Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Perry on Limited Government

Limited government. Is it only a dream now? Have we gone too far to turn back?

Governor Rick Perry of Texas has some timely comments in today's Washington Times:

Perry: Texas Proves Limited Government Works

Friday, July 24, 2009

Cornyn to Ag Committee

Agriculture is critical to the Texas Economy. The Texas economy is leading the nation. It is only fitting that Texas Senator John Cornyn be appointed to the Senate Ag Committee. We need conservative voices offsetting the shrill cry of the animal rights activists.

Senator Cornyn Appointed to Senate Ag Committee

Perry vs. Obama Care

The Governor of Texas has always been a strong proponent for business interests within the state. That is one of the reasons we have managed to weather the economic downturn so well. His stance on "Obama Care" is right in line with his sense of what is best for the business climate in Texas. The Healthcare package before Congress would put a number of small businesses out of business.

Businesses create jobs. Jobs put food on the table. Why anyone would ever think that forced charity and state control is better than self-reliance is beyond me.

Perry Raises Possibility of State's Rights Showdown With Whitehouse Over Healthcare

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Michael Williams at Entrepreneur Alliance in Amarillo

Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams is in Amarillo today. I had the opportunity to visit with him briefly when he stopped at the Entrepreneur Alliance offices.

It was a fitting setting for the U.S. Senate Candidate whose message is music to the ears of Texas businessmen. He is one of the few principled and consistent conservative political figures in the country. His message is pro-business and pro-USA.

He spoke briefly on a topic that sends chills up my spine -- the Cap and Trade Scheme that Congress is working to pass. According to Williams (and I agree completely) it will have a disproportionately negative impact on Texas. It targets energy and agriculture for a significant tax burden that would cripple the state economy. I like the way he referred to it as the bill that would "cap our economy and send trade somewhere else." I think that sums it up.

Texas is one of the few states that has had positive news through the economic downturn that our country has been experiencing. That positive news is due to our pro-business economic climate. Cap and Trade will reverse those positives.

Commissioner Williams has been a public servant for 10 years on the Texas Railroad Commission. During that time he played a significant role in shrinking the size of the Commission from around 900 employees to about 600.

Hmm....smaller government, pro-business, pro-family, pro-USA...we could use some of that in Washington. With his record of integrity in office and the conservative positions that he has taken on the issues near-and-dear to all Texans, I think it is time to get him up there so that he can get to work.

I wonder what Senator Hutchison's plans are? Will she resign her seat? Or, will she try to hold onto it through the upcoming race for Governor? It promises to be interesting....

Saturday, July 4, 2009

On This 4th of July

On July 4, 1776, we declared our independence from Great Britain. We claimed the right to self-governance with representation of the people's will in determination of the laws of our land. We claimed the right to reject an oppressive government and replace it with one that was both responsive to and responsible to the people of this land.

That oppression arose from our dependency on Great Britain. The original colonists needed the support of the mother country for survival. In return, the king required taxes. Those taxes paid for wars that caused a mounting debt. The response of the king was to increase taxes to finance his aggressive policies that sought to consolidate his power.

The people sought relief from the burden but were ignored. They sought representation of their views but were rejected. Over time, their dependency allowed the king to increase taxes to the point they could no longer be borne by the people and they rebelled.

Through the blood of committed individuals that Independence was accomplished over the course of 40+ years when we finally severed the control of Great Britain in the War of 1812. Yet, it didn't end there. We remained a nation seeking to find its way. We continued to seek a balance of power in how we were governed which culminated in a Civil War that consolidated power in the federal government. It was a result that led to better relations between the various races which comprise our people, but eroded the power of the people by consolidating it in the hands of the federal government.

We have survived global wars in which the United States came to the aid of nations whose values resembled our own. We have gone wherever necessary to combat the tendency of man to consolidate power through aggression. Yet we have allowed special interests to consolidate power within our own borders.

We have struggled with our own identity. We are a nation of many varied yet closely held beliefs. We have faced many issues that arise from the human frailties of self-interest and fear. We have made great strides in creating an environment of equality of opportunity for all. Yet we have allowed those same frailties of self-interest and fear to be used against us by the very politicians we elected to serve us.

We continue to struggle. Today we face some of the greatest challenges that we have ever faced as a nation. Many of those challenges are the result of the quest for power of individuals and groups who have only their self-interest at heart. They seek power for gain and not in service for the good of the nation and its people. They bully and intimidate through the power of the purse.

That such individuals and groups hold the reins of power is the fault of the people. Enough of us have allowed ourselves to be subjugated to the carefully orchestrated largess of the state and federal powers that our Independence has been lost. That subjugation has resulted in efforts to further consolidate power through expanding government services in ways that create further dependency. We see today an aggressive expansion and consolidation of power through the use of regulation and welfare (although not always by that name). We have become a nation controlled by dependency. Therein lies our downfall.

Our dependency on the government has created a situation of mounting debt that must be repaid. It is the tendency in such times to use taxation to repay the debt. The burden of government has become oppressive. We are facing a crisis in our nation that in many ways resembles the conditions prior to the War for Independence. It is time once again for our government to become both responsive to and responsible to the people.

(also posted at Panhandle Poetry and Other Thoughts)