Texas Tea Parties – TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY?

In keeping with our website policy, I strive to provide any and all comments by challengers and incumbants in Texas districts which represent Tea Party principles.

Here’s an excerpt from an email from Bill Flores (challenger R17) which does exactly this:

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Glenn Reynolds, of www.InstaPundit.Com, has the following article in the Washington Examiner which is worth going through.

Since February 2009 we have seen a new political force in the USA.  From the article:

“In many states, Tea Partiers are taking over the local GOP apparatus (more…)

Yes, Bryan has suggested that the current incumbent Henry Cuellar (D-28) could use some “help” this November, and Obama would be just the one to come down and “help”. (more…)

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Looks like a great session! (more…)

From an email from Francisco Rodriguez R candidate TX-D23:

No one said it better than the current democrat House Budget Chairman John Spratt when in 2006 he stated “If you can’t budget, you can’t govern.”

Ciro Rodriguez and the democrats in Washington have decided that instead of passing a budget that set priorities, starts reducing our federal debt, and focuses on putting your money back in your family’s hands and that of small businesses they are going to continue to throw billions of dollars at wasteful efforts that line the pockets of their special interests. From the failed trillion dollar “stimulus”, that did nothing to improve the economy or promote private sector job growth, to the endless billions spent on bailouts and benefits for Wall Street CEO’s, this Congress has exhibited a reckless disregard on spending, debt, and our children’s future.

Here in Texas at your family’s kitchen table and in the offices of the small businesses that are the driving force of our economy, we have budgets to manage and plan our spending. …Join our team today so that we can change Congress, throw out Nancy Pelosi and send 40 new members to congress.

Hat tip to Ms. Turner from the North TX Mid Cities Power to the People – her post details all 70 of the Socialists in the US House, and I’ve excepted then ones from Texas:

These two individuals are up for re election in November. They are members of the House of Representatives from Texas.

Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) representing South Dallas
Hon. Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18) representing parts of Houston

Both are members of the Democratic Socialists of America, the principal arm in the USA of Socialists International. Yes, that’s the group whose origins go back to formation by and first head by Marx and Lenin.

We’re not talking about the Marx Brothers here, but Karl Marx, the commie. This organization’s creed includes:

Dignified Work
Environmental Justice
Economic Redistribution
Democratic Participation
Community Empowerment
Global Non-Violence
Social Justice.

How well has all that turned out in other countries?

Dear Friend,

One of the biggest problems with our broken political system today is that our elected representatives have essentially become a ruling class that does not directly feel the personal impact of the legislation that they pass.

Today, our Representatives are only truly held accountable every two years. With 97% of all incumbents winning re-election every cycle, they are not being held accountable very often.

This was not what our Founding Fathers intended.

Our forefathers never intended to create a ruling class of elites that make policy and hold power over the people. Rather, they instead envisioned a system where citizen legislators would serve the public for a short time and then return home to live under the laws that they wrote.

We have strayed quite far from our founding fathers’ intentions and it is time that we restore their vision of citizen legislators. I believe that in order to reform our system and restore confidence in the Congress, we must urgently reconnect Congress with the people.

My plan has five simple yet powerful elements, and I will advocate for them if I am elected to Congress:

1. Congressional Pay vs. Public Pain – If Members of Congress felt the pain that we Americans feel everyday, they would vote differently. If we directly linked Congressional pay to specific and meaning targets, it would have an impact. Why should a member of Congress receive a raise when they cannot balance the budget? Does that happen in your family? Of course not! If Social Security beneficiaries do not receive a cost of living adjustment, Congress should not receive a pay raise. If the national unemployment rate rises to excessive levels (as it is today), Congress should directly feel the pain by having their pay reduced. With some of these changes, our Representatives would have a different perspective. Under this element, Congress will be much more in touch with the economic situation that the rest of us feel everyday.
2. All Laws Must Apply to the Federal Government – Congress has exempted itself and most federal government employees from many federal laws and programs. Imagine, if you could write rules that would not apply to you, those rules would likely be different than if they did apply. So, for example, now that Obamacare has passed, it should apply to everyone in the federal government (excluding the Military). In addition, everyone in the federal government (again, excluding the Military), should have no special retirement plans; rather, they should be participating in Social Security and a 401k plan (or equivalent), just like most of the rest of us in the “real world”. If Members of Congress had to live under its own laws and programs, their decisions would undoubtedly be different.
3. Term Limits – As stated earlier, our Founding Fathers never envisioned a ruling class of career politicians, however, that is exactly what we have today. In the House of Representatives, most Congressmen think everyday about how they can selfishly improve their standing for reelection and how they can raise more money to fund their campaigns, rather than dedicating themselves to representing their Constituents and implementing good public policy in a thoughtful way. Also, in order to protect their positions in Congress they shovel pork barrel dollars back into their districts at an ever-increasing pace and they use their mail franking privileges to endlessly campaign for reelection. Legislation enacting term limits, specifically determined by the voters, would end this corrosive practice. Politicians should serve to the best of their ability for a short time then go do something else. The notion of unbeatable 20-year incumbents is not only fundamentally undemocratic; it is incredibly harmful to our country, its economy, and the futures of our children and grandchildren.
4. Servant leadership – If you have ever been around the Congress, it is amazing to witness the high regard in which our Members of Congress hold themselves and each other. The unending genuflection among the ruling class further undermines our democracy, reinforcing the notion that there truly are Two Americas – one for those in politics and another for those of us in the “real world” who are forced to pay for their frivolity and to live under their economically destructive behavior. It should not be this way. We must return to the notion of servant leadership. We should not have to remind Members of Congress who they work for. . . after all, as my Mother used to tell me often, “we all put our pants on the same way.”
5. Replace Earmarks with a Transparent Appropriations Process – While there are important fiscal arguments against the use of earmarks, there is also a more important philosophical one. The unrestrained use of earmarks by Members of Congress is primarily for their own reelection, not for the public good. The notion that the public should appreciate a Member of Congress securing an earmark, which consists entirely of funding from the taxpayer and borrowed money is inherently corrupt. Our system of earmarks, which is wasteful and not sufficiently transparent for the public, further heightens the power and prestige of a Member of Congress and in the process separates them from reality. Those of us in the “real world” recognize that those pork barrel dollars came from our home districts-why do those dollars have to go to Washington in the first place? In addition, today, about 40 cents of every dollar of pork barrel spending is borrowed from foreigners (like the Chinese) and will ultimately have to be repaid by our children and grandchildren. It is insulting to real world Americans that they use our tax dollars and dollars borrowed from future generations to try to buy our votes. Our current earmark system should be ended immediately. In its place, we should establish a transparent appropriations process to fund local projects that are important national priorities, like Homeland Security.

Today our Congress regularly receives the lowest approval ratings in the history of polling. More than ever, the public has lost confidence not just in our politicians, but also in our political system.

Fundamentally, this is directly attributable to most people thinking that their Representatives are not representing them. Most people feel that they do not have a voice.

It is time for our Congress to be made up of regular citizens who wish to serve the public for a short time, live under the laws that they write, and who are held accountable in an open and transparent system.

Our country would be much better off.

If you would like to see these basic ideals reflected in the next Congressman from Texas’ 17th Congressional District, will you help me?

I would be grateful if you would consider making a generous $25, $50, $100, or $250 investment so we can win in November and reconnect Congress to the people.

With Great Respect,

Bill Flores

Bryan Underwood is running for the 28th US Congressional district.  He is a “self-described “capitalist-minded conservative”.  In this radio interview Bryan Underwood joins Kevin talks about his campaign against Henry Cuellar. Podcast is from 550 KTSA radio and dates from before the 3-31-2010 health care vote.

• http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bryan-Underwood-for-Congress/191156084860
• Radio station KTSA 550 webpage is here.

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Dear Friend, If there’s one thing that we have seen since Obama, Pelosi and Reid assumed unified control of the federal government, it is a string of broken promises. The words spoken from our leaders may sound good, but their actions and the results of their policies tell a very different story. Consider these recent examples: The Obama administration promised that if Congress passed the $787 billion (real cost $862 billion) stimulus bill, national unemployment would not rise above 8 percent. Today, national unemployment is 9.7%, hovering near the highest point in 25 years. In signing the Obamacare bill into law recently, the President said it would “bring down health care costs for families and businesses and governments.” However, the chief actuary in the federal government at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services analyzed the bill and, in a report to Congress last week, found that health care costs will actually INCREASE $311 billion over the next ten years. That’s an expensive mistake. What else don’t we know about the 2,000 page bill that no one read or understood? President Obama, on the campaign trail in 2008, repeatedly promised not to increase taxes on any Americans making less than $250,000. In Obamacare alone, taxes were raised by $569 billion in at least seven key ways. President Obama even recently tried to dodge his tax pledge by verbal sleight of hand. Texans are tired of politicians like President Obama and Congressman Chet Edwards who say one thing and do another. These are only a few recent examples of the damage that has been done to our economy under the rule of Obama, Pelosi and Edwards. We should not forget that Nancy Pelosi strongly recommended Chet Edwards for Vice President. Recently, Chet has been touting his “independence”; maybe he thinks “independence” is only voting with Pelosi 97% of the time. And after endorsing Obama for President, Chet Edwards lauded Obama’s “solid judgment” and was excited about the “change” Obama would bring. Do you believe President Obama has “solid judgment?” Texans across the 12 counties of this District know that a Congress and Administration all controlled by liberals has brought us failed policies, a weakened economy, record-shattering deficits and debt, and massively expanded government –- all in less than 18 months. The best way to begin to repair the damage that has been done is to retire career politician Chet Edwards so we can end the Pelosi Congress, allowing us to begin cutting spending and helping grow jobs in the private sector economy. Will you help me defeat Chet Edwards so we can end the broken promises and political double talk? Please consider joining our team or helping our campaign by making a generous $25, $50, $100, or $250 investment so we can win in November and end dishonest government. With Great Respect, Bill Flores

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