We looked into Speaker Straus record to see if critics are correct.
By Gary Polland
Texas Insider Report: HOUSTON Texas The Texas Conservative Review has watched with interest the recent developments in the Texas Speakers race. With the great
GOP victory in November and with the GOP majority up in the Texas House now at 99 seats it sure will be easier to pass conservative legislation. But soon after the election some conservative activists and a handful of legislators decided they wanted a new speaker and a speakers race arose.
We looked into the incumbent Speaker Joe Straus to see if his critics are correct.
As Speaker in the last cycle he donated around $1.6 million to GOP candidates working closely with such conservative groups as
Associated Republicans of Texas Texans for Lawsuit Reform & the
State Republican Party which makes him a key factor in our great victory this year picking up 22 House seats in Texas.
As for conservative issues he:
- Joined Attorney General Abbotts amicus briefs in opposition to
Obamacare and
- Is in support of the Arizona illegal immigration bill
- Has a proven record as an anti-tax & spend conservative
- Is a lifelong Republican former member of the Reagan administration and
- Has a conservative voting record in the Texas House.
And for those who say he isnt conservative enough we say look at his plans with a super-majority in the House as opposed to a nail-biting majority he dealt with last session:
- A real Voter ID Bill
- Balancing the Texas Budget Without Raising Taxes and
- Strengthening Border Security.
As for the race it appears all but over. Despite two opponents running for weeks and lots of noise Speaker Straus has as of today 120 pledges down a mere 6 from November 2nd.
It takes 76 votes to be Speaker.
The continuing efforts to attack Straus for not being conservative or for his religion are both bogus. The attacks are now needless distractions from our legislators preparing to deal with real issues come January.
When we start discarding those we dont think are conservative enough we are heading into a difficult situation where our hold on power would be tenuous at best. This is not a case where we are dealing with a RINO (Republican in name only).
The Texas Conservative Review endorses Joe Straus for Speaker in 2011. We urge all of our friends in the legislature to do the same.
Whatever Happened To Property Tax Relief?
William Lutz in Lone Star Report gave conservatives a friendly reminder - its time to get control of runaway property taxes.
His research found:
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census local revenue in Texas rose from $65.5 billion in 2000 to $108.1 billion in 2008 ... a 65 percent increase. The consumer price index for Houston went from 152.8 to 188.8 during the same period a 23.6 increase. ...
Texas local government spending increased at nearly THREE TIMES the rate of inflation. The Statistical Abstract of the United States publishes a chart listing the effective property tax rate as a percentage of a homes value for the largest city in each state. 
Our largest city Houston was number four.
Its time to lower the appraisal cap to 5 and institute necessary reforms so in Houston we can go from No. 4 to No. 25. 99 Republicans in the Texas House should be enough.
Its The Spending Not The Tax Cuts Thats The Problem
In a fascinating new story the conservative Heritage Foundation laid out a plan to cut 25 of the 2010 deficit in common sense ways.
Their specialist
Brian Riedl a budget expert at the Heritage Foundation explains what happens if we dont.
If Congress does nothing and simply continues existing taxing and spending policies annual federal deficits will grow reaching a projected $2 trillion deficit in just 10 years - and even that assumes a return to peace and prosperity. Soaring spending drives these dangerous deficits. By 2020 federal spending is set to rise to 26 of the gross domestic product (GDP) after having averaged 20 after World War II... To reduce deficits Congress must cut spending.
And he tells us where to cut spending:
In a budget-cutting study released just last week the Heritage Foundation showed how to cut $343 billion in federal spending or more than one-fourth of the 2010 deficit as a down-payment on putting government spending on a downward trajectory.
...turning over certain federal programs such as job training and highway-funding programs to state and local governments consolidating hundreds of duplicative programs ending corporate welfare and abolishing dozens of outdated ineffective programs.
Among the programs he suggests for elimination:
- Obamacare
- Community Development Block Grant Program
- Economic Development Administration
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation
- Trade and Development Agency
- Legal Services Corporation
- Job Corps
- Rural Utilities Service mandates
- Cut the federal employee travel budget in half
- Sell off unused federal properties worth billions
- Freeze and reform federal pay
- Cut House and Senate budgets to 2008 levels
- Privatize Amtrak
- Replace farm subsidies with Farmer Savings Accounts & improved crop insurance
- Rescind remaining stimulus spending
Almost all of the proposed cuts in federal spending will provoke strong objections from constituencies that benefit from having members of Congress give them taxpayer money taken from someone else. … Yet the difficulties caused by each of these cuts should be measured against the status-quo option of doubling the national debt over the next decade risking an economic crisis and drowning future generations in taxes.
TCR Comment: If you wondered can we reduce Federal spending? The answer is yes.
Gary Polland is publisher of The Texas Conservative Review. Polland is a long-time conservative Republican spokesman & fund-raiser who served 3 terms as Harris County Republican Chairman during which he was described by Human Events as the most successful county Chairman in America.
