CAP-AND-TRADE: HOW WILL IT AFFECT YOU?
Donna Broder ~ VP, Programs
Have you wondered how “Cap-and-Trade” would affect you and your pocketbook? Our special speaker in May will be Phillip Smith from Congressman Jeb Hensarling’s office. He will discuss the impact Cap-and-Trade will have on us, should the bill make its way through Congress and become law.
Phillip Smith, a native of Henderson County, Texas is a graduate of Brownsboro High School and received his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University. Smith joined Congressman Jeb Hensarling’s staff in the fall of 2008. Prior to that time, Smith worked for State Senator Robert Nichols and Congressman Louie Gohmert in both official and political capacities.
STATE REPUBLICAN CONVENITON COMING UP
Jody Deller ~ President
Soon the State Republican Convention will be upon us. Many of our members are either delegates or alternates and we will be voting for our SREC Committeeman and woman as well as the State Party Chair. Vicki Slaton, candidate for SREC Committeewoman visited our last meeting. And so far as we know at this time our SREC committeeman has no opponent. There are three candidates for Party Chair and I hope that all candidates will be given fair consideration.
Also, the new precinct chairs of the county party will be sworn in on May 24 and several of our ladies are on the Party Executive Committee. Our Republican Women have always worked to make sure that Kaufman County has the most qualified candidates and office holders. Of course, Party is important but principle has to be more important. Striving for less government, lower taxes, conservative principles that we all believe in. Now is a time for all conservatives to work together to make sure we follow the constitutional principles this country was founded on.
May 15 is Armed Forces Day, and we plan to put flags out at the Veterans Memorial in Kaufman. If you are interested in helping, get in touch with Donna Davis. We will also be putting flags out for Memorial Day.
FIGHTING FOR
OLD GLORY
Donna Davis ~ Americanism
Keeping our American flag flying is becoming more and more problematic in today’s political environment. In 2008, President Obama, then Senator Obama, when questioned about his stance on the American Flag during a “Meet the Press” interview, replied that he didn’t wear the flag pin because he didn’t want to be perceived as taking sides and he said, “There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression.” He also stated that the National Anthem conveys a war-like message and in his opinion, should be changed.
There have been many instances where people have been admonished and instructed to remove the flag from display including banks, universities, apartment buildings, fire houses and workplaces. The United States has dominated Haiti earthquake recovery efforts yet President Obama has banned the American flag from flying in the dilapidated island to avoid looking like an occupation force even as other nation’s proudly wave their flags. Military personnel and veterans are insulted and as one veteran stated the Star and Stripes have always been flown in disaster relief areas for two reasons; Pride and to remind the people we’re helping who came to their rescue.
As we celebrate Armed Forces Day on May 15th and Memorial Day on May 31st lets remember to fly the American Flag when and wherever we can and keep FIGHTING FOR OLD GLORY.
APRIL MEETING IN REVIEW
Our May KCRW meeting welcomed Amy Clark, SD-21 SREC Committeewoman as she gave an enlightening workshop about the legislative process and how we can make an impact by getting involved. As usual, snacks by Nancy Murphy were delicious as we followed the program with an organizational meeting to prepare for the coming year’s events and involvement with Republican candidates. We look forward to an exciting year as we continue to grow our membership, promote good government and encourage community involvement.
LEGISLATIVE QUICK FACTS
Joyce Lewis ~ VP, Legislation
The Texas Legislature is a bicameral body, composed of a 31- member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Texas Legislature meets starting on the 2nd Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. The next regular session of the Texas legislature will convene on Tuesday, January 11, 2011. The Texas Constitution limits each regular session to 140 calendar days.
The Texas Constitution sets the qualifications for election to each House. A senator must be at least 26 years old, a citizen of Texas for 5 years prior to election, and a resident of the district from which elected for 1 year prior to election. Each senator serves a 4-year term, and one-half the senate is elected every 2 years in even-numbered years.
A Representative must be at least 21 years old, a citizen of Texas for 2 years prior to election and a resident of the district from which elected one year prior to election. Representatives are elected for 2-year terms.
GOP MESSAGE:
TEXAS LEADS THE WAY: BUSINESS LEADERS ONCE
AGAIN RATE TEXAS THE BEST STATE FOR BUSINESS
Taken from Texas GOP website: www.txgop.org
The Lone Star State stands alone as America’s best state in which to do business. That’s how more than 600 CEOs across America rate Texas. Chief Executive Magazine polled a total of 651 corporate CEOs, who, for the fifth year in a row, gave Texas top honors for the state’s openness to business, our reasonable regulatory environment, the level of taxation, quality of our workforce and living environment.
“Texas’ unrivaled success over the past several years is no accident,” said Republican Party of Texas Chairman Cathie Adams. “Texans are can-do people who maximize our freedoms to pursue the American dream. And conservative governance, led by Gov. Rick Perry and our Republican statewide officeholders and legislature, is our secret to empowering Texans. Under Republican leadership, Texas keeps government out of the way by keeping our government small, our regulatory system predictable, our reformed tort system fair, and our tax burden on families and businesses among the lowest in the nation. This all translates into one thing Texans need: Jobs.”
Added Republican Party spokesman Bryan Preston: “When you look at the Chief Executive list, after you see Texas on top again, it’s hard not to notice who’s at the bottom. The states where the entrenched Democrat left has grown government the most are also the states that are the least friendly to business. And they all happen to have the highest unemployment rates, too. It’s clear that in those states, Democrat leaders care more about a whole bunch of other issues than about fostering free enterprise. Big government kills jobs, period.”
The Top Ten states for business, according to the CEO poll, are Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Utah and South Carolina. The worst five states are, from the bottom, California, New York, Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
According to Chief Executive’s article accompanying the poll:
Texas, the second-most populous state and the world’s 12th largest economy, is where 70 percent of all new U.S. jobs have been created since 2008. Unsurprisingly, it scores high in all the areas CEOs value most. “You feel like state government understands the value of business and industry to create jobs and growth,” observed one CEO. Its tax credits and incentives to business choosing to locate or expand are among the most aggressive. The Texas Enterprise Fund is by far the largest deal-closing fund of any state, with grants totaling $377 million disbursed in 2008.
BOOK AND LINK
OF THE MONTH
Atlas Shrugged
Atlas Shrugged is the “second most influential book for Americans today” after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club.
By Ayn Rand
http://patriotpost.us The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed Internet-based
journal advocating individual liberty, the restoration of constitutional limits on
government and the judiciary, and the promotion of free enterprise, national
defense and traditional American values.