Texas Democratic Party: Moving Texas Forward

A recent UT-Texas Tribune poll found that an overwhelming majority of Texans oppose cuts to education, health care and environmental protection, but a similar majority also believe the state budget can be balanced by spending cuts.

Likewise, a national poll conducted by the Pew research center found a majority of Americans oppose both tax increases and spending cuts.

Frustrating, right?

These polls show Republicans have been getting away with their Big Lie – that we can have everything we want but don’t have to pay for it. However, the highly publicized budget disaster in Texas is an opportunity to shine a light on the damage wrought by Rick Perry and the Republicans’ “politics over policy” governance.

Here’s a simple, striking example of Republican budget hypocrisy and double talk that you can share with friends, coworkers and neighbors:

New education “accountability” standards require students to pass high stakes, end of course exams in science. Students will be tested on the new 2009 science curriculum, but due to Republican budget cuts, there is no money for new textbooks, forcing students to prepare for the test in classes using 1997 science textbooks.

So while the world is passing us by in science and math education, Rick Perry and the Republicans are telling educators their students have to pass the test, but they won’t give them the materials they need to study for the test. They want our teachers and kids to be accountable, but they refuse to accept responsibility for their actions.

This year, the state budget is an “end of course exam” for Perry & Co. It’s time to hold them accountable the same way our kids are held accountable. Another round of debt, diversion and deception won’t pass the test.

Republican State Representative Paul Workman (R – Austin), who owns a commercial construction firm and who has testified on behalf of developers in previous legislative sessions, has revealed who it is he plans to represent by the legislation he has chosen to pursue. As today is lobby day for commercial real estate developers, let’s take a look at the bills Workman has authored thus far:

• HB 958 would limit rewards for lawsuits dealing with construction defects [1];
• HB 1041 would allow contractors to sue the State of Texas over contractual disputes[2] [3];
• HB 611 would prevent the state from doing property improvements on its own if there are commercially available services[4] and;
• HCR 54 urges Congress to abolish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Labor, the Federal Highway Administration, the Department of Education and many more.

“Developer lobby day must be like Christmas morning for Paul Workman’s industry buddies this year,” said Texas Democratic Party Deputy Executive Director Anthony Gutierrez. “Responsible developers do not need Workman’s special favors or protection from shoddy workmanship. Unfortunately, while Workman is using his new position to help developers’ bottom line, district teachers are being laid off and parents are clinging to hope that their children’s’ schools will stay open.”

“Rather than fighting for jobs and schools, Workman is looking out for his own interests and the interests of his developer friends. And when he’s not trying to keep developer wallets fat, he’s trying to shut down regulatory agencies like OSHA which exist to protect the hardworking Texans who build our office buildings and roads [5].”
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Cites:
[1] Bill text for House Bill 958

[2] Bill text for HB 1041

[3] From legislative priorities of Austin Chapter of Associated General Contractors Newsletter as stated in 10/19/2010 newsletter.
“Breach of Contract by State Agencies – Governmental agencies often enjoy sovereign immunity, which means they can’t be sued for damages. The purpose of this protection is to shield government treasuries from being emptied by lawsuits. Lawmakers have recognized exceptions to this protection in the area of contracting. In 2005, the legislature passed TBB endorsed language clarifying that counties may be sued for damages and attorney’s fees for breach of contract. In 2007, the Legislature clarified (and TBB supported) that cities and other local governmental entities may be sued for damages (but not attorney’s fees) for breach of contract. To this day, the State of Texas may not be sued for breach of contract unless the Legislature specifically grants permission to sue the State. The only other recourse is for aggrieved parties to file an administrative action against the State that caps damages at $250,000 and does not provide a trial by jury. AGC supports legislation allowing contractors to recover damages when governmental entities (including the State) breach their contracts.”

[4] House Bill 611
Sec. 2202.002. LIMITATION ON PROVISION OF CERTAIN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BY GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY. (a) A governmental entity may not provide, through its officers or employees, a commercially available service for an improvement to real property that is not owned or leased by the entity.

[5]House Concurrent Resoltion 54

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Dear fellow Democrat,

With yesterday’s President’s Day holiday, we reflected on the strength, courage and leadership offered by American Presidents throughout our great country’s history.

Unfortunately, as the 2012 Presidential campaigns draw near, it’s never been clearer that the far-right wing of the Republican Party is intent on running roughshod over the American principles of family, freedom, and fairness that we hold dear. We’ve seen the results of this extremism in Texas, as Republicans on the State Board of Education recently sought to diminish Thomas Jefferson’s importance in social studies texts over his support for the separation of church and state.

Will you take a stand with us today by becoming a Texas Majority Builder and be part of our work for American principles?

As Republican Presidential contenders emerge, it’s evident that GOP fringe elements are running the show – pundits are discussing names that include Sarah Palin, Ron Paul, Mike Huckabee, even aspiring GOP celebrity Rick Perry. As a group, they divide Americans rather than unite us, and as we saw in the 2010 campaigns, their hyper-partisan rhetoric has been adopted by state GOP candidates and lawmakers in Texas and across the nation. The effects of their failure to place sound policy before political rhetoric and special interests are obvious in the headlines we see every day about the budget cuts – local school closures, nursing homes on the verge of shutting their doors, and thousands upon thousands of workers laid off.

To push back against Texas Republicans’ refusal to stand up for our families, your Texas Democratic Party is working to come back strong in 2012 from the setbacks we took in November. We hope you will join us today by becoming one of our sustaining members who form the backbone of our financial stability with a monthly donation of as little as $10/month.

Boyd L. Richie
Chairman
Texas Democratic Party

P.S. See the damage the Republican budget cuts are doing to our communities at GOPpricetag.com or by following @GOPpricetag on Twitter.

(Austin, TX) – Republican State Representative Paul Workman (R – Austin), who owns a commercial construction firm and who has testified on behalf of developers in previous legislative sessions, has revealed who it is he plans to represent by the legislation he has chosen to pursue. As today is lobby day for commercial real estate developers, let’s take a look at the bills Workman has authored thus far:

• HB 958 would limit rewards for lawsuits dealing with construction defects [1];
• HB 1041 would allow contractors to sue the State of Texas over contractual disputes[2] [3];
• HB 611 would prevent the state from doing property improvements on its own if there are commercially available services[4] and;
• HCR 54 urges Congress to abolish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Labor, the Federal Highway Administration, the Department of Education and many more.

“Developer lobby day must be like Christmas morning for Paul Workman’s industry buddies this year,” said Texas Democratic Party Deputy Executive Director Anthony Gutierrez. “Responsible developers do not need Workman’s special favors or protection from shoddy workmanship. Unfortunately, while Workman is using his new position to help developers’ bottom line, district teachers are being laid off and parents are clinging to hope that their children’s schools will stay open.”

“Rather than fighting for jobs and schools, Workman is looking out for his own interests and the interests of his developer friends. And when he’s not trying to keep developer wallets fat, he’s trying to shut down regulatory agencies like OSHA which exist to protect the hardworking Texans who build our office buildings and roads.”[5]

(more…)

Below is a statement from Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie on the Census data released today:

“The 2010 Census data released today confirms that the overwhelming majority of Texas population growth during the past decade was driven by Hispanic and African American populations that grew at a much faster rate than the Anglo population in every region of the state, including our rapidly-growing suburbs.

“Texas will receive four additional congressional seats, and new districts should be drawn to provide representation for those who are responsible for the population growth that brought those districts to Texas.

“Texas Democrats believe that fair and legal congressional and legislative plans should be drawn in a process that provides meaningful input from officeholders who represent all Texans, and especially those who represent the minority populations driving our population growth.

“We will work with Democratic elected officials and take whatever actions are necessary to ensure that any redistricting plan ultimately enacted complies with the Voting Rights Act and restores representation for communities that were shredded by the Republican gerrymanders of 2001 and 2003.”

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Check out our new website, GOPpricetag.com. It exposes the local costs of the budget crisis state Republicans created.

GOPpricetag.com is an online archive of news stories and personal stories from everyday Texans. Want to share your story of how the budget cuts could affect your life or your community? Send us an email about it to GOPpricetag@txdemocrats.org. Let us know in your email if you’d like your story shared with your name or if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.

You can also share GOPpricetag posts via Facebook, and follow GOPpricetag on Twitter @GOPpricetag.

To further his aims of becoming a national GOP celebrity, Governor Rick Perry does a lot of travel. While he’s on the road, he makes a point of taking credit for everything that’s great about Texas. We contend that Texas was already great state of hard-working people a long time before Perry showed up on the scene, but he certainly doesn’t let reality get in the way of his proclamations.

At any rate, Texas is “number one” in some categories that we simply can’t feel good about. Today, the Texas Legislative Study group released an important report, called Texas on the Brink. No one could read this report and come away with the honest conclusion that we are doing right by our children and families – in the areas of health care, education, the well-being of our youngest and oldest, the environment and more.

What’s truly shameful is that Perry, his administration and state Republicans have failed to address these issues and Texas is on the brink of seeing disastrous long-term consequences – both in human and economic terms.

Texas Tribune pulled out a few “lowlights” of the multitude of unacceptable rankings -

Texas is “number one” in these categories:

— Number of executions (1st)

— Percent of uninsured children (1st)

— Percent of population uninsured (1st)

— Amount of carbon dioxide emissions (1st)

— Amount of toxic chemicals released into water (1st)

— Amount of hazardous waste generated (1st)

Texas is “number 50” in these categories:

— Percent of population 25 and older with a high school diploma (50th)

— Per capita spending on mental health (50th)

— Percent of non-elderly women with health insurance (50th)

— Percent of women receiving prenatal care in first trimester (50th)

— Workers’ compensation coverage (50th)

We’ve had ten years of Republican rule and it’s not working out too well for everyday Texans. That’s putting it mildly.

Remember this video we produced at the kickoff of this 82nd Legislative Session warning you about how scary it would be?

It’s only been a month and Republicans didn’t waste any time. Here’s just a small sampling of the headlines this Republican-dominated legislature has generated thus far.

Texas House Budget Proposes Sweeping Cuts
Texas Tribune

The Budget Deficit from Hell
Texas Observer

Counties Worry Cuts Lead to Unfunded Mandates
Texas Tribune

Some in GOP deny Texas budget in real trouble
Houston Chronicle

8,000 state jobs on the line
San Antonio Express-News

Schools say they can’t operate under budget plan
Houston Chronicle

State budget cuts may mean hundreds of nursing homes close, industry warns
Dallas Morning News

Medicaid cuts could lead to higher taxes, insurance premiums
Austin American-Statesman

Thousands in one senate district would have to drive 137 miles for voter ID
Houston Chronicle

Babies and grandmas: Who will Texas’ Medicaid cuts hurt? All of us – but the oldest and youngest most of all
Houston Chronicle

Perry calls for billions in cuts to education, other programs
Austin American-Statesman

Budget Shortfall? Perry’s Got to Get Away, Again.

Below is a statement from Texas Democratic Party Spokeswoman Kirsten Gray on Rick Perry’s appearance at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference in Washington, D.C.:

“Today, the Governor who never met a soapbox he didn’t like will take his political road show to the city he blames for all the problems he created in Texas.

“Last week, while Texans shivered through rolling blackouts, Perry prepared for his CPAC close-up by getting a tan in sunny Southern California at a gathering with national Republican luminaries. The Governor’s schedule is so packed with national travel lately he can hardly make time to phone in his job duties.

“While the Legislature addresses a $27 billion budget shortfall that could eliminate pre-K for Texas kids, force Grandma out of the nursing home and cost tens of thousands their jobs, Rick Perry’s ‘solution’ to these real emergencies is get away to play politics and leave the rest of us behind.”

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Fed up with Rick Perry gallivanting across the country while Texas is hemorrhaging jobs? Go to this Amazon.com page for his Fed Up! book and write a review letting him know!

While new stories about Texas losing jobs continue to come out everyday, Rick Perry continues his coast-to-coast celebrity tour and today will be introduced to the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Convention by money-laundering pioneer Ralph Reed.

This past election cycle, Texas Republicans made frequent use of a strategy in which nonprofit corporations, which are not required to disclose donors but are prohibited from conducting partisan activities, were illegally used to conduct political activities to benefit Republican candidates.

First it was the Green Party gaining ballot access via a nonprofit corporation that had ties to several of Rick Perry’s senior advisors. Later the Houston-based King Street Patriots used the same strategy to conduct explicitly political activities designed to help Republicans under the guise of being a “nonprofit corporation”.

These incidents were outrageous but hardly innovative. Turns out Ralph Reed was pioneering this strategy years ago when he was involved with the Abramoff Indian Lobbying Scandal. In that scandal, “Reed used non-profits, including Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform, as pass-throughs to disguise the origin of the funds, and that “the structure was recommended by Jack Abramoff to accommodate Mr. Reed’s political concerns.”

It’s nice to see that Rick Perry was able to make time on his coast-to-coast celebrity tour to visit with a pioneer like Reed. Meanwhile, back here in Texas, Amazon.com is so Fed Up with the “unfavorable regulatory climate” Perry and Texas Republicans have created that they’ve decided to leave the state and take a “1,000 new jobs and tens of millions of investment dollars” with them.

Fed up with Rick Perry gallivanting across the country while Texas is hemorrhaging jobs? Go to this Amazon.com page for his Fed Up! book and write a review letting him know!