Save Texas Reps

Texas Republican Party Follows Dominion Theology

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Texas Republican Party Follows Dominion Theology

“The Republican Party of Texas affirms
the United States of America is a Christian Nation …”
State of Texas GOP Platform, 2004

There is no doubt that the Texas Republican Party subscribes to Dominion Theology, which is highly linked to Christian Reconstructionism. Dominionists hold the belief that the federal government belongs in the background, i.e. much less controlling of its citizens’ lives. They believe that this can be accomplished through widespread tax cuts. The Church would then accept responsibility for such programs as welfare and education. Many of these beliefs were actually part of the Bush administration’s platform, and the Texas Republican Party would like to see the U.S. on a path towards becoming a Christian nation.

Dominionism essentially calls for democracy to be replaced by theocracy with the Ten Commandments as the basis for law. They are not concerned about freedom of religion or the separation of church and state. In their view, the founders meant for the country to be a Christian nation and they are simply bringing America back to where it was supposed to be. The Texas Party is perhaps the core of this platform within the Republican party, and although many Republicans say they do not support it, there is no doubt that it is a large and influential movement within the party.Still bored? Click to continue: Is the US a ‘Christian nation’? Should we want to be?

Do Republicans in Texas Support Casino Gambling

admin — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Casino Gambling coming to Texas? The proposal is out there so that this industry can make its way to Texas. The problem is that Republican leadership in the State is not thrilled with the idea. In fact it goes beyond a mere like or dislike factor. The state of Texas Republican Platform completely opposes government revenue taken from any gambling source even including non casino forms like a state lottery. The opposition can also be found amongst Republican leaders where an overwhelming amount of the leadership has actually opposed the measure of legalized casino gambling in an overwhelming fashion. . This particular mindset goes all the way to the top. Rick Perry the governor of Texas is against expanding casinos in the state. He feels that expanded gambling is not in the state’s best interest and cites the failure of the economy in Nevada to show that expanded gambling in Texas will not necessarily help bring more government revenue. While leadership is not ready to expand gambling the people of Texas on the other hand regardless of party affiliation are wanting the gambling to come to Texas. This will setup a confrontation between the people and leadership of the state.

The Sonogram Bill Moves To Committee

admin — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The abortion bill introduced by Senator Dan Patrick went to the Senate State Affairs Committee which approved the bill in a vote 7 to 2. Two senators, Leticia Van de Putte and Rodney Ellis were the no votes. The abortion bill makes it a requirement that doctors doing abortions give the women who are going to get an abortion the option of getting a sonogram. The offer must be given to them 24 hours before doing the abortion on the woman.
The bill has been changed from what Dan Patrick originally wrote it. When he introduced the bill in January, the bill mandated that a woman have the sonogram to hear and to see her unborn fetus. The bill that passed through Committee states that the woman who is going to have an abortion can refuse the sonogram. Other changes to Dan Patrick’s abortion bill was the waiting period from when a woman getting an abortion should have the sonogram from two hours as originally written to 24 hours as passed by Committee.
Other changes included excluding the sonogram offer for those women who were raped or in case of an emergency abortion. The abortion bill will now have to go through the full Senate for approval.

Energy and Politics

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

My daughter has so many Barbies that it’s like there’s a whole army of them. At this point those dolls and all of the accessories that go with them just don’t really fit in her room. So I decided to actually use our spare room as a playroom for her and all of her Barbies. But I also decided that when I’m decorating the playroom I want to be green about it.

I went online to find some green ideas and when I was doing that I came across Just Energy, who had information about Green Energy. Once I read through it, I decided to consult my husband about switching to green energy.

I found this really great little rocking chair at a yard sale not too long ago, so I’m going to paint that hot pink to go with the Barbie theme. I also bought some sustainable fabric to make curtains and pillows out of for the playroom. I think it will be the perfect new home for all of her Barbies.

Texas Republicans Object To National Tort Reform

admin — Sun, 01 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Why would Texas Republicans speak out against National Tort Reform? This question arose when two members of the House Judiciary Committee, Reps. Louie Gohmert and Ted Poe raised objections to a tort reform bill sponsored by the Republican leadership. Traditionally Republicans have joined with insurers and the medical establishment in supporting tort reform while trial lawyers and Democrats have historically been against setting any limits on the tort system. Even San Antonio’s Rep. Lamar Smith was in support of this bill, so what are Poe and Gohmert up in arms about anyway?

The crux of the matter seems to be whether the federal government actually has the right to set this sort of policy, which traditionally has been under the jurisdiction of state governments. Texas passed tort reform bills on their own several years back, and has seen mainly positive results from their efforts, so this is clearly not a case of Republicans jumping into bed with the trial lawyers on this issue. Poe and Gohmert seem to be framing their argument against National Tort Reform in terms of the federal government infringing upon state’s rights, and in opposing this bill they appear to be on firm Republican Party ground.

What Are The Qualifications For A Texas State Legislature

admin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In order to represent your area in the Texas state legislature there are a couple of different requirements you have to meet that vary slightly depending on whether you would like to be in the Senate or the House of Representatives. These qualifications are set forth in the Texas State Constitution.
What Are the Qualifications For A Texas State Legislature?
In order to serve in the senate you must be 26 years of age and have been a citizen of Texas for at least five years before the election. You also must have resided in the district you are running in for one year before the election.
The House of Representatives have slightly different rules. To be a representative you only have to be 21 years old and a citizen of Texas for only 2 years before the election you plan on running in. Like the senate, you need to have resided in the district one year prior to the election.
Fortunately, if you are planning a career in the Texas state legislature you don’t need to worry about term limits as there aren’t any but you will need to prepare to be re-elected. Re-elections are generally held for both offices every two years.

How Conservative Are Republicans in Texas

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Texas is a state that is widely regarded as one of the most conservative in the union, a claim that is not entirely unfounded. One of the causes that Texas conservatives are currently fighting against is the funding of public radio and television. MatthewHuisman of The Dallas Morning News recently had a news story on the issue,http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/house-passes-bill-to-defund-np.html, citing local representatives on their opinions on this matter. In the article, Huisman writes “NPR officials dispute the idea that their news coverage is slanted. Supporters note that the stations also carry entirely nonpartisan entertainment programming such as Car Talk, and that many rural areas, in particular, depend on public radio.”. Texas conservatives voting to defund public broadcasting is great evidence of the overall political climate in the state of Texas. I believe the movement to defund public broadcasting is one of the most hard line conservative positions one can take in this country. public broadcasting only constitutes a tiny, tiny fraction of the taxes that a citizen pays in a year and goes very far to educate the public as a whole. It would take a true believer in the anti-taxation beliefs of the American Conservatives to vote against the nation’s public broadcasting.

A Look at the Voter ID Bill

www.savetexasreps.com — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Inside the Texas Legislature, now 2 years in the making, it appears as if the Voter ID Bill will finally pass, thanks to the support of new State House of Representatives, which has taken on a decidedly Republican flair following the last election. So now that all signs point to more stringent requirements at the polling site, let’s take a look at exactly what the proposed bill may soon requireAt the time a registered voter casts his or her vote, he or she will need to bring either a driver’s license, personal ID card (via the Department of Public Safety), United States military ID card, United States passport (U.S. only) or United States citizenship certificate. Currently, only a voter card is required to place a ballot, or other various acceptable forms of identification that do not include a photo.The bill is an effort to decrease voter fraud, as non-photo identification qualifiers can easily be transferred between individuals with little way of knowing. Of course, not everyone has met the initiative with enthusiasm. When a similar bill was proposed in 2009, it never made it to a House vote, with seats standing in a gridlocked split between Republican and Democrats.Democrats worry about voters without a valid form of photo ID, which they believe will be primarily part of their constituency come voting time. However, voting shouldn’t pose much more of a challenge than obtaining a driver’s license or state issued photo ID, a task undertaken by countless Americans every weekday. Not to mention, the most immobile citizens are accounted for, with voters over the age of 70 not required to provide a photo ID, instead allowed to continue under traditional voting guidelines.Though the law is unlikely to find a significant challenge at the State Legislature level, the Voting Rights Act could still come into play, were the bill to come under scrutiny by the federal government.

Texas Reps Tack it on Late

www.savetexasreps.com — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:39:15 +0000

November has been a resounding month for a nationwide Republican resurgence, but the full climb back is not yet finished. Though the Grand Old Party is assured of a House majority when the 112th Congress convenes, there is still time to tack on a few extra runs in the bottom of the ninth, as Rangers fans might relate to. Texas is the most recent state to have added to the total, upping the 61 seat Republican edge in the Midterm elections to 62. With a less than 1,000 vote margin, Blake Farenthold finally secured victory over incumbent Democrat Solomon Ortiz, in a race that was still too close to call nearly three weeks after the election.The win over Ortiz is no small accomplishment. Having served for 28 years as Texas 27^th District Representative, the upset is a microcosm of the severity seen in the larger paradigm shift across the country. Farenthold was considered a long shot at best to defeat Ortiz, though the name Farenthold will not be a new one to those familiar with the state’s political past. Sissy Farenthold, a member of the Texas House of Repreasentatives from 1968 through 72 and a gubernatorial candidate within the Democratic Party in 72 and 74, is actually the grandmother of Blake, splitting the family across party lines. In fact, the elder Farenthold made national waves as the first runner up to Thomas Eagleton as a part of George McGovern’s ’72 Presidential ticket, nearly nominated for Vice President, only the third woman nominated in a major party’s convention. She actually received more votes than Future President Jimmy Carter, among several other VP Candidates.Her grandson and proud Republican, has most recently been hosting a conservative talk radio program, Lago in the Morning, prior to seeking political office. Born in Corpus Christi, he has raised two daughters there alongside his wife Debbi.

Republican Win in Reach

www.savetexasreps.com — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:44:44 +0000

Were the Republicans to actually make good on their “Win 10 in ’10″ goal for the November 2 elections, what changes could we expect to see on the House floor? How much difference does 10 actually make in a legislative body of 150 members? Enough to make Democrats understandably nervous.With many major issues facing Texas decision makers in the coming months, a 77-seat Republican House population may not sound like much less than an 87-seat majority, but outnumbered by 24 Representatives, Democrats would struggle to maintain an assertive voice on important causes. On the docket will be very influential discussions of immigration, as we have seen large scale controversy erupt to the West in Arizona, voter identification and the always pertinent budget concerns. With 87 seats, each of these issues would likely be voted on and passed with a noticeably Republican flair, great for GOP backers but concerning for the diminished donkey supporters.If Republicans do, in fact, make significant strides in the state House, look for a change to be made at the top of the legislative body. Current Speaker of the House, Joe Straus, though a Republican, is widely considered to be somewhat of a compromise for staunch party members, less socially conservative than some right wingers would ideally choose. Straus’ nomination can be traced back to the growing number of Democrats in the Texas House, reaching a narrow gap of 4 according to the latest figures. Still in a minority, Democrats were hard-pressed to find one of their own for the position, thus found it in their best interest to cast their influence towards the most agreeable member of the opposing party.A major victory would most likely spell the end of Straus speaker reign, replaced by a fellow Republican residing further right down the political spectrum.