news – Page 8 – Carol A. Spencer

What’s the Score?

The score is 14 – 7. We’re losing.

I’m not talking about football. I’m talking about social media and digital communication. The Bastrop County Democrat Party in December (so far) has posted twice as much as the Bastrop County Republican Party. And, they’re on both Instagram and Twitter.

Social media is the preferred communication method for all age groups. Entities must be in these spaces to connect with the public.

The Republican Party website is out of date. The Election Information page showed Nov 4 ballot info as recently as Saturday, December 7. The cutoff date for filing to run for office was December 9. Until mid-day December 8, not one word was on the website about how to do so.

Silence about the new precinct created in Bastrop County last month even though it affects more than 2,000 voters. Nothing about how to register to vote, yet that’s the top priority for TexasGOP. And, the news page’s last article is from June 2, 2018! Its subject? A joint event with the Democrats.

Twitter? The last tweet from the Bastrop County Republican Party was April 25. The Democrats? December 3.

Instagram? (70% of 18 – 29 year olds use Instagram)
The Republican Party doesn’t even have an account. The Democrats last post? November 25.

YouTube? (90% of 18 – 49 year olds use YouTube)
The Republican Party doesn’t even have an account.

“You’re a digital communications expert and a precinct chair. Why don’t you volunteer to fix this,” you might ask. I have. The chair refused my offer. It’s one thing to lose a football game because of poor communication. It’s quite another to lose elections for that reason.

I was here before you came. I’ll be here when you leave.

In the late ’90s, I served as mayor of a town of 16,000 people. One day, as I sat in my office with an employee discussing her lackluster job performance, she looked at me and said “Mayor, I was here before you came. I’ll be here when you leave.” And, she was.

Her comment was in defense of not wanting to participate in automating work in her office. You know, the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality. But, it was a philosophy that was pervasive in local government among union employees who could not be fired except for “cause” (basically, provably, breaking the law).

People don’t like change. And, for government employees, every four years can bring a new chief executive with his/her own campaign promises, philosophies of governance and management, and policy implementation. If they wait long enough, that elected leader will be out of office.

Nothing compels employees to support and implement the policies of a new leader. I was undermined by employees who were loyal to former mayors. I was undermined by employees who were loyal to my political opponents. How? Submit required paperwork without signatures. Send legal documents to the wrong address so they don’t arrive where they need to be by their due date. Promise others funding that I specifically earmarked for a totally different project, leaving that project without funding. Cancel contracts without asking me first, contracts that could not be reinstated. Commit to tentative agreements, agreements I had clearly stated I would not approve. And, I could go on.

It is through that lens that I watch the impeachment hearings. It is through that lens that I am suspect of those testifying. It is through that lens that there isn’t one iota of doubt in my mind that there is a swamp, bureaucrats actively working to destroy the Trump presidency. It is through that lens that I believe the Democrats, and some Republicans, are working hard to keep the status quo that made some of them and their friends rich. It is through that lens that I support the President, believe there was no quid pro quo, and trust that Trump is doing the right thing by investigating the swamp dwellers.

Facebook is at it again.

Imagine my surprise when I found a warning in my FB timeline about a “photo” a friend had shared. I can’t think of anything, EVER, that has been shared with me that had “violent or graphic content”.

Read the POST below (though it was put up as a graphic file format). Just what exactly about it is “violent or graphic content”? NOTHING. It applies to anyone moving anywhere because they like what they saw, and then when they get there, trying to change the new location so it mimics where they came from. That’s reality whether it’s from city to city, state to state, or country to country.

Facebook strikes again.

Vote YES on PROP 4 to BAN A TEXAS INCOME TAX

VOTE YES on PROP 4 to BAN A TEXAS INCOME TAX. Early voting starts October 21 and ends November 1. Election day is November 5.

VOTE or risk this happening to Texas:

People across the country hear about the horrible tax burden in NJ, but did you know that state didn’t have an income tax until 1976?

The activist NJ Supreme Court ordered schools closed until there was a source other than property taxes for school funding. So, promised a small tax, a homestead rebate to reduce property taxes for homeowners, and a few other enticements, the NJ voters agreed to an income tax.

Today, NJ’s homestead rebate is only for income qualified homeowners, business or stock losses are not deductible, and the tax tops out at 8.97%.

The November Texas election will be a low turnout one because there aren’t “people” on the ballot… just the 10 Constitutional questions.

BE HEARD! It takes just a few minutes to vote. Early voting starts Monday October 21 at 8AM.

The most important vote you cast for Texas and for yourself:
VOTE YES on PROP 4 to BAN A TEXAS INCOME TAX.

Ellen DeGeneres Gets It

I’m a conservative Republican. My political views are about as far away from those of Ellen as they can be. So, I’ve surprised myself to be writing about her. Even more, I’ve surprised myself to be agreeing with her 100%.

On Sunday, Ellen was seated next to President George W. Bush and Laura Bush at the Dallas Cowboys football game. And, shock of shocks, she was pictured laughing with him. Predictably, she’s taken a boatload of hate and grief on social media for having done so.

“In fact, I’m friends with a lot of people who don’t share the same beliefs that I have. We’re all different, and I think we’ve forgotten that that’s OK that we’re all different,” she responded to the critics. Read the full story.

Amen.

For years, in response to constituent comments that start with “You know, I agree with almost everything you say, but…”, I say “Thank goodness for the ‘but’!” What a boring life it would be if we all agreed on everything.

And, liberals? I have very close friends and beloved family members who are liberal. I love them and they love me. We’re humans, not programmed robots. Whether our differences are narrowly focused or wide chasms, we don’t hate because of our differences. While not changing our core values, we celebrate our common ground, enjoy each other, and love because of the beauty in each of us.

Biden ADMITS Quid Pro Quo

Democrat candidate Joe Biden admits, in this April 3, 2019 report about a January 2018 interview, that he strong armed the government of the Ukraine to fire a prosecutor who was investigating a company tied to his son, Hunter Biden. He actually bragged about this abuse of power.

Democrats are terrified that President Trump is willing to investigate their misdeeds. Their very moves to impeach the President are, in and of themselves, an abuse of power.

We are not fooled by their protestations.

Be a part of TFRW. Join Lost Pines Republican Women!

Texas has a target on its back and the Dems are organizing, raising money, and planning to hit the ground running in our home state. Thanks, TFRW, for this great video!

The Lost Pines Republican Women’s club is growing fast because Bastrop County Republican women do not want our state to become another Illinois, California, New York or New Jersey. We have something special here, and as the saying goes “Freedom is not free”.

Join LPRW as I have. Meet new neighbors and make new friends while working to share the story of our Texas values. Get out the votes on election day to protect what we have and what we hold dear. Join LPRW today.