Tuesday – June 9, 2026: The LP Committee members voted on what each thought should be the top 15 LPs put to the delegates when delegates vote. There were percentages associated with each, however the video did not show the results and the percentages were not announced so those watching knew what they were. Nor could YouTube watchers see the list of those items not included in the top 15.
Secure Texas Elections
Stop Islamification of Texas
Abolish Property Taxes
Ban Taxpayer Funded Lobbying
End Governmental Overreach
Border Enforcement
Medical Freedom
Protect Life
Secure the Electric Grid
Water Natural Resources
Protect Texas Kids
No Democrat Chairs
Eminent Domain
Gambling
2A, Second Amendment
After public comment this afternoon, there will be additional discussion about the details in each of these topics. Concerns mentioned by multiple members that were not included in the top 15: AI, Education Reform, Texas is not for Sale, State Budget and a couple of others.
I hope they consider the wording we put forth regarding “No Dem Chairs”. That was accomplished last session, so it needs to be broader than just chairs. Our verbiage was “No Democrats in Leadership Roles”.
Bastrop County Republicans held their convention in March, 2026. I was honored to have been selected to chair the “Legislative Priorities” committee. This is the first time Senate District (SD) and County Conventions have voted on Legislative Priorities (LPs).
Bastrop County LPs are sent up to the State Convention LP committee. They will review submissions from all SD & County Conventions and create a list for delegates to the State Convention to vote on. Convention starts June 8 with committee meetings. The full convention starts at 9AM on June 11. By Saturday evening, we’ll know which chair & vice chair candidates will lead us to victory in November. And, we’ll know the list of state-wide legislative priorities.
Here are the LPs from Bastrop County. These were unanimously approved after discussion with the entire delegation. The list, by title only, of priorities in order is below. To read the details on each item, please see the full report (PDF) sent to Texas GOP (also below).
Border Enforcement
Prevent the Use of Taxpayer Funds and Public Office to Advance any Religious, Ideological, or Foreign Systems of Law
Tax abatements shift the tax burden from the business getting the abatement to all other taxpayers. How does that happen?
It’s a simple concept. Governments budget income and expenses, just like you do. Local government income is primarily tax revenue. Expenses? I don’t think I need to explain those…. government spending.
Let’s talk about taxes (income). There are property taxes, sales taxes, hotel occupancy taxes, personal property taxes on businesses and some others. But that will do for my example.
Let’s say Local Government A gets revenue as follows:
Residential property taxes: $1,000,000 Commercial property taxes: $2,000,000 Hotel & Occupancy taxes: $ 500,000 Personal Property taxes: $ 750,000 TOTAL INCOME: $4,250,000 BUDGETED EXPENSES: $4,250,000
BUT, local elected officials decide that Business A should get a “tax abatement” and not pay any (or reduced) commercial property taxes or personal property taxes for the next 5 years.
In our example, we’ll say that Business A is estimated to pay $50,000 in commercial property taxes and $25,000 in personal property taxes each year. Also, the county has agreed to handle all administrative tasks (expense), do road repairs (expense), waive inspection fees (expenses incurred but not reimbursed by fees). Let’s estimate that to be $75,000 in expenses and lost income.
So now, with abatements, TOTAL INCOME above becomes $4,175,000 ($4,250,000 minus $75,000). Then there are those incurred expenses not paid by Business A, but paid by the local government. So, BUDGETED EXPENSES is now $4,325,000 ($4,250,000 + $75,000).
A net zero budget is now $150,000 in the hole and someone, some taxpayer, has to make up that deficit.
Every time there is an abatement without a matching reduction in spending, some other taxpayer picks up the tab.
Abatements give businesses tax breaks. There’s no such thing for residential property owners. We residential property taxpayers just pick up that deficit created by the abatements because there’s never a reduction in spending.
In fact, development increases government costs to provide services. Industrial/commercial less than residential, but all development increases costs. And, the “Order” on Tuesday’s agenda specifically states such as follows:
The County recognizes that participation in the Texas Enterprise Zone Program may require ongoing administrative coordination, reporting, record retention, compliance monitoring, and financial review by County staff, including the County Auditor’s Office and other County departments. The Commissioners Court reserves the right to establish administrative procedures, cost recovery mechanisms, or related agreements, as authorized by law, to support the administration of enterprise projects.
I’ve never seen a study in Bastrop County about the per capita cost of services. I’ve never seen a study here proving the income generated by a business exceeds the increased cost of government services. All we ever hear is how much revenue a development will generate. It sounds good, but my experience in local government elected office says it rarely works that way. And, even when it does, shouldn’t someone give taxpayers a true financial analysis?
The Bastrop County Commissioners, all Republicans, have Order 2026-09 on their agenda the day after Memorial Day at 9 a.m. Great timing with schools out and a preceding holiday weekend. Even poorer timing considering it’s election day.
Any patriot working the election will be unable to attend the meeting either in person or online to express their opinion about this issue. To me, someone who has worked elections for years, this is a real slap. (Full disclosure, I’m not working this election due to a prior out-of-state commitment.)
The order seeks to “ordain” the County’s participation in the Texas Enterprise Zone Program. According to the Governor’s website, “The Texas Enterprise Zone Program (EZP) is a state sales and use tax refund program designed to encourage private investment and job creation in economically distressed areas of the state.” (emphasis added)
I stress “economically distressed areas” in the above description. There’s a map on the Governor’s site. Space X is not in an “economically distressed” area. Nor is Bastrop County designated as a “distressed county”. The County admits so in its “Order“.
Every application of the Texas Enterprise Zone Program to a business that is not in an economically distressed area denies those benefits to a business or county that is in such an area. Eligibility is limited according to the Governor’s website.
“…communities with a population of less than 250,000 have 6 designations available. The state may award a maximum of 105 designations statewide per biennium, and may award up to 12 designations per quarterly round.”
Then there’s the fact that this is an all-Republican Commissioner’s Court. We didn’t elect these people to give tax breaks to businesses while residential property taxpayers get slammed. The GOP Platform gives guidance on this.
No Corporate Welfare: We encourage government to divest its ownership of all businesses that should be run in the private sector. We oppose all bailouts of and subsidies to domestic and foreign government entities, states, and for all businesses, public and private. We agree with the Texas Constitution’s requirement for fair and uniform taxation andoppose special treatment or tax breaks for favored industries or companies. We call for repeal or sunset of existing subsidy or special-interest tax exemptions, including the Special Events Trust Fund program, the Texas Enterprise Fund, Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, and lab-grown meat incentives, and now request repeal of Chapter 403.601 of the Texas Tax Code. […] (Plank 78, 2024 Texas GOP Platform, highlighting added)
So, why are they doing this? Star-struck perhaps? Because it’s Elon Musk? Perhaps it’s pressure from higher levels of government. Frankly, that would be my guess.
In conclusion, I don’t care what business owner is getting a tax break. I don’t believe in them. Redirecting the tax burden from one entity to another is socialist thinking.
I’m actually an Elon Musk fan. I don’t blame him for trying to get every break he can for his businesses. But our elected officials were put there by US, by the voters. Elon Musk, Governor Abbott, Donald Trump did not put them at the dais. We did. And they need to remember that, remember who they are supposed to represent, when voting to give another business a tax abatement.
Do you support Congressional term limits? Do you practice what you preach?
John Cornyn is running for US Senate for his fifth six-year term, thirty years. He is 74 years old and will be 80+ at the end of a fifth term. If you truly believe in Congressional term limits, you cannot vote for John Cornyn.
Politics is like an upside down funnel: there are lots of positions at the bottom but as you climb higher, there are fewer and fewer. For those who climb the political “ladder” thinking one position prepares you for another, politicians who don’t step aside block out other qualified individuals. With the amount of money raised by incumbents and the cost to campaign, one has to be a multi-millionaire (or have very wealthy friends) to slide into a higher position. Was our Republic created so only the wealthy can serve in elected office? I think not.
Not voting your belief in Congressional term limits does two things: it forces out some very talented people with new, fresh ideas and it creates an environment where only the wealthy, or those with massive war chests, can serve in office.
Term limits, and voting accordingly if you believe in them, keeps our Congress a citizen congress, one where people with other career experiences come to serve, using their experience to make America great again, and then head back to real life.
Americans Overwhelming Support Term Limits
According to TermLimits.com, in 2025 over 83% of Americans favored term limits for members of Congress. For Republicans or Republican-leaning respondents, that percentage was 85%. Even for Democrats, the percentage was huge: 79%.
In 2025, US Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) introduced a joint resolutionlimiting US Senators to two six-year terms and limiting US House members to six two-year terms: a maximum of 12 years in both offices. The President is term limited. Why not Congress?
Did you know?
More than one-third of Senators in the 118th Congress were 70 or older. The 119th Congress is the third oldest in history. The average Senator is nearly 64 years old, which is 11 years older than the average Senator in 1981. Similarly, the House Members are nearly nine years older on average than they were in 1981. As of this year, Members of the House and Senate have an average of 8.6 and 11.2 years of prior service in their respective chambers. This represents a steady increase from the early 20th century when that number fell below six years for both the House and Senate.
~ McCormick Press Release, April 10, 2025
Early voting for the runoffs starts May 18. Think about this when you go to vote. Should any member of Congress serve 30 years? If you agree with me that’s far too long in one position, then it’s time to retire John Cornyn and elect Ken Paxton.
Precinct Conventions were held Saturday March 7. Anyone who voted in the Republican Primary was eligible to attend. Our precinct, 1008, passed 8 resolutions that will now move on to the Bastrop County GOP Convention on March 28.
Resolution #1 – Unanimously Approved TITLE: Remove Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson BE IT RESOLVED, that the Bastrop County Republican Party demands the Governor remove Jane Nelson from her position as Texas Secretary of State.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Governor Abbott appoint a Texas Secretary of State who will support the closure of Republican Primary elections as demanded by the Republican Party of Texas.
Resolution #2 – Approved 4 Ayes, 2 Nays TITLE: No Social Media Under Age 16 BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of the State of Texas believes the Texas Legislature and Governor should pass legislation and/or take all available steps to prohibit children under the age of 16 from accessing social media sites like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, Bigo Live, and Roblox following the lead of Australia.
Resolution #3 – Unanimously Approved TITLE: Opposing Casino Gambling in Texas Due to Documented Ties to the Chinese Government BE IT RESOLVED, that the Republican Party of Texas opposes the legalization, authorization, or expansion of casino gambling in the State of Texas; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Party specifically rejects any casino-related legislation or constitutional amendment backed by corporations with documented contractual, regulatory, or strategic ties to the government of the People’s Republic of China; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Party urges all Republican elected officials to defend Texas from foreign-influenced gambling interests and to prioritize the sovereignty, security, and economic integrity of the State of Texas.
Resolution #4 – Unanimously Approved TITLE: State Electoral College BE IT RESOLVED, that the Texas State Legislature shall cause to be enacted a State Constitutional Amendment creating an electoral college consisting of electors selected by the popular votes cast within each individual state senatorial district, who shall then elect all statewide office holders, provided that electors reside within the senatorial district to which they are elected, and that no Texas State Senator, Texas House Representative, or statewide elected official, be elected an elector.
Resolution #5 – Unanimously Approved (Splits Plank into 2 planks) TITLE:Electing Commissioners BE IT RESOLVED, that the people of Texas should elect their own Secretary of State and Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner.
Resolution #6 – Unanimously Approved (Modifies Plank 181) TITLE: Prohibition of acts restricting freedom of others BE IT RESOLVED, Protect the 1st Amendment rights of any citizen to practice their religion and exercise their right to free speech in the public square but without impeding the rights of others including freedom of movement in public places and without the commission of acts of intimidation and disorder likely to produce danger to the peace of the neighborhood.
Resolution #7 – Unanimously Approved TITLE: Legal Disputes Based on American Law Only BE IT RESOLVED, that all legal disputes in Texas must be decided based on American law rooted the fundamental principles of American due process; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that no orders other than those issued by official Texas government courts carry authority in the State of Texas; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that all legal issues in the State of Texas must only be adjudicated in accordance with the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Texas, and the laws duly adopted in these United States and the State of Texas.
Resolution #8 – Unanimously Approved TITLE: Defining Islamism as a Political Entity BE IT RESOLVED, that Islamism is a political ideology and not a religion, subjecting its organizations to all laws and obligations of political parties in Texas; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Constitutional and legal protections applicable to religions do not apply to Islamism and its organizations, but rather only to those who practice the religion of Islam; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that those entities determined by the State of Texas to be foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations may not benefit from any freedom of religion provisions of the Constitution of these United States and the Constitution and laws of the State of Texas.
These may not be specifically in the order in which they were adopted. Some included a fair amount of discussion prior to adoption. All but one were adopted unanimously.
Did you see when Stan said on Facebook that he didn’t have any idea some of these mailers were coming from PACs until they arrived in his mailbox? Now that the 8-day prior to the election reports are out, we have a broader view of where the money is sourced.
Stan’s consulting company (Catalyst Advisors Group LLC) is also the consulting company for Protect and Serve Texas PAC. This PAC received $15,000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform. They’ve sent several mailers for Stan.
Then there’s the Alliance of Texans for Conservative Leadership PAC. In our last post, we told you their only report to Texas Ethics showed they had no money. Zero.
Their 8-day report is very revealing. This PAC received $1.6 MILLION on February 5 this year. Yes, that’s right. Just 21 days ago, Texans for Lawsuit Reform put $1.6 MILLION into Alliance of Texans for Conservative Leadership PAC. They are the sole donor to this PAC. They then spent $692,762.63 on mailers. They failed to list the amount spent on each candidate, but Stan was a recipient, not once, but three times.
Candidates also have to file an 8-Day prior (to the election) report. We’ve already discussed the donations to Stan Gerdes from PACs in Sneaky but Legal Part 1 and Part 2.
The 8-day prior report covers just 30 days: Jan 23, 2026 – Feb 21, 2026.
Gerdes took in a whopping $549,682.65 in donations in that one month, overwhelmingly from Political Action Committees, not from district constituents.
Has someone been working the phones to raise money from Texas PACs and across the country to save his seat? Is Gerdes getting very nervous about the challenge from Tom Glass? This is a very long list of PAC donors directly to Gerdes in just 30 days.
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC $237,448 (does not include their donations to PACs that sent mailers for Gerdes);
Weekley, Richard (co-founder Texans for Lawsuit Reform) $2,500;
Texas Conservative Majority PAC $67,750;
Dustin Burrows Campaign $50,000;
Protect and Serve Texas PAC $35,150.89;
Texas REALTORS PAC (TREPAC) $28,842.34;
Associated Republicans of Texas Campaign Fund $19,259.83;
Troutman Pepper Locke LLP $5,473.25;
Texas House Republican Caucus PAC $5,000;
TX Diamondback Energy, Inc. PAC $4,000;
Texas Building Branch Asso General Contractors PAC $2,500;
Koch Industries, Inc. PAC (KOCHPAC) $2,500;
Rural Friends of Texas Electric Cooperatives $2,500;
Pape-Dawson Engineers PAC $2,500;
Texans for Reasonable Solutions PAC $2,000;
Texas Dairymen PAC $2,000;
Delisi Communications PAC $2,000;
Texas Manufactured Housing Assn. Committee For Responsible $2,000;
Texas Food & Fuel Assn. PAC $1,500;
Texas Society Of Anesthesiologists PAC $1,500;
AT&T Texas PAC $1,000;
Beer Alliance of Texas PAC $1,000;
Charter Schools Now PAC $1,000;
Congress Ventures LLC $1,000;
ConocoPhillips SPIRIT PAC $1,000;
Consulting Engineers PAC $1,000;
The American Electric Power – Texas – Committee for Responsible $1,000;
EYE PAC of the Texas Ophthalmological Assn $1,000;
Houston Police Officers Union PAC $1,000;
K & L Gates LLP Committee for Good Government $1,000;
Germania Farm Mutual PAC $1,000;
Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PAC $1,000;
H B Strategies (Jefferson City MO) $1,000;
Mike Toomey & Associates $1,000;
Moak Casey PAC $1,000;
NRG Energy Inc. PAC $1,000;
Stan Schlueter Consulting $1,000;
Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND $1,000;
Texas Optometric PAC $1,000;
Texas Pipeline Assn PAC $1,000;
Tenaris Global Services (USA) Corp. PAC $1,000;
Texas Nurse Practitioners PAC $1,000;
PNM Responsible Citizens Group (Albuquerque NM) $750;
Greenberg Traurig, P. A. PAC (Albany NY) $750;
Texas Chemistry Council/Assn. Of Chemistry Alliance FREEPAC $500;
Texas State Assn. Of Fire Fighters Action Committee $500;
ExxonMobil Corp PAC $500;
Hochheim Prairie PAC $500;
Longbow Consulting Partners LLC $500;
ONEOK Inc Employee PAC (Tulsa OK) $500;
P. John Kuhl Jr., PC $500;
Sampson Public Affairs, LLC $500;
Texas Dental Association PAC $500;
Schwartz, Page & Harding, L.L.P. $500;
Liriano Motors LLC $250;
Texas Conservative Coalition PAC $40;
After the 8-day prior report, daily reports over a certain amount of contribution and expenditure are required. Gerdes reported this daily contribution: AFSCME Texas Correctional Officers PAC $5,000.
Ask yourself when you vote: who will Stan represent in Austin: you or these PACs? If your issue conflicts with their priorities, with whom will he vote? The answer is clear if he wants to stay in elected office (or move higher up the ladder which requires more and more money).
If nationwide reporting happens, it’s good to have it be positive reporting. That’s not what happened to Bastrop County TX. After the Bastrop County Commissioners’ caved in the face of opposition on the Charlie Kirk Memorial Corridor resolution, articles appeared in “The Hill“, “The Western Journal” and it was a subject on the Charlie Kirk Show.
Something similar happened when I was mayor of Denville NJ. My office got a call from a gentleman in Denneville France. Denneville is in Normandie, a small farming town with a beautiful beach area. Interestingly enough, the Ile of Jersey is just off the coast. Pierre Oheix had hoped we could establish a connection between our small towns. Both of us wondered if there was an historical connection.
I was a French major in college so was pretty excited about this possibility. I had the opportunity to travel to Denneville while mayor. An American flag was flown at the entrance to town when I arrived. There was a ceremony in town hall, a dinner with their state officials. What memories. Upon my return, though, the town council refused any connection. Why? Politics pure and simple. The press was quite negative toward the Council’s decision. Leadership in another town even wrote a letter to our paper stating that if Denville didn’t want to be sister cities, they gladly would do so.
Political foolishness. Just like the Bastrop County Commissioners back-peddling from an opportunity to honor a man whose life was savagely taken through political violence.
Postings on social media made it obvious people had not read the resolution and didn’t understand it. For days I had been posting on various forums that this was not a renaming of the highway but rather a request to the legislature for the designation of a memorial corridor. Additionally, people kept claiming Charlie had no connection to the County.
That’s flat out wrong. In 2019, I personally invited Charlie to speak in Bastrop County. I was president of the Lost Pines Republican Women and we contracted for 8/29/2020. Due to Covid, that event had to be cancelled and we rescheduled for May 1, 2021.
We were so lucky to host Charlie in Bastrop County. Having had the privilege of meeting him and talking with him, I’m very disappointed and saddened at how fast our all-Republican Commissioner’s Court caved on this issue. Elected officials need to have solid core beliefs that guide them. They cannot back down from that which is right just because some people don’t agree with them or for purely political reasons. Imagine if Charlie had lived his life that way…. TPUSA wouldn’t exist.
Charlie was a very religious man who gave everyone a chance to express their opinions, to ask questions, to discuss. He was not argumentative. What came through was his strong core values, deep faith and love of family. I was privileged to have met him and hope the day comes when our County Commissioners change their minds.
Politics is like an upside down funnel: there are lots of positions at the bottom but as you climb higher, there are fewer and fewer. For those who climb the political “ladder” thinking one position prepares you for another, politicians who don’t step aside block out other qualified individuals. With the amount of money raised by incumbents and the cost to campaign, one has to be a multi-millionaire (or have very wealthy friends) to slide into a higher position. Was our Republic created so only the wealthy can serve in elected office? I think not.
In 2025, US Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) 
We were so lucky to host Charlie in Bastrop County. Having had the privilege of meeting him and talking with him, I’m very disappointed and saddened at how fast our all-Republican Commissioner’s Court caved on this issue. Elected officials need to have solid core beliefs that guide them. They cannot back down from that which is right just because some people don’t agree with them or for purely political reasons. Imagine if Charlie had lived his life that way…. TPUSA wouldn’t exist.