Yesterday the Odessa Tea Party held a Voter Rally in the hanger at the CAF Museum giving several candidates the opportunity to address some of their potential voters.
They announced that the Odessa Tea Party, Inc., has a 501(c)(4) exemption, and that means they can lobby, but they can't participation in political campaigns. So in full compliance with the IRS regs, they invited a long list of candidates but didn't endorse a single one.
OTP president Elizabeth Wooldridge read the list of the invitees so that the attendees could consider which candidates refused to visit. But the ones who showed up got a nice welcome and the full appreciation of the crowd.
Cowboy poet and story teller Dennis Gaines served as the master of ceremonies and made sure there was not a dull moment between speeches. Each speaker was expected to talk no longer than 15 minutes, but Mr. Gaines cautioned that sometimes trying to take a microphone away from a politician is harder then getting a Baptist preacher away from an all-you-can-eat buffet. With that hanging over them, the speakers stuck to the schedule.
Warren Chisum, representative from District 88 in the Texas House, was first up. His photo is on the right. He stunned the audience when he announced that the state of Texas has over 300,000 employees, but he recently threw his hat in the ring for Speaker of the House and hopes the house can become more fiscally responsible. However, families and children are his primary issue, and he's very proud of HB 480 which, if passed and signed into law, would a require a couple with children seeking a divorce to take a crisis marriage education course.
Jeff Gonzales spoke on behalf of Charlie Garza who is running for the District 1 spot on the contentious Texas State Board of Education. "We not only drink tea, we breathe fire," Mr. Gonzales said as he beat the drum for Mr. Garza. But he was candid about the chances when challenging a 21 year incumbent and hoped they would lose by only a small margin.
Kathie Glass is running for Texas Governor as a Libertarian and made a very impressive appearance. Where has she been all this time? She could have stolen the show if Perry and White had shown up, and maybe that's why they stayed away. Her objectives are these:
Secure the borders with the Texas State Guard;
Resist unconstitutional mandates from Washington;
Cut the budget in half to what it was 10 years ago;
End taxpayer funded services for non-citizens; and
Death to the Trans Texas Corridor.
When asked, Ms. Glass said she favors the right of Texas voters to put initiatives on the ballot. Texas politicians have been very resistant to giving up any power to the voters, and since she's the only candidate for governor who would support that, she gets my vote.
Railroad Commission candidate David Porter provided a short history lesson about the Texas Railroad Commission which was started in 1890 as an agency to regulate the railroads. Then in 1919 it was given jurisdiction over oil and gas, and today it covers not only oil and gas but pipelines, LP gas, coal and uranium. Mr. Porter's goal, if elected, is to do a better job of managing the funds the agency is given.
The always entertaining Jason Moore, Captain Watchdog, and self acclaimed "filthy stinking capitalist," made an appearance and kept the audience laughing as he nicknamed various politicians and their projects. For example, the "Golden Plaque Syndrome" afflicts politicians with an insatiable desire for plaques honoring them on structures the taxpayers had to buy. "Taxpayer Towers" is the new Midland Memorial Hospital structure, the plan for which was expanded recently to use up some extra money. Then there's the "Oil Patch Opera House" theater currently under construction near the airport.
Texas is number one! But unfortunately, the category is the percent of tax per property value Texans pay. He proposes a law requiring that a bond proposal must get favorable votes from a minimum of 25% of registered voters or it fails.
The hot button issue in Odessa right now is a bond proposal to fund an Odessa College expansion. It's not "anti education," he says, to ask, "Why now?"
Jon Roland is running for Texas Attorney General as a Libertarian. He said people hear him speak and say they wish Republicans were more like libertarians. And he says they say they wish Republicans would nominate libertarians. He says the primary system would need to be reformed before that could happen, but there is not enough demand from the voters. To get reform people need to write it out exactly what they want and keep a close eye on those they expect will implement it. "We are led by people who marginally know what they are doing."
Chris Younts -- Mr. Younts ran in the Republican primary last March for the position of U.S. Representative for Texas District 11 against the incumbent Mike Conaway. Voters had an opportunity to send a message to Washington that they didn't want the big government that was being foisted on us. And it isn't just Democrats, both parties want big government. But when District 11 Republican votes were counted, voters gave Mr. Conaway the message that they want more of the same. If big government is the problem, Mr. Younts said, District 11 voters can find the problem by looking in the mirror.
Mr. Younts is a former firefighter and is currently a business man and rancher. He's familiar with hunting dogs, and he made an analogy. Pointers among hunting dogs are very common. What's uncommon is a dog that will actually go out and retrieve. What we've got now in Washington are pointers who point to the hot issue of the moment. But we need retrieves who are willing to do the work. Our politicians are so gun shy, he said, that they don't even want to come out of the kennel.
Mr. Younts said that when he was a firefighter they would roll up to a burning house, and invariably there would be people standing outside, and one might be spraying at the house with a water hose. The firefighters would push the people aside, break down the door, go in and put out the fire. That's what is needed now, someone willing to go in and put out the fire. Instead, Republicans are demonstrating the lack of backbone by downplaying the once urgent drive to repeal Obamacare. At the end of the day, we just can't spend more than we bring in.
After his speech he was asked if he would run for office again. Mr. Younts gave his head a half shake and said, "I really like my life the way it is." So I guess that's a "no." Too bad.
Dennis Gaines finished off the day with a long and engaging speech about how our elected officials, who should perceive public service as a privilege, have betrayed us. He can direct a string of pejorative adjectives at Washington that will sting your ears and make you laugh. But the Tea Party movement demonstrates an awakening of the mighty, he said. Mr. Gaines quoted a Texas Ranger, "No man in the wrong can stand up to a man in the right who just keeps on a-comin."
There's hope. And maybe there will be change.
Comments