The first thing that needs to be done is analyze what went wrong. Already emerging are some disturbing facts: (1) the door left open at the school or not, (2) the delay in police confronting the gunman, (3) the lack of real time intelligence (i.e. cameras in the classrooms), and (4) the apparent failure to follow the rules of engagement, among other facts.

The gun plan as set out by President Biden includes banning AR-15's, but not other rifles that could be used for no good. No mentioning of hardening schools and more well trained police in the schools, or increased regulations when the ones on the books now are frequently not enforced.

Common sense solutions like the recently re-proposed School Safety bill was blocked by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) so the Democrats could continue to use guns as a wedge issue in the next election.

State ideas like Red Flag Laws, raising the age to purchase guns to 21, are worthy of states' consideration.

Finally, it is important to understand that criminals who intend to commit crimes are going to break any laws that are passed. That is why they are criminals. If we banned guns tomorrow, and as Nazi Germany did, pick up all of the guns owned by law abiding citizens, only the bad guys would have guns, conveniently brought into the U.S. through our open Southern border.

And we must pay attention to our major problem of mental illness in America and the virtual disappearance of behavior guardrails generally in the U.S.

The calls for an immediate Special Session in Texas to deal with the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting is reactive and too hasty. Governor Greg Abbott and State Senator Paul Bettencourt both have suggested that we get the facts, study the issues and come up with a common sense plan to protect our children and their schools. Once it is completed we will be ready to legislate.

The Texas 2022 primaries are finally over. The non-competitiveness in the Attorney General's race was surprising as Ken Paxton rolled over George P. Bush. His leftist Democratic opponent will be Rochelle Garza. She is an immigration and former ACLU attorney and she is obviously out of sync with the majority of voters in Texas.

The other key races for TCR came in Harris County; where Alexandra Del Moral Mealer impressively defeated Vidal Martinez and will face "accidental" County Judge Lina Hidalgo. This sets up the best opportunity to replace Hidalgo whose record of pro-crime, pro-wasteful spending and of lining the pockets of her cronies is bad for Harris County residents and their future.

Mealer, on the other hand, is an Army veteran and West Point graduate and is currently a mother, wife and investment banker. What a contrast with Hidalgo. Did I say Alexandra is both book smart from her Ivy League education and street smart from her leadership role and career with the U.S. Army? It's a fact.

In the other Harris County key races, Jack Morman seeking to return as County Commissioner Precinct 2 against Adrian Garcia, who is part of what many call the Three Stooges (the Democrats on Commissioner's Court) whose record is embarrassingly unacceptable unless you like runaway spending, encouraging crime, and a deteriorating infrastructure.

In the key State Representative races, Mano DeAyala who trailed in round one, won the hard fought runoff over Shelley Barineau. He will be a workhorse in Austin. For the Democrats in District 147, Attorney Jolanda Jones defeated Danielle Bess who was supported by Sheila Jackson Lee and her allies.

In the endless efforts of County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Rodney Ellis to find money to waste on non-priorities, we got a new one - over $600 million of toll revenue transferred to build hike and bike trails near the toll roads.

Hike and bike trails are nice, but if you want to see the impact it has on mobility and transportation infrastructure take the time when you drive around the Houston area where miles and miles of bike lanes have been created, observe how few people are using it. Did any of those Democratic Commissioners consider our very long, hot and humid summers?

It says here that the Toll Road Authority has helped fund street rebuilds in the county in the past, which is badly needed. It is so bad in some areas of Houston (Harris County), that the infrastructure is like a third world country with the needed repairs delayed or non-existent.

If the county and Toll Road Authority has fully funded the core responsibilities, which is: police and courts, infrastructure and flood prevention, parks, and medical care and the ports, there is no money left for luxuries like bike trails near toll roads.

Of course we know the core responsibilities are not being handled correctly. That's why we need a change in the Commissioners Court.

A look at the past U.S violent history in the post civil rights and Vietnam anti-war movement has created a violent and unstable social moral situation in our country. The U.S. went through a stable period after World War II and then the Civil Rights movement and anti-War movement took hold and understanding the need for social justice and change which led to a more equitable society. But, with this movement led to changes in the family structure, education curriculum changes and the use of violence and criminal activity rose in the name of the causes. The belittling of law enforcement by calling them PIGS and lenient criminal sentencing becoming a revolving door of letting criminals out and not detaining mentally ill individuals caused the destruction of property, a higher murder rate and other violent crimes during this time frame. Most of our major metropolitan cities fell into this overwhelming crime wave of riots and looting, except for one major city, being Philadelphia, PA. From 1968 to 1979 this city was the safest top ten cities in the U.S. based on the FBI reports. Why? Because the former Police Commissioner and then elected Mayor Frank Rizzo put in place a system of respect for his police force. He installed a police presence with police dogs in subways and elevated trains. He formed the mounted police on horseback for crowd control and to be seen in downtown intersections. A police presence was to be seen by the residents in the city. These police had the backing of the Police Commissioner and the Mayor to use force when necessary to stop a violent incident including use of deadly force. Also the D.A. enforced the law and sought maximum sentencing. Yes, there were some federal government cases brought against the Philadelphia police force for police brutality cases. In a force of 8,000 police officers, if 5% were bad officers, then they put in place a review board to investigate and see if they needed to get rid of those police officers. Now, 40 to 50 years later we need to take another look at bringing back tough police action. We do not need to defund the police but fund them and give them the tools, training needed to address these criminal gangs that have become organized criminal organizations and address the social issues of the demise of the family unit. The family unit is worse off now than it was 40 to 50 years ago. With no strong male presence, no two-parent families leads to this lawlessness, mental illness not being addressed and a lack of respect for society including law enforcement. The total failure of our education system has placed us heading down a system where we have created doing just enough to get by as the norm. No more striving to do your best. We are not training our students to succeed with the skills needed to compete with the rest of the world. We need a total revamping of our education system as throwing money at it with no direction will continue the failure. Every week there are hundreds of killings continuing and only the ones that the media find interesting do they report on to promote a narrative. For the tragic school shootings here are a few things that need to be done.

1. We have a Security Officer trained with a firearm at each school. The cost of saving lives and protecting the children, teachers and school employees cannot be judged in cost. If the federal government needs to fund this cost then this should be okay and we send less billions to Ukraine.
   
   
2. Limit access doors with buzzers and have video cameras to view outside and inside of the school, including classrooms, that way parents can see when their child acts up or is learning and safe.
   
   
3. Limit access to the school which means parents cannot come in without an appointment and students cannot leave without permission. Limit access during school hours.
   
   
4. Put a number on each school door and window so law enforcement can see where there is an incident.
   
   
5. Law enforcement go in immediately when an incident is reported and use force needed to stop the incident before it gets out of control.
   
   
6. Get rid of all portable buildings outside of the main school building which lead to open door access to the main school building and an open area.
   
   
7. Construct new schools with bulletproof doors and windows and also the ability to automatically lock all classroom doors when an intruder is on campus so their access is only limited to hallways.