other candidates Bueno says she assisted have gone missing from the Jim Wells County Clerk’s office. The office has no explanation. No investigation of the candidates who used politiqueras is ongoing, according to the AG's office.

Bueno vacillates as she describes her endeavor. On one hand, she tacitly acknowledges her willingness to coach the vote and collect mail-in ballots. On the other hand, Bueno claims that she had no idea what she was doing was a punishable offense.

Bueno said her downfall came two years ago through a flaw in her strategy.

She liked to have at least 10 ballots collected before returning to the candidate’s office for stamps.

“I can’t be going to his house, back and forth, back and forth for five or six ballots,” Bueno said. “So I at least collect up to 10 ballots. I go and put them in my bag. ... I have a bag I want to make sure nobody sees."

There is a coveted list of potential voters who can use mail-in ballots. Experienced politiqueros maintain the list and direct a team of assistants.

In the attorney general’s complaint against Bueno, investigators allege that she committed four misdemeanors. Each ballot triggers an individual charge, and Bueno allegedly appropriated four ballots from four voters.

One of those voters was Jesusa Arellano. She told Texas Watchdog that Bueno was part of a team sweeping her single-story apartment complex in early 2008.

Bueno said she saw Arellano's name on the court complaint, but has no memory of her, only the apartment complex which she had worked before.

Arellano, 64, who lives with her husband, had seen Bueno around Alice before but never knew her name.

“I trust her to come because I thought she was helping, you know, all of the people here, the elderly,” Arellano said. “So they came over here and filled out the application.”

Arellano's application completed, she proceeded to mail her ballot. But Bueno stopped her, saying, “I’ll mail it, you don’t have to worry," Arellano said. Bueno also told her not to worry about a stamp, and signed the application.

A couple weeks later, after Arellano received her ballot, Bueno returned.

“So I didn’t know much about who to vote for, and she said, ‘Well, I’ll put the one I think is best.’ So that’s what she did,” Arellano said.

Several months later, an agent from the state AG’s office, Jose Gardea, came by with a picture of Bueno.

He showed it to Arellano, who identified her and told him of her voting experience.

“I didn’t know how serious these things are," she said.

Texas Says “No” to Federal High-risk Pool (June 21, 2010)

Gov. Rick Perry told the federal health and human services commissioner that Texas isn’t going to create a high-risk health insurance pool under the new federal health care law, saying the federal program “lacks rules to guide the states and appears to be underfunded at the federal level.”

The ObamaCare legislation is too vague and confusing for state government agencies to decipher, and they’re not the only ones scratching their heads over this bad bill.

The Wall Street Journal this week said retailers are doomed to fork over large sums of money, thanks to confusing language in the bill. The article notes:

· 62% of retailers face problems with at least one of three big requirements of the new law: to provide “affordable” coverage, to offer coverage for part-time employees working at least 30 hours per week, and to go above and beyond the limited benefit plans sometimes offered to part-timers.

· Employers aren’t supposed to charge their full-time employees more than 9.5% of household income for coverage. If they do, and if even one employee receives government aid to purchase individual coverage through an exchange, the employer gets socked with a penalty.

· Several unknowns retailers have to deal with:

o Employees’ household income (not a figure that employers typically know)

o The level of coverage that must be offered in an “affordable” plan. (Estimates show that 38% of employers have at least some workers whose current coverage would not meet the standard.)

The War on Sunshine in Texas (May 10, 2010)

By Americans for Prosperity State Director Peggy Venable

A war on sunshine and an attack on open government rages in Texas. Cities are using public money to sue the state to gut the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA), which prohibits a quorum of elected officials from discussing official matters outside of a posted public meeting.

This constitutes lawsuit abuse. And to add insult to injury, the Texas Municipal League is behind the measure. The League is one reason Texas property taxes are so high, since they oppose any legislative effort to give local voters the right to reject property tax increases that exceed the rate of inflation and population growth.

The latest assault on open government began in 2004, when in Alpine, a city councilmember used private email accounts to ask fellow council members if a specific item should be on the council’s agenda. One councilmember replied using a private email account that is should. The local district attorney decided this email exchange violated TOMA because the emails involved a quorum of the city council. As result, two of the council members were criminally indicted by a grand jury. The charges were later dropped.

Alpine, and several other cities, filed a lawsuit last December claiming the Texas Open Meetings Act violates city officials’ right to free speech. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that official communications over the Internet, including emails and social networking sites, should be allowed.

City officials want to use social media to get around the Open Meetings Act, and in doing so, they want to take the teeth out of the Act. New media should not be used to constitute new ways to circumvent the law.

The criminal attorney representing the cities is none other than Dick DeGuerin, who also represented (among others) David Koresh during his standoff with federal agencies in Waco.

The lawsuit claims that the cities “seek nothing more than to enforce freedom of speech for public officials the citizens of Texas have elected to speak for them.” They want to “unshackle Texas elected officials so they can perform their duties as representatives of the citizens who elected them to speak.”

Actually, voters elected them to do the people’s business. Elected officials chose to work in the public sector. They handle public dollars and make decisions which impact citizens’ lives and livelihoods. That business should be conducted under the light of public scrutiny.

Would the same argument these rogue cities are making work for insider trading? Would free speech cover a corporate representative of a publicly-held company giving private tips to sell the company before the information is made public?

The Texas Municipal League passed a resolution supporting the cities’ lawsuit which reads, in part:

“…the Texas Municipal League has the ability to represent the best interests of Texas municipalities before the legislature…” and they call for amending the Open Meetings Act by replacing the criminal enforcement provisions with less restrictive penalties to “balance the First Amendment right of governmental officials.”

First, to amend TOMA by only lifting the criminal enforcement provisions indicates they just want the penalties to be lighter, while not changing the law.

Second, the League contends that citizens elect the city officials to “speak for them” before the legislature. Really? Then why do cities and the League spend millions of taxpayer dollars a year hiring lobbyists to speak for the cities, a practice most taxpayers find offensive.

Third, an elected official’s ability to speak in private among a quorum of his fellow elected officials is trumped by the public’s right to have the people’s business done in public. The simple fact that these city officials and the League want the right to do business in private makes their work all the more suspect.

Those organizations coming to the public defense in support of TOMA include the Texas Press Association, Texas Daily Newspaper Association, Texas Association of Broadcasters, The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas and now Americans for Prosperity.

While the cities’ lawsuit claims that elected officials’ individual free speech rights are being chilled, they are willing to put the citizens’ rights to an open, transparent government on ice. If their claim that the Texas Open Meetings Law is unconstitutional prevails, the public will be the biggest loser.

Abolish the Texas State Board of Education? (April 12, 2010)

AUSTIN – The Texas chapter of Americans for Prosperity denounces the promise of State Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (D-Dist. 20) to abolish the elected Texas State Board of Education.

“State Board of Education members are elected, and last election, while Rep. Hinojosa received 124,456 votes, the average number of votes cast for a single SBOE member was more than twice that – 335,207,” said AFP Director Peggy Venable.

“To suggest eliminating an elected body because you don’t agree with their decisions is un-democratic,” said Venable.

“Americans for Prosperity’s members are pleased with the SBOE’s decisions regarding the social studies curriculum standards. We are disappointed that Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Bill White and others on the left have grossly misrepresented the board’s actions,” said Venable. “Sen. Hinojosa apparently thinks that if the voter-elected Board makes rulings that don’t fit his liberal agenda, then the Board should be eliminated.”

“Sen. Hinojosa is attempting the typical left-wing maneuver of stripping the power out of the hands of the people and putting it into the hands of an unelected, appointed board,” Venable said. “With so much at stake in our children’s education, it only makes sense that voters have the right to determine who will represent them on these key issues. Thankfully, our state constitution protects that right.”

Hinojosa’s plan would undermine the provisions set out the Texas Constitution. According to Article 7, Section 8, the Constitution clearly sets out the mandate for an elected State Board of Education. It reads: “The Legislature shall provide by law for a State Board of Education, whose members shall be appointed or elected in such manner and by such authority and shall serve for such terms as the Legislature shall prescribe not to exceed six years. The said board shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by law.”

“Sen. Hinojosa is attempting to defy our state constitution and deny voters their right to have an elected body represent their interests regarding the public education of our children,” Venable said.

[Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 1million members, including members in all 50 states, and 24 state chapters. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org]

Texans Experience “Tax Freedom” on April 5 (April 5, 2010)

AUSTIN – Texas pay off their taxes earlier than the average U.S. taxpayer. U.S. citizens will have to work until April 9 this year to pay for the cost of government. It was April 8 last year. Thanks to the limited-government, low-tax policies of Texas’ elected leadership, Texans will begin working for themselves – and not the federal government – four days earlier, on April 5.

Tax Freedom Day refers to the number of days that taxpayers work before they pay off the state, federal and local taxes. The average American must work 99 days to pay these taxes. Nationally, Texas has the 8th lowest tax burden as a percentage of income.

“Most workers are astounded to learn that they are working more than 3 months to pay taxes, and only after that begin earning money they can spend freely,” said Peggy Venable, AFP State Director. “This is a reminder to voters that there is no such thing as government money. Every dollar government spends comes from the pocket of a hard-working American and is one less dollar that we can spend at their own discretion.”

The tax burden amounts to more than the average taxpayer pays for food, clothing and shelter, according to the national group Tax Foundation. This amount does not include the federal debt.

According to Tax Foundation, Americans have the biggest federal deficits since World War II. To eliminate the deficit, all income tax rates would need to go up 244%.

If taxes at the federal level were increased to pay for all government, tax freedom would fall on May 17 – resulting in 38 more days of work to pay the additional taxes. This does NOT include the recent taxes just passed in the Health Care legislation. That should add 2-3 days to tax freedom day.

“We are burdening future generations with this enormous debt,” Venable said. “We are leaving our children a legacy of debt, and that is not the legacy most of us want to leave. We must stop the overspending and debt accumulation so that our children and grandchildren can have opportunity to experience the American dream of home ownership and financial independence.”

(For more information on Tax Freedom Day, see http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxfreedomday.html. The Tax Foundation calculated the national rankings using the latest government data on income and taxes to produce the ratios between the number of days Americans work to pay taxes and the number of days they work to support themselves. National Tax Freedom Day is April 17.)

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. AFP has more than 1million members, including members in all 50 states, and 24 state chapters. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org

Landmark Second Amendment Issue Before the U.S. Supreme Court (April 5, 2010)

WASHINGTON, DC – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott attended oral argument at the United States Supreme Court, which recently heard the Second Amendment case, McDonald v. City of Chicago. The landmark case involves a constitutional challenge to the City of Chicago’s prohibitions on handgun possession. Attorney General Abbott led a national effort to protect all Americans’ right to keep and bear arms by forging a 38 state coalition that defended the Second Amendment and argued that Chicago’s handgun ban is unconstitutional.

The case before the high court today stems from a legal challenge brought by Otis McDonald, a 76-year-old Army veteran who lives in a high-crime area of Chicago. McDonald was denied a handgun registration certificate by the city. As a result, he is prohibited him from legally possessing a handgun – which he wants to protect himself and his wife in their South Chicago home.

“Less than two years ago, we successfully fought to have the U.S. Supreme Court confirm that Americans have an individual, constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms,” Attorney General Abbott said. “Now, the City of Chicago claims that the Supreme Court’s 2008 decision does not apply to local governments – so cities and towns can simply ignore the Second Amendment and pass laws that disregard Americans’ constitutionally protected rights. Texas has led the fight to defend the Second Amendment by forging a coalition of 38 state attorneys general who reject Chicago’s attempt to circumvent the Constitution and who understand that all Americans – whether they live in Washington D.C. or not – have a fundamental right to keep and bear arms.”

In 2008, Attorney General Abbott filed an amicus brief on behalf of 32 states that challenged the constitutionality of a Washington, D.C. ordinance that banned all handguns – and required that rifles and shotguns be disassembled or encumbered by trigger locks at all times. In a landmark decision styled District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court agreed with the attorneys general, declared the federal city’s handgun ban unconstitutional, and held that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms.

Attorney General Abbott's brief in the McDonald case explains: “The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms is a critical liberty interest, essential to preserving individual security and the right to self-defense.”

Despite the Supreme Court’s Heller decision, the City of Chicago contends that Americans’ constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms does not apply to – or place limits on – states or cities. Under the City of Chicago’s argument, law-abiding gun owners are not protected from municipal action that abrogates the constitution – because Chicago argues that the Supreme Court’s Heller decision does not apply to state and local governments.

The states’ brief refutes that argument by explaining that the Fourteenth Amendment applies the Second Amendment to cities, counties and other local governmental bodies across the country.

“Just as local governments cannot constitutionally act as ‘laboratories’ for initiatives to abrogate their citizens’ right to free speech or their freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, nor can they nullify the fundamental right to keep and bear arms secured by the Second Amendment,” the attorneys general wrote in their Supreme Court brief.

If Chicago’s unconstitutional gun ban were allowed to stand, the attorneys general explain, “millions of Americans will be deprived of their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms as a result of actions by local governments, such as the ordinances challenged in this case.”

The states’ amicus brief acknowledges that some firearms regulations are permissible, including in circumstances where they are necessary to prevent violent felons from owning guns.

Attorney General Abbott’s brief is co-sponsored by Ohio, Arkansas and Georgia. Other states that joined the brief are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Texas Will Challenge Federal Health Care Legislation (March 29, 2010)

Following the passage of the health care legislation, the Texas Attorney General provided the following statement:

"The federal health care legislation passed tonight violates the United States Constitution and unconstitutionally infringes upon Texans' individual liberties. To protect all Texans' constitutional rights, preserve the constitutional framework intended by our nation's founders, and defend our state from further infringement by the federal government, the State of Texas and other states will legally challenge the federal health care legislation."

AUSTIN--Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and 12 state attorneys general today filed a legal action challenging the constitutionality of the recently enacted federal health care law. The bipartisan legal challenge explains that the new law infringes upon Americans' constitutionally protected individual liberties; encroaches upon the states' constitutionally guaranteed sovereignty; forces states to spend billions of additional dollars on entitlement programs; imposes an unconstitutional tax; and violates the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Under the new law, for the first time in the nation's history, the federal government is attempting to force individual Americans to enter into contracts and purchase services from private companies-in this case, insurance companies-or face a penalty. The state attorneys general are challenging this so-called individual mandate requirement, explaining that such an imposition on the American people exceeds Congress' authority and violates Americans' constitutional rights. Additionally, the states are challenging provisions of the new law that will impose dramatic Medicaid spending increases on the states-including more than $24 billion in mandatory spending increases in the State of Texas.

Greg Abbott

Attorney General of Texas

A Better Way to Challenge Obamacare (March 29, 2010)

Relying on a federal lawsuit to invalidate the new Health Care Reform Law is not only an uncertain endeavor in the face of decades of bad Supreme Court precedent; it could also take years to go anywhere, according to the Tenth Amendment Center. “The reality is this, considering a lawsuit as the primary response leaves the people in opposition holding the bag,” says Michael Boldin, founder of the Center. “That's why we advocate a solution to this mess that leaves the people, not the courts, in charge."

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 25, 2010 -- "Prominent founders such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison warned us that if the federal government ever became the sole and exclusive arbiter of its own powers, those powers would continue to grow, regardless of elections, courts, separation of powers or other much-vaunted checks and balances in our system," said Michael Boldin, founder of the Tenth Amendment Center.

Nullification, according to the Center, is the rightful remedy to an unconstitutional act, as it considers the recently-signed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to be. When a state nullifies a federal law, it is proclaiming that the law in question is void and inoperative, or non-effective, within the boundaries of that state; or, in other words, not a law as far as the state is concerned.

Today, the Tenth Amendment Center announced a different strategy for activists and state government. "We are pleased to announce model nullification legislation that is crafted to specifically address the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on a state level,” Boldin said. “We encourage grassroots activists and state legislators alike to work to get this bill passed in their home states."

The legislation, the Federal Health Care Nullification Act, would codify in state law that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act "is not authorized by the Constitution of the United States...is hereby declared to be invalid...shall not be recognized...is specifically rejected...and shall be considered null and void and of no effect" within the boundaries of any state enacting it. It also mandates that it “shall be the duty” of the State’s legislature “to adopt and enact any and all measures as may be necessary to prevent the enforcement.”

“The greatest problem with relying on lawsuits by state Attorney’s General for Constitutional protection is the reality that the Supreme Court has set years and years of bad precedent, allowing the federal government to control many aspects of our lives that the Founders and Ratifiers never authorized,” said Boldin. “The real question we must ask is this,” he continued, “Does the Constitution mean what the founders said it means, or does it mean what the Supreme Court says it means…until it changes its mind?”

“Like any legal document, the words of the Constitution mean today the same as they meant the moment it was ratified,” said Boldin. “The Commerce Clause, the General Welfare Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause have not been amended, and the original Constitutional meanings of those clauses do not permit the federal government to exercise such powers.”

According to the Center, on a political level, the new health care reform legislation not only violates conservative principles by greatly enlarging federal power and control, but also is an affront to traditional progressive principles because it requires millions of people to their money to an industry that many liberals revile, and interferes with the ability of states and local communities from enacting their own health care programs as they see fit.

“It’s time to remind the federal government that We the People are in charge and not the other way around,” said Boldin. “Following the Constitution every issue, every time, without exceptions or excuses requires us to resist federal overreach and keeping our health care decisions where the Founders assured us that they’d be and where they belong…close to home.”

About the Tenth Amendment Center:

The Tenth Amendment Center, a Los Angeles-based think tank founded in 2006, acts as an educational forum on issues related to the 10th Amendment and Constitutional governance. http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/

Obama: No Fishing Permitted (March 22, 2010)

By Robert Montgomery - ESPNOutdoors

The Obama administration will accept no more public input for a federal strategy that could prohibit U.S. citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.

This announcement comes at the time when the situation supposedly still is "fluid" and the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force still hasn't issued its final report on zoning uses of these waters.

That's a disappointment, but not really a surprise for fishing industry insiders who have negotiated for months with officials at the Council on Environmental Quality and bureaucrats on the task force. These angling advocates have come to suspect that public input into the process was a charade from the beginning.

"When the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) completed their successful campaign to convince the Ontario government to end one of the best scientifically managed big game hunts in North America (spring bear), the results of their agenda had severe economic impacts on small family businesses and the tourism economy of communities across northern and central Ontario," said Phil Morlock, director of environmental affairs for Shimano.

"Now we see NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the administration planning the future of recreational fishing access in America based on a similar agenda of these same groups and other Big Green anti-use organizations, through an Executive Order by the President. The current U.S. direction with fishing is a direct parallel to what happened in Canada with hunting: The negative economic impacts on hard working American families and small businesses are being ignored.

"In spite of what we hear daily in the press about the President's concern for jobs and the economy and contrary to what he stated in the June order creating this process, we have seen no evidence from NOAA or the task force that recreational fishing and related jobs are receiving any priority."

Consequently, unless anglers speak up and convince their Congressional representatives to stop this bureaucratic freight train, it appears that the task force will issue a final report for "marine spatial planning" by late March, with President Barack Obama then issuing an Executive Order to implement its recommendations — whatever they may be.

Led by NOAA's Jane Lubchenco, the task force has shown no overt dislike of recreational angling, but its indifference to the economic, social and biological value of the sport has been deafening.

Additionally, Lubchenco and others in the administration have close ties to environmental groups who would like nothing better than to ban recreational angling. And evidence suggests that these organizations have been the engine behind the task force since before Obama issued a memo creating it last June.

As ESPN previously reported, WWF, Greenpeace, Defenders of Wildlife, Pew Environment Group and others produced a document entitled "Transition Green" shortly after Obama was elected in 2008. What has happened since suggests that the task force has been in lockstep with that position paper.

Then in late summer, just after he created the task force, these groups produced "Recommendations for the Adoption and Implementation of an Oceans, Coasts, and Great Lakes National Policy." This document makes repeated references to "overfishing," but doesn't once reference recreational angling, its importance, and its benefits, both to participants and the resource.

Additionally, some of these same organizations have revealed their anti-fishing bias by playing fast and loose with "facts," in attempts to ban tackle containing lead in the United States and Canada.

That same tunnel vision, in which recreational angling and commercial fishing are indiscriminately lumped together as harmful to the resource, has persisted with the task force, despite protests by the angling industry.

As more evidence of collusion, the green groups began clamoring for an Executive Order to implement the task force's recommendations even before the public comment period ended in February. Fishing advocates had no idea that this was coming.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, the New York Times reported on Feb. 12 that "President Obama and his team are preparing an array of actions using his executive power to advance energy, environmental, fiscal and other domestic policy priorities."

Morlock fears that "what we're seeing coming at us is an attempted dismantling of the science-based fish and wildlife model that has served us so well. There's no basis in science for the agendas of these groups who are trying to push the public out of being able to fish and recreate.

"Conflicts (user) are overstated and problems are manufactured. It's all just an excuse to put us off the water."

In the wake of the task force's framework document, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF) and its partners in the U.S. Recreational Fishing & Boating Coalition against voiced their concerns to the administration.

"Some of the potential policy implications of this interim framework have the potential to be a real threat to recreational anglers who not only contribute billions of dollars to the economy and millions of dollars in tax revenues to support fisheries conservation, but who are also the backbone of the American fish and wildlife conservation ethic," said CSF President Jeff Crane.

Morlock, a member of the CSF board, added, "There are over one million jobs in America supported coast to coast by recreational fishing. The task force has not included any accountability requirements in their reports for evaluating or mitigating how the new policies they are drafting will impact the fishing industry or related economies.

"Given that the scope of this process appears to include a new set of policies for all coastal and inland waters of the United States, the omission of economic considerations is inexcusable."

This is not the only access issue threatening the public's right to fish, but it definitely is the most serious, according to Chris Horton, national conservation director for BASS.

"With what's being created, the same principles could apply inland as apply to the oceans," he said. "Under the guise of 'marine spatial planning' entire watersheds could be shut down, even 2,000 miles up a river drainage from the ocean.

"Every angler needs to be aware because if it's not happening in your backyard today or tomorrow, it will be eventually.

"We have one of the largest voting blocks in the country and we need to use it. We must not sit idly by."

Chatroulette.com is Dangerous to Your Health (March 15, 2010)

Consumer Alert: Parents Should Keep Children Away From new Video Chat Web Site Chatroulette.com

An increasingly popular Web site poses a threat to Texas children by giving users – including dangerous sex offenders – an opportunity to conduct live video chats with randomly selected participants.

Armed with only a Web camera and Internet access, www.chatroulette.com users are paired with a random stranger for a video chat. Neither a login nor registration is required before young users can be face-to-face with a total stranger. Worse, users who simply click “next” are shuffled to a new video chat partner.

An undercover investigation by the Cyber Crimes Unit revealed startling results. Nearly half of the randomly selected users encountered by Cyber Crimes investigators immediately exposed themselves and conducted sexually explicit acts on camera.

In light of the serious threat that children will be exposed to graphic sexual conduct, Texas parents should prohibit their children from accessing www.chatroulette.com. Although site users are supposed to be at least 16 years old, the rule is not clearly enforced – which means parents’ preventative role is particularly important.

Attorney General Abbott reminds parents to closely monitor their children’s Internet activities by using the following safety tips:

• Place the computer in a public room at home so that parents can monitor their children’s Internet use. Do not allow computers in a child’s bedroom or permit the use of Web cameras.

• Make sure children know never to agree to a face-to-face meeting with someone they meet online and never to divulge personal information to an Internet stranger.

• Stay informed. Surf the Internet with children or at least talk to them about the Web sites they are visiting.

• Establish ground rules for children’s Internet usage, including the hours they may surf and the kinds of Web sites they may visit. Post the rules near the computer.

A Texas Representative Worth Applauding (March 8, 2010)

Americans for Prosperity-Texas applauds Congressman Joe Barton (R-Fort Worth) for introducing a resolution which would block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, something the Act was never designed to do.

“Rep. Barton has taken a leadership role in blocking the EPA’s unacceptable regulatory overreach, and I urge other members of Congress to support his bill,” said AFP-Texas Director Peggy Venable. “We consider the EPA action as just another Obama Administration end-run around Congress and the Constitution.”

Rep. Barton is ranking member, House Energy and Commerce Committee. In addition to Barton, Representatives John Boehner, R-Ohio (Republican Leader); Mike Pence, R-Ind.( Republican Conference Chairman); Darrell Issa, ranking member, House Oversight and Government Reform; Frank Lucas, R-Okla, ranking member, Agriculture Committee; and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, House Energy and Commerce Committee. The resolution currently has 79 co-sponsors.

“The EPA’s actions are unprecedented,” said Venable. “The agency is inappropriately using the Clean Air Act to promulgate the so-called endangerment finding regarding carbon dioxide emissions would force millions of businesses, churches, schools and hospitals across the country to deal with the complex, time consuming and costly EPA permitting process for the first time”

“This proposal would literally shut down commerce as the private sector tries to figure out just exactly how it will be affected by the new regulations,” Venable said. “The EPA’s plan would also cripple state permitting agencies, which would be forced to implement the new unfunded mandate.”

The Congressional action comes just two weeks after Texas Governor Rick Perry, Attorney General Gregg Abbott and Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples filed a lawsuit against the EPA for attempting to regulate green house gases under the Clean Air Act.

“We are pleased that Texas is taking a leadership roll in the EPA fight, since we will be affected so disproportionately by these proposed regulations,” Venable said. “We're pleased that the state is suing to block the EPA, but the most direct action is for Congress to shut down the EPA’s overreach. The Clean Air Act was never intended to be the vehicle for global warming regulations.”

Texas Takes the EPA to Court of Global Warming Regulations (February 22, 2010)

AUSTIN – The Texas director of Americans for Prosperity applauds the decision of Gov. Rick Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott and Agriculture Commission Todd Staples to challenge the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to enforce the Clean Air Act in Texas.

“Hats off to Governor Perry, Attorney General Abbott and Commissioner Staples for taking this step – they are protecting citizens by challenging this rogue agency’s actions which do not fall within the EPA’s jurisdiction,” said AFP State Director Peggy Venable. “This is regulation without representation and represents an end-run around Congress.”

Venable had advocated for Texas leaders to take this step to challenge the EPA in the January 29, 2010 Lone Star Report article “The Feds are Messing With Texas”. Venable’s full article is available by following this link: http://www.lonestarreport.org/CurrentNewsletter/FeaturedArticles/tabid/85/ctl/Detail/mid/462/xmid/320/xmfid/1/Default.aspx

Texas is the No. 1 energy producer in the country, so it is serious business when the federal government sets massive new energy policies. It affects a huge swath of the Texas population, which relies on the energy industry for jobs, and energy consumers across the nation.

“Texans are faced with the economic doom promised by the Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade bill. Now the unelected and unaccountable Environmental Protection Agency is issuing back-door climate regulations under the Clean Air Act,” Venable said.

AFP supports a full and vigorous debate about the state’s and the national environmental policies. But the EPA has sidestepped debate and gone directly to the regulations.

“We are excited to see our state’s leadership take a stand against this kind of unaccountable regulation,” Venable said. “Texas isn’t about to sit by and let the feds mess with Texas.”

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has signed onto the Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) legislation introduced late January which would overturn the EPA endangerment finding.

“We are supportive of both actions taking place to stop this harmful regulation from moving forward,” said Venable.

The Feds are Messing with Texas (February 16, 2010)

Texas is the number one energy producer in the country and a large sector of the Texas job market relies on energy. So do Texas consumers. It is serious business when the federal government sets massive new energy policies. In doing so, the feds are messing with Texas.

Texas consumers: prepare for a body blow. Unless it can be blocked, the feds are set to drop kick Texas’ prosperity in a big way.

Cap and trade legislation may be dead or on life support in the Congress but via the Environmental Protection Agency, the Administration has picked up the ball and is running with it. The only question now is whether or not they will make it to the end zone.

Back in June, the U.S. House passed a cap-and-trade energy tax bill, which would have capped our prosperity and traded our jobs to China.

Texans were paying close attention. The Waxman-Markey bill passed the House by a narrow 219 to 212 vote in June with 44 Democrats voting against the bill, among them Texas Reps.Cong. Chet Edwards (Dist 17), Solomon Ortiz (Dist 27) and Ciro Rodriquez (Dist 23). They joined every Texas Republican in the House opposing the bill.

The Lone Star Report blog had a good write-up following passage of the House plan which quoted Gov. Rick Perry slammed the legislation, saying that if passed in its current form, it would amount to "the largest tax increase in American history," and calling it a "pending meteor strike on the Texas economy."

Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said the bill would cost Texas farmers up to $5 billion, and force the nation to outsource agriculture.

Martin Hubert of the Texas Comptroller's Office reported that 137,000 jobs in Texas would be lost by 2020 alone under the bill, and Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken cited a Spanish study showing that when Spain tried a government-directed “green jobs” program, they destroyed 2.2 jobs in the private sector for every one they propped up with government subsidies.

Kathleen Hartnett-White from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, put it in perspective when she said Texans could pay seven times more in the carbon tax than most other states.

The Waxman-Markey bill is an energy tax, pure and simple. It will cost Texans jobs at a time the feds are claiming they want to create jobs, and it is punishing Texas disproportionately.

Fortunately, the Senate isn’t so hot about the global warming legislation.

But making an end run around Congress, the unelected and unaccountable Environmental Protection Agency is trying to issue back-door climate regulations under the Clean Air Act (CAA), something the Act was never designed or intended to do.

In December, Gov. Perry sent a letter to the EPA urging the ruling be withdrawn, especially in light of the recent “Climategate” scandal, which uncovered that data had been manipulated and destroyed in order to falsely show a preordained result. He claimed politics had hijacked science

He is right.

This issue deserves a full debate. But EPA has sidestepped debate and gone directly to the regulations, declaring that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases are pollutants that “threaten public health and welfare,” the magic words that will allow the runaway bureaucracy to regulate to their heart’s content.

The scientific establishment has dropped the ball. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. On the contrary it makes crops and forests grow faster. We exhale carbon dioxide.

Americans for Prosperity and numerous other groups are fighting the regulations citing economic impact, and over 17,000 AFP activists filed comments to the EPA opposing the new regulations.

Only Congress can stop the EPA now and they must be held accountable if they do not.

There are currently several pieces of legislation that have been introduced in Congress that would preempt EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gasses under the CAA. Senator Murkowski (R-Alaska) has the most promising proposal, an expression of congressional disapproval, which has the power to block executive regulations if both chambers pass the bill and the president signs on. Due to parliamentary rules, the resolution only needs 51 votes in the Senate, something that is appearing more and more likely. The heavy lift for conservatives will be mustering the 218 votes to pass the resolution in the House. However, if Members of Congress don’t support a move to block EPA from strangling our economy, they must be held accountable. This is one of our last chances to stop EPA and our elected officials are the only ones we can duly influence.

Another approach being considered by Texas officials is suggested by AFP ally, attorney and physician John Dale Dunn who proposes attacking the EPA as a purveyor of bad science under federal statutes that prohibit junk science by agencies. The Rules of Good Science are published by the US Federal Judicial Center in a book called The Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence. Dunn points out that the pubic health research and claims of the EPA on greenhouse gas human effects do not meet the basic guidelines for good scientific evidence in a federal courtroom.

The Administrative Procedure Act provides a mechanism to take legal action against any agency for misconduct in its policy and science conduct. It is Dunn’s contention that the EPA consistently, constantly and consciously engages in cheating on the public health science rules in pushing public policies making alleging public health risk. He says the research results the EPA relies on is not adequate and fails the basic test for good scientific evidence. He also asserts claims that greenhouse gases are a threat to human welfare are not true.

Texas is unlikely to roll over and it is clear the EPA will aggressively move to impose harmful regulations.

With the EPA encroaching on the economy and using unsportsmanlike conduct in circumventing debate, it’s about time someone throws a flag.

The Tenth Amendment is There for a Reason (February 8, 2010)

Will 2010 be the year of the 10th? According to Tenth Amendment Center founder, Michael Boldin, "With people looking to resist D.C. through state laws on everything from national health care to medical marijuana, the 10th Amendment appears ready to be front and center in the national debate this year."

In 2009, seven states passed sovereignty resolutions under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Two states passed laws nullifying some federal firearms laws and regulations. States with Medical Marijuana laws in direct opposition to federal laws reached thirteen. In 2010, some expect the ante to be raised significantly.

"Already, over a dozen states are considering laws or state constitutional amendments that would effectively ban, or nullify, any proposed national health care plan in their state, and we expect that number to reach at least twenty in 2010," said Michael Boldin, founder of the Tenth Amendment Center. "In conjunction with 20+ states that have already said "No" to the Bush-era Real ID act, another dozen or more considering state laws to nullify federal gun laws, and the steady growth of states refusing to comply with federal marijuana laws, some might consider what we see today to be an unprecedented state-level rebellion to the federal government."

The principle behind such legislation is nullification, which has a long history in the American tradition. When a state nullifies a federal law, it is proclaiming that the law in question is void and inoperative, or non-effective, within the boundaries of that state; or, in other words, not a law as far as the state is concerned.

"Nullification has been used to stand up for free speech, resist the fugitive slave laws, reduce tariffs and more. It's a peaceful and effective way to resist the federal government, and might be our only hope for moving towards the constitution. Legislators drawing this kind of line in the stand should be commended," said Boldin.

Grassroots activists around the country are looking to the Tenth Amendment and nullification to bolster their efforts too. Tenth Amendment rallies are planned in at least 10 states before the end of January, including Virginia, Washington, Alabama and Texas. "These aren't tea party protests, or tax protests, or any of the other topics that were popular last year," said Boldin. "These are rallies solely in support of the 10th Amendment, State Sovereignty or Nullification - something that indicates a major shift from the grassroots, and shows potential for the growth of a popular mass movement in support of the Tenth."

A recent article in the New York Times included "Tenther" as a top buzzword for 2009. In response, Boldin said, "With people looking to resist D.C. through state laws on everything from national health care to medical marijuana, the 10th Amendment appears ready to be front and center in the national debate once again this year."

NOTE: The Tenth Amendment Center, a Los Angeles-based think tank founded in 2006, acts as an educational forum on issues related to the 10th Amendment and Constitutional governance. http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/

Obamacare: Stimulus for Estate Abuse? (December 21, 2009)

By Lou Ann Anderson, AFPF Policy Advisor

As U.S. Senate leaders try to wrap up the debate over governmental control of health care, some dangerous characters are lurking in the wings. Grave robbers, property poachers, walker stalkers and other opportunists seeking to loot estates are likely applauding this move. Disgruntled family members, wannabe heirs or unscrupulous members of the legal industry will find Obamacare helpful with Involuntary Redistribution of Assets (IRA) actions in which probate venues or instruments like wills, trusts, guardianships and powers of attorney are used to divert assets from intended heirs or beneficiaries.

The House of Representatives bill introduced end-of-life counseling. When “reform” cost explanations failed to reconcile with fiscal responsibility principles and political realities, the public viewed such provisions as precursors to health care rationing and logically began questioning administration of such a process. While the exact language of the Senate bill is yet to be determined, concern legitimately exists that similar end-of-life provisions or measures that open the door to such provisions will be inserted prior to any upcoming vote.

Palliative care, a common end-of-life care component, is defined as any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing disease symptom severity rather than striving to halt, delay, or reverse progression of the disease itself or provide a cure. The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing serious, complex illness. While used with aggressive treatment, it is also a common alternative for patients who decline prolonged, expensive efforts. Performed under the guise of government-run health care, it’s likely to become a mandated, state-sponsored doping of sick Americans deemed unsuitable for proactive medical treatment.

Elder financial abuse is frequently termed the crime of the 21st century. Estate looting and other probate abuse fall into this category. Estate disputes frequently include allegations of undue influence with the role of medication being a common point of contention. If palliative care becomes a major tool in the government’s arsenal of health care cost-cutting measures, predators will seize this opportunity.

“Isolate, medicate, steal the estate” is a phrase commonly associated with IRA acts. The medicate phase offers great opportunity for the use of undue influence that can lead to late-in-life and uncharacteristic estate plan changes. Abandoning proactive medical treatments to artificially incapacitate our seniors in the name of “palliative care” will aid unscrupulous individuals in estate hijacking pursuits. Similar concerns can be raised for the disabled or younger people with terminal illness or life-threatening injuries – especially individuals attached to a significant estate as legal settlements can provide.

People seem increasingly concerned as they learn more about the proposed reforms. The administration and Congressional leaders claim their reform will better for all Americans. The federal government wants us to trust them with a plan that will ultimately position a majority of Americans to forfeit a flawed, but functioning health care system to provide coverage for up to 40+ million previously uninsured “Americans” whose true numbers are unknown. The pressure to quickly approve this legislation despite its illogical economic premise and language clearly questionable to the longevity and welfare of many Americans – especially the elderly – is rightfully a major cause for concern.

Estate abuse and probate corruption already threaten the property rights of Americans and their heirs' or beneficiaries' inheritance rights. Provisions of this legislation – specifically doping rather than treating certain population segments – will add to the problem. An unsuspecting public must become aware of IRA threats and the accompanying consequences likely to flow from the current health care proposal.

The treatment of estate thefts as civil rather than criminal matters has already provided growth opportunities for the legal industry in addition to generating incentives for others desiring to divert assets from intended beneficiaries. Increased numbers of heavily-medicated, especially elderly, Americans will likely fuel this expansion of activity.

Lou Ann Anderson is an advocate working to create awareness regarding the Texas probate system and its surrounding culture. She is the Online Producer at www.EstateofDenial.com and a Policy Advisor with Americans for Prosperity – Texas Foundation. Lou Ann may be contacted at info@EstateofDenial.com.

Texas is No. 1 in Electricity (December 14, 2009)

Competition is Watt Matters

AUSTIN – A study released December 7 reveals that for the third year in a row, Texas has been rated No. 1 in residential electricity competition and No. 1 for the second year in a row in commercial energy competition.

“Lone Star State consumers have benefited from a competitive electricity marketplace,” said Peggy Venable, state director of Americans for Prosperity, “We have good news in Texas, and it is not result of a top-down regulatory regime, but of allowing the free market to work. Consumers like choices and have taken advantage of those opportunities in selecting their electricity providers.”

Texas leads the nation in wind turbine capacity and wind energy production. States which have vibrant energy markets have experienced rapid growth in renewable generation.

“We Texans like to brag,” said Venable. “The Texas Legislature has opened the electricity marketplace and consumers have responded.”

Most consumers have 130 different offers and four out of five consumers have exercised their ability to choose. Consumers are the beneficiaries of a vibrant electricity marketplace, according to the new study.

The Annual Baseline Assessment of Choice in Canada and the United States (ABACCUS) results evaluating the effectiveness of retail choice in the electricity industry were released Monday. The study, Assessment of Restructured Electricity Markets, is a project of the Energy Retailer Research Consortium.

“Unfortunately, not all consumers have the opportunity to choose their provider,” said Venable. “Those of us in municipally-owned utility regions and those in co-ops can’t choose other providers until the cities and co-op boards elect to allow competition. And that could be a freezing cold August day in Texas before that happens.”

The Lone Star State has been ranked first in residential and commercial electricity restructuring and benefits derived to residential and commercial consumers.

Consumer choice has helped provide lower prices and more alternatives for consumers in every state which has embraced free market competition.

For an overview of the study, go to:

http://www.competecoalition.com/blog/2009/12/energy-retailer-research-consortium-competitive-electricity-markets-are-thriving/

Jobs Aren’t Created at Job Summits (December 7, 2009)

Commentary by Peggy Venable,

Texas Director, Americans for Prosperity Foundation

The Obama Administration should look to Texas for ways to create jobs. While jobs aren’t created at job summits, businesses large and small look for certainty in taxation and regulation.

Instead, the Obama Administration and Congress are considering two of the biggest tax bills in history in the health care reform and the cap and trade legislation. And federal government debt has hit $12 trillion.

While Texas has created more jobs than any other state in the country, and touts creating more jobs last year than all other states combined, and has a rainy day fund of over $8 billion, officials in the Obama Administration will be convening a jobs summit.

We in Texas could have saved them the effort. Washington officials should look to Texas to see that tort reform, lower taxes, limiting government growth and debt, and common-sense regulations open the door to job creation.

Texas is No. 1 in the country for job creation and is the No. 1 state for business relocation. For the first time in history, Texas has more Fortune 500 companies than any other state. Texas also is named as the No. 1 state for tort reform.

We have good news in Texas, which also includes having been named the top state for government spending transparency.

So as the jobs summit is convening in Washington, D.C., Americans for Prosperity recommends that Congress and the Administration look to Texas for ways to boost job creation and improve the economy.

AFP Foundation-Texas has created a website www.GoodNewsInTexas.com which lists some of the ways Texas is No. 1 in the country.

Rather than holding summits, Washington officials should look to Texas for ways to create jobs and improve the U.S. economy

Tragedy at Ft. Hood (November 23, 2009)

An open letter from a former Battalion Commander at Ft Hood, 2002-2004

This past Thursday 13 American Soldiers were killed and another 30 wounded at a horrific mass shooting at US Army installation, Ft Hood Texas . As I watched in horror and then anger I recalled my two years of final service in the Army as a Battalion Commander at Ft Hood, 2002-2004.

My wife and two daughters were stunned at the incident having lived on the post in family housing.

A military installation, whether it is Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, or Coast Guard, is supposed to be a safe sanctuary for our Warriors and their families. It is intended to provide a home whereby our "Band of Brothers and Sisters" can find solace and bond beyond just the foxhole but as family unit

A military installation is supposed to be a place where our Warriors train for war, to serve and protect our Nation.

On Thursday, 5 November 2009 Ft Hood became a part of the battlefield in the war against Islamic totalitarianism and state sponsored terrorism.

There may be those who feel threatened by my words and would even recommend they not be uttered. To those individuals I say step aside because now is not the time for cowardice. Our Country has become so paralyzed by political correctness that we have allowed a vile and determined enemy to breach what should be the safest place in America, an Army post.

We have become so politically correct that our media is more concerned about the stress of the shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan. The misplaced benevolence intending to portray him as a victim is despicable. The fact that there are some who have now created an entire new classification called; "pre-virtual vicarious Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)" is unconscionable.

This is not a "man caused disaster". It is what it is, an Islamic jihadist attack.

We have seen this before in 2003 when a SGT Hasan of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) threw hand grenades and opened fire into his Commanding Officer's tent in Kuwait . We have seen the foiled attempt of Albanian Muslims who sought to attack Ft Dix, NJ. Recently we saw a young convert to Islam named Carlos Bledsoe travel to Yemen, receive terrorist training, and return to gun down two US Soldiers at a Little Rock, Arkansas Army recruiting station. We thwarted another Islamic terrorist plot in North Carolina which had US Marine Corps Base, Quantico as a target.

What have we done with all these prevalent trends? Nothing.

What we see are recalcitrant leaders who are refusing to confront the issue, Islamic terrorist infiltration into America, and possibly further into our Armed Services. Instead we have a multiculturalism and diversity syndrome on steroids.

Major Hasan should have never been transferred to Ft Hood, matter of fact he should have been Chaptered from the Army. His previous statements, poor evaluation reports, and the fact that the FBI had him under investigation for jihadist website posting should have been proof positive.

However, what we have is a typical liberal approach to find a victim, not the 13 and 30 Soldiers and Civilian, but rather the poor shooter. A shooter who we are told was a great American, who loved the Army and serving his Nation and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) stating that his actions had nothing to do with religious belief.

We know that Major Hasan deliberately planned this episode; he did give away his possessions. He stood atop a table in the confined space of the Soldier Readiness Center shouting "Allahu Akhbar", same chant as the 9-11 terrorists and those we fight against overseas in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of operation.

No one in leadership seems willing to sound the alarm for the American people; they are therefore complicit in any future attacks. Our Congress should suspend the insidious action to vote on a preposterous and unconstitutional healthcare bill and resolve the issue of "protecting the American people".

The recent incidents in Dearborn Michigan, Boston Massachusetts , Dallas Texas , and Chicago Illinois should bear witness to the fact that we have an Islamic terrorism issue in America . And don't have CAIR call me and try to issue a vanilla press statement; they are an illegitimate terrorist associated organization which should be disbanded.

We have Saudi Arabia funding close to 80% of the mosques in the United States, one right here in South Florida, Pompano Beach . Are we building churches and synagogues in Saudi Arabia? Are "Kaffirs" and "Infidels" allowed travel to Mecca?

So much for peaceful coexistence.

Saudi Arabia is sponsoring radical Imams who enter into our prisons and convert young men into a virulent Wahabbist ideology, one resulting in four individuals wanting to destroy synagogues in New York with plastic explosives. Thank God the explosives were dummy. They are sponsoring textbooks which present Islamic centric revisionist history in our schools.

We must recognize that there is an urgent need to separate the theo-political radical Islamic ideology out of our American society. We must begin to demand surveillance of suspected Imams and mosques that are spreading hate and preaching the overthrow of our Constitutional Republic that speech is not protected under First Amendment, it is sedition and if done by an American treason

There should not be some 30 Islamic terrorist training camps in America that has nothing to do with First Amendment, Freedom of Religion. The Saudis are not our friends and any American political figure who believes such is delusional.

When tolerance becomes a one way street it certainly leads to cultural suicide. We are on that street. Liberals cannot be trusted to defend our Republic, because their sympathies obviously lie with their perceived victim, Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

I make no apologies for these words, and anyone angered by them, please, go to Ft Hood and look into the eyes of the real victims. The tragedy at Ft Hood Texas did not have to happen. Consider now the feelings of those there and on every military installation in the world. Consider the feelings of the Warriors deployed into combat zones who now are concerned that their loved ones at home are in a combat zone.

Ft Hood suffered an Islamic jihadist attack, stop the denial, and realize a simple point.

The reality of your enemy must become your own.

Steadfast and Loyal,

Lieutenant Colonel Allen B West (US Army, Ret)

Political Correctness Gone Wild (November 16, 2009)

Let me state it right from the start so that there is no misunderstanding as to my position: Nidal Malik Hasan’s attack on U.S. soldiers at Fort Hood was an act of terrorism. By his murderous and treasonous act he should be subject to a General Court Marshal, placed before a firing squad and executed.

The first obligation of the United States government is to protect its citizens. This it failed to do on 9/11 and again on November 5, 2009. President Obama, as weak and indecisive a president as we’ve ever had, has stated that, “I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we get all the facts.” Yeah, right. Like he did when he accused Cambridge cop James Crowley of acting “stupidly” when arresting his buddy, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. without knowing anything about the facts of the matter? We can’t even get the facts as to Obama’s place and circumstance of birth because of his withholding that information from the public!

Here’s what we seem to know about Hasan according to an article by Carter Clews of GetLiberty.org, Americans for Limited Government:

In 2001, Hasan attended the notorious Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, where he listened in rapt attention as the fiery, anti-American imam Anwar Al-Awlaki encouraged his followers to attack the infidels. Not so coincidentally, among Hasan’s fellow attendees at the Center were two of the September 11 terrorists.

During his time at Walter Reed Hospital and the Uniformed Services University, Hasan, according to the New York Times, became increasingly hostile towards the War on Terror and Americans who defended it. Wrote the Times:

“A former classmate in the master's degree program said Major Hasan gave a PowerPoint presentation about a year ago in an environmental health seminar titled "Why the War on Terror Is a War on Islam." He did not socialize with his classmates, other than to argue in the hallways on why the wars were wrong … [S]ome students complained to their professors about Major Hasan.”

Even more recently, according to an ABC News Online article, intelligence sources had a level of knowledge that Hasan was in communication with al Qaeda assets abroad. And according to the highly reliable web site, the Northeast Intelligence Network, “this and information similar but not directly related to such communications became a ‘political issue’ between government agencies and officials ‘at the policy making levels’ of the administration.”

Hasan was a Muslim fanatic who wrote internet postings praising Islamic suicide bombers. The Army knew he was a supporter of the Islamic jihad against the west and had him under investigation for the past 6 months, yet he remained an Army Major, with access to military intelligence and lethal weaponry.

Chuck Medly, Fort Hood’s director of Emergency Services, told Reuters that Hasan yelled “Allahu Akbar” just before the shooting. An ABC news report indicted that Hasan attempted to contact al-Queda.

Obama says not to jump to conclusions; Chris Mathews says, “It’s unclear if religion was a factor in this shooting;” Tom Gjlten on NPR says Hasan may have been suffering from “pre-traumatic stress disorder;” and Geraldo Rivera says “I don’t know what motivates him…as far as I know…he’s a sociopath; he’s a criminal. He could have had a toothache and gone off because of that.”

I say, “Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining!”

Political correctness killed those soldiers and one civilian at Ft. Hood and seriously wounded 30 others. Muslims killed nearly 3,000 of our citizens 8 years ago as a religious declaration of war against us, not the other way around. A Muslim murdered a soldier at a military recruiting center in Arkansas earlier this year. Unless the United States becomes a politically correct free zone there will be more Americans killed by Muslim terrorists in this country.

The Defense Department says there are 3,572 Muslims in the American military. The American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council put the number at more than 15,000. That’s enough to send shivers up anyone’s spine.

The administration, the media and liberals in general try to sell us a bill of goods that these dastardly acts are committed by radical Muslims, not the vast majority of so-called “moderate” Muslims who follow a “peace-loving” religion, but where is the evidence of that? If the “moderates” are in the majority, why aren’t they taking action to curtail Muslim extremists and speaking out against them? Their silence is assent to their murderous acts. One need only read the Koran to know it is not a “peace-loving” religion.

The First Amendment restricting Congress from making any law prohibiting the free exercise of religion doesn’t require the government or the people to tolerate a religious movement that is hell bent on killing us. Unless the government and its enablers wake up and stop their self-destructive policy of Muslim appeasement, the people better look to their own defense against political correctness gone wild.

And remember Klee’s law: “Judge me by the people with whom I surround myself” (Barack Obama) (I thought you’d get a kick out of this one – it says it all)

Sen. Hutchison Issues a Statement
on Trial of 9/11 Terrorists (November 23, 2009)

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Texas’ senior Senator, issued a statement today on Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to transfer five Guantanamo Bay detainees with alleged ties to the 9/11 conspiracy, including accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, to go on trial in civilian court.

“I am strongly opposed to Attorney General Holder’s decision to give Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other terrorists the same rights as American citizens - rights they do not deserve,” said Sen. Hutchison.

“Today’s announcement will jeopardize our national security and undermine our legal system. We cannot underestimate the possibility that the trial will divulge intelligence, information gathering and other sources and methods that are critical to our progress in the War on Terror. This poses an unacceptable risk, considering that we already have a military tribunal system established in Guantanamo Bay.”

“I encourage the Obama Administration to reverse this decision. The safety of our citizens must be our paramount concern and should not be undermined in order to win international applause.”

Index of Texas News articles for the past 6 months

To read a particular article, simply click on the title below

2010 Articles

	Obama is on the Attack - President Obama came to our state a couple of weeks ago and insulted Americans for Prosperity and in doing so insulted you.
	Texas News Texans Need to Know About - Recent articles across the state that affect Texans
	Muslim Day at Six Flags 09/11 Weekend - The folks at Six Flags are pulling out all the stops to create a Muslim Day at their parks
	Taxpayers On The Hook For $2.4 Trillion – In Local Gov’t Debt - We need partisan elections, on uniform election days, to uncover the worst of the seemingly innocuous, hide-behind-the-rhetoric, tax-and-spend bureaucrats who lurk in county commissioners courts, city councils, school boards, MUD boards, and so on.
	Guess Who Wants Gov. Perry to Violate the State Constitution - And not a peep from Democratic candidate for Governor Bill White
	State of Texas Challenges Federal Government's Offshore Drilling Moratorium - The State’s legal challenge charges the Administration with violating a federal law that requires the Secretary of Interior to consult with affected states before imposing an offshore drilling moratorium.
	Democrat Nominee For Railroad Commission Mum On Obama Coming To Town - If I were a Democrat running for office in Texas, I wouldn’t want Texans to know I support President Obama’s extreme left-wing policies like ObamaCare either
	Multiple Ranches In Laredo, Texas Taken Over By Los Zetas - Los Zetas, the highly trained killers formerly with the Gulf Cartel, have crossed into the United States and taken over at least two ranches in the Laredo, Texas area
	Texas Higher-Ed Students Face Ambition Tax - Texas set-asides should be stopped. A student shouldn’t have to pay for another’s tuition especially when they can hardly afford to pay for their own
	Transparency Needed in Texas - One way to measure the quality of state government transparency efforts is to look at how easy it is for the average citizen to actually access and search through government documents. It’s not easy in Texas.
	Texas Opposes Financial Takeover - The two Texas Senators are among the few who have their heads screwed on straight.
	Klee Appointed Sate Chaplain - At the 92nd Annual Convention of The American Legion, Department of Texas held recently at the Holiday Inn in Beaumont, Texas, Harvey H. Klee, was appointed Department Chaplain 2010-2011 by the incoming Department Commander, Ken Mueller.
	Texas Leads the Nation in Job Growth – Again - “Texas truly is a beacon of fiscal sanity in the nation. Other states – and our leaders in Washington – would do well to implement similar policies that have led to the prosperity we enjoy in Texas.”
	California Condemns Arizona’s Laws but Not Its Own - Before critics of Arizona’s new immigration law make fools of themselves, they should really try to read the bill. And if those critics are officials of other states or cities, maybe they should take a quick tour of their own laws first, too.
	Joe the Plumber at the Summit - Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, will be in Austin this July 4th weekend to help empower citizens to take back America at the Texas Defending the American Dream™ Summit.
	Obama Ignores Texas Plea for Help - Still No Word on Troops to Texas-Mexico Border. Perry's request goes ignored for more than a year.
	UAV Flights on Texas-Mexico Border - Only about 700 miles of the 2,000 mile-long southern border are under effective control. Portions of the southern border that are ineffectively monitored become open portals for drug cartels, arms dealers, human traffickers, and even terrorists.
	Voter Fraud in Texas, Part 1 - Charged with illegal vote harvesting, a political worker explains how voter fraud works
	Voter Fraud in Texas, Part 2 - Neighbor suggested vote harvesting to boost income

	Texas Says “No” to Federal High-risk Pool - The federal program “lacks rules to guide the states and appears to be underfunded at the federal level.”
	The War on Sunshine in Texas - A guest article by Peggy Venable, Americans for Prosperity State Director
	Abolish the Texas State Board of Education? - Sen. Hinojosa believes if the voter-elected Board makes rulings that don’t fit his liberal agenda, then the Board should be eliminated.
	Texans Experience “Tax Freedom” on April 5 - Texans do better than others but the 16^th Amendment still trumps the 13^th
	Landmark Second Amendment Issue Before the U.S. Supreme Court - Attorney General Abbott authored a brief on behalf of 38 state attorneys general that defends law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms and attended the landmark second amendment argument at the United States Supreme Court.
	A Better Challenge to Obamacare - Don’t leave it up to the Supreme Court – it doesn’t follow the Constitution and is part of the problem
	Texas Will Challenge Federal Health Care Legislation - Democrats are in a “screw the people” mode. Looks like they’re in for a knock-down drag-out fight from patriotic states
	Obama: No Fishing Permitted - New Obama rules may prohibit citizens from fishing the nation's oceans, coastal areas, Great Lakes, and even inland waters.
	Chatroulette.com is Dangerous to Your Health - An increasingly popular Web site poses a threat to Texas children by giving users – including dangerous sex offenders – an opportunity to conduct live video chats with randomly selected participants.
	A Texas Representative Worth Applauding - An attempt to block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, something the Act was never designed to do.
	Texas Takes the EPA to Court of Global Warming Regulations - Texas challenges the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to enforce the Clean Air Act in Texas. Way to go!
	The Feds are Messing with Texas - Texas is the number one energy producer in the country and a large sector of the Texas job market relies on energy. The feds stand ready to screw that up.
	The Tenth Amendment is There for a Reason - With people looking to resist D.C. through state laws on everything from national health care to medical marijuana, the 10th Amendment appears ready to be front and center in the national debate this year

2009 Articles

	Obamacare: Stimulus for Estate Abuse? - Estate abuse and probate corruption already threaten the property rights of Americans and their heirs' or beneficiaries' inheritance rights – we don’t need the fed’s to make the problem worse
	Texas is No. 1 in Electricity – Competition is Watt Matters - Consumer choice has helped provide lower prices and more alternatives for consumers in every state which has embraced free market competition.
	Jobs Aren’t Created at Job Summits - Washington officials should look to Texas to see that tort reform, lower taxes, limiting government growth and debt, and common-sense regulations open the door to job creation. Commentary by Peggy Venable, Texas Director, Americans for Prosperity Foundation
	Sen. Hutchison Issues a Statement on Trial of 9/11 Terrorists - Attorney General Holder is out of his mind – no, that’s not the Senator’s statement, it’s mine
	Tragedy at Ft. Hood - An open letter from a former Battalion Commander at Ft Hood, 2002-2004 “When tolerance becomes a one way street it certainly leads to cultural suicide.”
	Political Correctness Gone Wild - Unless the government and its enablers wake up and stop their self-destructive policy of Muslim appeasement the people better look to their own defense.