Money tells a story

I always find it interesting to see where a candidate gets his or her money. What PACs (Political Action Committees) donate to a candidate? Sometimes development interests, energy interests, and out of state interests far exceed local donations. To whom will a candidate be beholden when they are elected?

Candidate financial reports are all online at Texas Ethics Commission (https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/). Search by a candidate name to find the reports. Use the arrows at top right to move through the multiple pages of reports. Follow the money and see if you think it tells a story.

Core Values vs “Go along. Get along.”

The Friday Reflection in today’s Texas Minute from TexasScorecard.com is a must read for every voter. I’m reprinting with permission. Don’t vote for your friend because that person is your friend. Don’t pick your candidate based on campaign literature. When analyzing your choices, remember that pressures will come from all sides: lobbyists, businesses, utilities, other legislators who can hand out plum committee positions, office locations, introductions. Can your candidate withstand those pressures? If you don’t think so, that candidate should not get your vote.

2022-02-11Friday-Reflection

The Power of Us

I’m subscribed to the Grassroots America We The People newsletter. Always very interesting, great calls to action, and to me, very often full of inspiration.

For example, in today’s newsletter, JoAnn shared this truth:

When the dark spirit of financial and political greed and the desire to be a Machiavellian kingmaker result in character assassination and personal destruction for sport, how much better is the conservative hireling from the rabid, soulless character on the political Left? This is a point to ponder – for as night follows day, a reckoning will surely come. If not in this life, in the one to come.

Look at any championship sports team and you’ll see cohesion, not division. Yes, some will excel, some will be outspoken, some will quietly engage in a background supporting role, but all will work to make the team one well oiled machine.

Republicans would do well to remember this during primary season. We have a deep bench. We have a supportive public on the issues.

We must elect candidates who will make decisions looking through the lens of conservatism, not looking through their list of financial supporters.

We must elect candidates with strong core values, not whose direction is determined by the prevailing winds or PAC money.

Electing the best candidate to be our true Conservative standard bearer in the General election is our mission.

Remember it. Work together to accomplish it. Bury the “dark spirit of financial and political greed and the desire to be a Machiavellian kingmaker”.

The survival of our Republic depends on it.

In Memory 20 (now 22) Years Later

Below is the letter to the editor I sent twenty years ago. I lived in Denville NJ, worked for Morris County NJ. I could see the towers from “The Hill”, a cluster of county buildings. I could see the smoke for what seemed like forever from the hills in Denville.

I’m sad to say, it seems like we have forgotten. I’m sad to say our country does not share the patience of the terrorists. I’m sad to say today’s President has turned victory into defeat and handed an entire country and our military equipment to the terrorists.

May we find our response once again as we did after 9-11. And, may God continue to bless us all, especially these United States.

September 21, 2001

To the Editor:

One of the greatest lessons my parents taught me was that we can achieve anything if we want it badly enough and work to achieve it with relentless patience, fairness, truthfulness, diligence and determination.

It is clear now that these ice-hearted terrorists lived next door to us, sent their children to our schools, learned their trades in our schools, and profited from our financial institutions FOR YEARS. They were focused, patient, and determined. They planned this, and other, despicable acts over YEARS.

When their first attempt to down the towers didn’t work, they didn’t point fingers, wail, and place blame.

Over several more YEARS, they planned and hit other US targets: our Embassies and the USS Cole.

They steeled themselves to do better the next time, learning from their mistakes. They kept, and still keep, their eyes focused on their goal. To win this war, to maintain our freedom, we must be as steeled.

Our President has asked that we
be equally as focused, patient, and determined. We must resolve that we can spend five years, ten years, twenty or more planning and executing this war to rout terrorism from the globe.

We must remember that a ten-year battle to preserve a 225-year heritage of democracy and freedom is SO little to give, so little to sacrifice.

To those who have been stung by the sudden loss of their loved ones, I offer my sincerest condolences. To Mayor Guiliani and every American who has stepped forward to lead and to assist, thank you, for you have defined heroism in front of our eyes, untiringly, day after day.

Everything we stand for, everything we live for, is at stake. We must put COUNTRY first, as without that, the foundations of our families, our communities, our workplaces, and every other aspect of life as we know it will be destroyed.

We must stay the course for a long, long time.

God Bless America!

Carol A. Spencer

Former Mayor, Denville Township, NJ

If you’re not watching, you should be

If you’re not watching Mike Lindell’s Symposium on the 2020 election, you should be. https://frankspeech.com

This isn’t political. This isn’t about Trump.

This is about cyber security. This is about cyber warfare. It’s about the ways machines can be hacked. Not connected to the Internet? Really? How would you know? It’s the question I raised when we ‘tested’ the machines locally.

This isn’t about mail-in ballots. This is about digital hacking. You’ll get quite the education, not matter what you believe after hearing the evidence and experts.

China is not going to have to fire a shot to take over our country. They will control elections, while we sit arguing with each other about poll watchers, mail-in ballots, state laws.

Watch. Learn. Understand the math, the movement of data, the transformation of data, and the stealing of our elections.

Hey TX House: Texas is red, not purple

I am proud to be a signer of this letter to Texas House members from the Texas Conservative Grassroots Coalition. Nearly 200 conservative leaders from across the great State of Texas signed this letter.

I know they agree with me that we didn’t work as hard as we did in this election cycle to get Republicans elected, only to see members vote for a House Speaker who thinks it’s okay for Democrats to chair House committees. We didn’t work as hard as we did to see the GOP legislative priorities be ignored and not put to a vote. We didn’t work as hard as we did to see a purple legislative session when all is said and done.

As the letter states, “To be clear, Texas voters did not vote for bipartisan capitulation or compromise with Democrats, they voted for conservative Republican policies to be enacted.”

And finally, “We expect each Texas House Republican to visibly work to get the Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priorities to the floor for a vote and to fight on to pass those priorities. We expect each Texas House Republican to visibly stand against the appointment of Democrats to House Committee Chairmanships and against Democrat majorities on the committees.”

Be happy!

While the results of the presidential election are still not determined, and the news media has called the race for Democrat Joe Biden, the news across the country for the GOP is excellent. Be happy!

While the results of the presidential election are still not determined, and the news media has called the race for Democrat Joe Biden, the news across the country for the GOP is excellent. Be happy!

Bastrop GOP LogoBastrop County GOP swept every contested race in the County.  Every GOP candidate won here.  Congrats to Mike Gepner on providing the leadership, and hands on work, that a county chairman should.  Congrats to Mike and his team on building the network needed to take us forward as a growing county with a growing Republican Party.

Republicans are expected to gain 13 more seats in the US House of Representatives. Current totals are Dems: 215, GOP: 201, Not yet decided: 19.  218 are needed for a majority.

Republicans held all statehouse chambers. And, the GOP gained control of both the NH House and Senate. Redistricting happens after a census year, so in many states, including TX, FL and NC, GOP legislatures will be drawing the maps. Those three states represent more than 80 house seats.

Congressman Michael McCaulTexans continue to be represented by two Republican US Senators: Senator Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, who handily won re-election. In our own Bastrop County, both Congressman Michael McCaul (CD-10) and Congressman Michael Cloud (CD-27) won re-election.

Let’s talk Texas:

  1. All statewide positions stayed with the GOP.
  2. Nearly all judicial positions remained in GOP hands.
  3. The Texas House continues with a GOP majority: the same split as it had in the 2019 session (83 GOP to 67 Dems).
  4. The Texas Senate continues with a GOP majority. We lost the super majority by one seat, but kept the split nearly what it was in the 2019 session. (19 GOP to 12 Dems in 2019; now 18 GOP to 13 Dems)
  5. Overall, Texas did not lose one GOP Congressional seat and is poised to pick up two, or possibly three, additional seats due to the census. With both the Texas House and Senate firmly in GOP hands, and a Republican governor, the redistricting map, including those two new Congressional districts, will be drawn by the GOP.

There is much to celebrate for the GOP both in Texas and nationwide. Be happy!