Data released by the Texas Workforce Commission indicates that upstream oil and gas employment in Texas is experiencing continued growth, with the sector adding 2,600 jobs in November.
Some surprises, such as the weakening of Russia and the chastening of China, are good news. But others – like America's current economic conundrums – leave us puzzled and most likely unprepared for the surprises of 2023. Things didn't quite work out as many people had expected in 2022... on just about every point across the political spectrum.
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Andrew "Andy" Kahan to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for a term set to expire on November 19, 2027. He also appointed Cynthia "Cyndi" Wheless to the Texas Juvenile Justice Board for a term set to expire on February 1, 2027. Additionally, the Governor named Scott Matthew as Chair of the Board.
Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) led 48 of his House Republican colleagues in writing a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas expressing concern over the December 21st, 2022 discontinuation of Title 42, saying, "Without it, Federal, State & Local Law Enforcement will be stretched beyond their limits, and threats to our national security will multiply.”
Attorney General Paxton has joined a Mississippi-led letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough challenging a new VA rule that attempts to circumvent state laws that protect the unborn by providing taxpayer dollars for abortions.
The problems escalated dramatically shortly after Biden took office in January 2021. During the 2022 fiscal year, which ran from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022, 98 suspected terrorists were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border.
"As appraisal values continue to climb across Texas, there's surprising good news! Property Tax Bills for homeowners in Austin, Houston and San Antonio are down – and I'm not just talking about their ISD School Taxes, it's the entire tax bill," said State Senator Paul Bettencourt during a press conference earlier in the day, calling the news and citizen's actions that have led to lower average property tax bills "astonishing!"
Governor Greg Abbott today demanded President Joe Biden immediately deploy federal assets to address the dire border crisis, particularly in the City of El Paso, as a dangerously cold polar vortex moves into Texas this week. “These communities and the state are ill-equipped to do the job assigned to the Federal Government – house the 1,000s of migrants flooding into the country every day," said Abbott.
In opposition to this massive, unlawful wealth transfer, Texas Attorney General Paxton has taken several actions to halt the Biden White House’s sweeping Student Loan-Forgiveness idea, which does nothing to lower the costs of higher education and instead forces hardworking taxpayers to pay off hundreds of billions of dollars of college-educated individuals’ debt.
“To continually attack high-income earners when 51% of our taxes are paid by 2% of New Yorkers – this blows my mind when I hear people say, 'So what if they leave?' I want my high-income earners right here in this city!" So said New York City Mayor Eric Adams last week in a rare moment of clarity. Of course they aren’t his high-income earners... They just happen to live in the same city where he lives.
This week could mark the most consequential development on the U.S.-Mexico Border, yet how is it that so many Americans are so ignorant of what's happening? Might the answer have something to do with the fact that so many news organizations ignore the problem? If more people knew the true scope of the the president's problem, more would likely be concerned – and oppose Mr. Biden's actions.
"On Thursday night and Friday morning, temperatures forecast for some areas of Texas will be in the low teens," says the National Weather Service. Friday's forecast includes highs in the mid-20s, and lows in the lower teens for some parts of the state, rising above freezing by Saturday afternoon Christmas Day. As Texans prepare for the cold weather, operators in the Texas Oil & Natural Gas Industry are also preparing – here's your details.
“This year, 14 Customs & Border Protection Agents and Officers have taken their own life - and that's 14 too many,” said Cong. Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23,) as he and Cong. Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) introduced the Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Act. The TAPS Act creates a comprehensive, Anti-Suicide Task Force to assess the underlying factors leading to the high CBP suicide rates, after three agents committed suicide just last month.
“Your retirement savings account is becoming collateral damage to radical environmentalists, who are leveraging Wall Street through ‘woke’ ESG investment strategies to kill the Oil & Gas Industry,” said Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian, commending Texas for leading the fight to prohibit the practice of forcing subjective environmental and social metrics to take priority over sound financial goals to ensure high returns for investors.
Last month, Joe Biden’s Health & Human Services Secretary indicated he believes taxpayers should be forced to pay for sex change surgeries – including for minors. But not in Texas if State Rep. Brian Harrison has anything to do about it. “Just as the Hyde Amendment – with bipartisan support for almost 50 years – bans tax dollars from funding abortions, I’m proud to file a bill to protect Texans from being forced to pay for their neighbor’s sex change."
If you like cream in your coffee (if not, the analogy works with any other drink,) keep pouring past the amount that you would normally add – and then add even more. If you pour the cream long enough, it will replace the coffee. That is what's happening at what used to be our nation's Southern Border... before the Biden Administration eliminated virtually any and all barriers to keep masses of migrants and tons of fentanyl from pouring in.
"Now more than ever, it's imperative our Law Enforcement Officers & Texas National Guard Soldiers adopt innovative solutions to counteract President Biden’s reckless decision to end Title 42 expulsions," said Gov. Greg Abbott, having received a briefing from Operation Lone Star leaders and touring the increased assets Texas has deployed along the border ahead of President Biden’s ending Title 42 expulsions this week on December 21.
“The Biden White House is once again attempting to ignore the Rule of Law by abusing executive authority to implement its own version of amnesty,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, after the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed that the Office of the President lacks the authority to institute what many believe is an illegal "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program." Paxton is leading a coalition of states pushing back against Biden’s attempts to save DACA.
