“I do know this, and that is: Working with Speaker Bonnen this past session, we were able to pass remarkable reforms to reduce property taxes, to reform school finance, and so many other things. And so, he was a good partner in working to make this a very successful session.” – Gov Greg Abbott
On Tuesdays Radio show Pastor Greg Young, host of the Chosen Generation Radio Show and Matt Long President of the Fredericksberg Tea Party and host of the Matt Long Show express their frustration with the Texas State leadership Governor Greg Abbott, Lt Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Rep Dennis Bonnen over their abysmal leadership in this most recent Legislative Session. As they go around talking about its success which is in complete opposition to the facts.
These are the five priorities of the Texas Republican Party as voted upon by the citizens whom the Republicans in office represent. Let’s briefly look at how this comes about. At every polling place in Texas there is a precinct in which the voters belong. After the election there is a Precinct meeting for each party Republican and Democrat and individuals from that Precinct are able to go to these meetings where a discussion about the election takes place, votes on the party platform and what should be on the platform and a vote for who should represent that Precinct at the County Republican Caucus. Those elected go with instructions to vote for what that precinct is concerned about. At the county level, a larger number of issues are raised and those who were sent are placed on various committees to discuss what each committee will put forth with their recommendations as the Parties platform takes shape. After votes are tabulated, representatives selected and officers votes in there is a State convention. At that Convention, those who were voted in go to the State convention and the process begins to narrow down the platform to Five priority items and a list of other items that make up the Parties Platform. So you can see that there are a lot of people involved and it is a very constitutional republic type of process with representatives sent at each step to each meeting. This is how the platform is created and below is the top five priorities and a link to the GOP Party platform.
Constitutional Carry
“Pass constitutional carry while maintaining licensing as optional for reciprocity purposes. ”
End Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
“Pass legislation to abolish all forms of taxpayer-funded lobbying and end the automatic payroll deduction of union dues by the government.”
Pro-Life
“Pass legislation to abolish abortion; including, but not limited to, enacting legislation that would ignore and refuse to enforce any and all federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, and court rulings, which would deprive an unborn child of the right to life, as well as enacting life-saving legislation such as PreNDA or a ‘heartbeat bill.’ Completely eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood and their affiliates and prohibit their physical and digital presence in our schools.”
Property Tax
“Abolish the Maintenance and Operation School property tax and replace it with a consumption tax or other mechanism other than income tax while broadening the tax base, eliminating the appraisal board and taxing the property at the purchased value or the free market value upon change of hands for local government funding and special district funding. School Maintenance and Operation funds shall be allocated from the state’s general fund to Texas’ Independent School Districts via an inflation-adjusted, per-student-allocation. ”
Religious Freedom & Privacy
“Pass legislation prohibiting the violation of the rights and freedoms of individuals, organizations and businesses, to exercise their sincerely held religious beliefs by local ordinances or state laws; and pass legislation that protects the privacy and safety of women and children in multi-use facilities such as bathrooms, locker rooms and showers in all Texas schools and government buildings and oppose legislation that would undermine these privacy and safety protections.”
A very weak attempt at Property Tax Reform is all that passed. So in reality not one of the Top 5 priorities passed and the Republicans held once again a majority in the House and the Senate.
These are the Principles that these leaders swore an Oath to move forward on:
Principles
We, the 2018 Republican Party of Texas, believe in this platform and expect our elected leaders to uphold these truths through acknowledgment and action.
We believe in:
“The laws of nature and nature’s God,” and we support the strict adherence to the original language and intent of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutions of the United States and of Texas.
The sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God, which should be protected from fertilization to natural death.
Preserving American and Texas sovereignty and freedom.
Limiting government power to those items enumerated in the United States and Texas Constitutions.
Personal accountability and responsibility.
Self-sufficient families, founded on the traditional marriage of a natural man and a natural woman.
Having an educated population, with parents having the freedom of choice for the education of their children.
The inalienable right of all people to defend themselves and their property.
A free enterprise society unencumbered by government interference or subsidies.
Honoring all of those that serve and protect our freedom.
Gov Greg Abbott, Lt Gov Dan Patrick, and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen failed miserably in upholding these principles and in enacting this platform in the 86th Legislative Session, wherein they swore to do so and wherein they had majorities in both the House and the Senate. Now they are running around claiming a victory and demanding silence from dissenters. Proverbs 6:16 to 19:
16These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look (Running around the State with a false victory narrative.), a lying tongue (Taking an oath and not fulfilling it and saying that something was good when it was bad), and hands that shed innocent blood (Heart beat Legislation Could Have passed and did not so innocent babies are continuing to be killed),
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations (A Preschool Bill was passed and Sex Education and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identification Indoctrination will now begin in Fourth Grade per Gov Abbott’s Agenda), feet that be swift in running to mischief (Making threats and holding clandestine meetings),
19 A false witness that speaketh lies (Bearing false witness against Grass Roots Leadership), and he that soweth discord among brethren (Trying to turn Conservatives against Conservatives and breaking up the Freedom Caucus).
Sadly the GOP leadership in Texas is playing the same hand as the Democratic Party in Washington DC, a truly sad state of affairs.
