We are now a little over nine weeks until the Texas GOP 2014 primary election, and early voting starts in less than seven weeks.
It is a long ballot with lots of well qualified choices. TCR will of course endorse, and the decisions in many races will be very difficult.
The TCR endorsements with our reasons why will start rolling out in January.
Nala Still Needs Your Vote
The Bellaire Buzz is excited to announce that their annual "Pet of the Year" contest has begun and your editor's pet, Nala, has been nominated.
The contest will take place through their website and the critter with the most votes wins! Voting is now open and closes at midnight on December 31, 2013. The winners will be announced on their website on January 6, 2014.
We encourage our friends, family, neighbors and colleagues cast their votes!
Voting ends 12/31/13, and Nala trails by over 1,000 votes by the machine behind Olive!
Remember That Deal With Iran On "Freezing" Its Nuclear Program For 6 Months? Guess What?
Iran has yet to sign the interim deal. So it seems we gave up sanctions relief and let Iran get $8-18 billion dollars for nothing. Another outstanding performance by the Obama administration's clown patrol.
Stop The Imperial Mayor Of Houston: No Ruling By Executive Orders
It seems that for Mayor Annise Parker of Houston, the City Council is something to ignore as is the will of the people. The citizens of Houston in a referendum years ago (2001) said NO to partner benefits. The citizens of Texas passed a constitutional amendment defending the tradition of marriage.
Despite that, Parker and her chief lawyer David Feldman have in their latest effort reversed the people's vote and ignored the City Council and are allowing partner benefits.
Courageous HCRP Chair Jared Woodfill is leading the fight to stop this illegal grab of power in the courts and obtained an injunction to halt this illegal act.
Meanwhile, Woodfill's opponent, Paul Simpson, unbeknown to most Harris County Republicans, was referred to in the Washington Times blog in support of the Mayor's illegal overreaching.
It says here Simpson is running for Chair of the wrong party. Maybe the Libertarian Party is interested.
An Immigration Reform Idea Or Two
In a recent issue of the British based The Economist, the Editor has a good idea regarding immigration.
Dump the Emma Lazarus sonnet for the old world to send us "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," and instead seek those who are "not the laggards, not the tumorous, not the failures" (F.D. Roosevelt), as we want people coming to America to work and be successful - in other words, let's bring in the entrepreneurs.
They also suggest making today's illegals permanent residents without citizenship ever as punishment for their initial law breaking.
While we are at it, adopt an earlier 20th Century Immigration Rule: you can bring in your family, but you must sign an agreement to support them as they are NOT eligible to become wards of the state.
The Health Reform The GOP Can Embrace: Putting Patients First
With thanks to Grace-Marie Turner, President of the Galen Institute, who has some great ideas the GOP should consider in "our" version of health reform to replace the train wreck that is Obamacare:
"Private Insurance:
- Give people a tax credit to purchase coverage, on their own or through an employer;
- Allow greater flexibility in health benefits: Consumers, not regulators, should decide what their health plans cover and not be forced into government-set benefit standards;
- Provide portability of health insurance and greater competition by allowing cross-state purchase of health insurance;
- Allow states to develop market mechanism to help consumers find and enroll in the insurance that best meets their needs;
- Allow more secure renewal of health insurance that is guaranteed so people who have health insurance can keep it;
- Provide financial assistance to the states to create more functional high-risk pools or state risk-transfer pools that allow people with pre-existing conditions to purchase health insurance;
- Reform the medical malpractice litigation process at the state level.
Public Programs:
- Put savings from Medicare reform into saving Medicare;
- Allow people to escape Medicaid by giving them the same tax credits for private coverage given to all other workers;
- Provide more flexibility to the states in running Medicaid programs so they can get the best value for taxpayers' dollars;
- Provide more options for Medicaid recipients, Medicare beneficiaries, and other on public programs to escape the restrictions that inevitably come from price controls."
TCR on the Air
Red, White & Blue featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland, liberal commentator David Jones and moderator Linda Lorelle on Fridays at 7:30 pm on PBS Houston Channel 8.1, replaying Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 8.1, Mondays at 11:30 pm on Channel 8.2 and on the web at www.houstonpbs.org.
Upcoming Shows:
Red, White & Blue is on hiatus for the month of December, and will return in January 2014.
The current show as well as past shows are available on YouTube.
About Your Editor
Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events - The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his fifteenth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last twelve years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. As a public service for the last 10 years, Gary has published election guides for the GOP primary, general elections and city elections, all with the purpose of assisting conservative candidates. Gary is also in his twelfth year of co-hosting Red, White and Blue on PBS Houston. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.
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