ISSUES:
My office gets many calls
urging me to vote for or against proposed Federal
legislation and policies. Of course, as a State
Representative, I have no vote on Federal issues. But
that does not mean I am not interested.
As a State Representative I want to do my best to
support State legislation and policies that will make
and keep Texas as the best State is the United States to
live work, and do business.
But let's face the fact that the best in the
United States may be meaningless unless the standards of
the United States are high. And, relativity speaking,
our standards have not been getting better or even
staying steady. We have allowed our national leaders to
create unsustainable spending. We have an unfavorable
national balance of trade as the result of policies that
have resulted in the loss of good paying jobs and a
dependence on foreign energy products. We have become a
nation whose national economy depends on consumption not
on production. Like the frog in the heating water we
have not noticed the gradual change until we began to
boil. We obviously need change. but in the promise of
change the American people chose a leader whose idea of
change was to simply turn the burner up increasing the
heat; Promising more entitlements; more people depending
more on unsustainable Federal spending and bringing no
ideas to increase people's self reliance, productivity
and creation of wealth.
I want Texas to be the best of the best, not the
best of the worst. To do that we must change the
national culture.
These are three issues in which positive change
can effectively change our future; First, cut spending,
balance the budget, and begin to pay down the debt. It
can not all happen overnight but we must start soon. We
must start by reducing individuals reliance on
government. To do so we must not only allow the free
enterprise system to create jobs but also make it more
necessary to work.
Secondly, deal with immigration. There is not
really that many jobs "Americans will not do" if the job
really needs done and survival depends on doing it. If
supply and demand is really valid, then limiting
American jobs to Americans first will do two things. It
will increase American wages and decrease American
welfare. And here is the answer to their likely
arguments against strict immigration enforcement. First,
the answer to it would increase cost and make American
products unaffordable; Many, if not most of the jobs
immigrants do used to be well paid construction jobs.
Those jobs have to be done on site and can not be
shipped off to another country; A road, house, or
building in Dallas can not be built in Mexico or China;
A landscape in Dallas can not be tended in Mexico or
China. The second argument is it will increase cost.
That is right and it will also make unemployed and
government dependent Americans new independent
taxpayers. I would rather my money go to pay the
increased cost of a service or product I choose than to
taxes to make that person dependent. The third argument
is there are not enough Americans to do all the needed
jobs and/or there are not enough Americans trained in
the right skills. Ok, so let us start training them. and
when we have reached our limit we will bring in the
right number under stick controls. In addition to
employing Americans, this would reduce the million of
non citizens currently depending on federal, State, and
local government service.
The final suggestion is to promote energy
independence. our current policy leaves the United
States at the mercy of Middle East Countries that
furnish our deficiency in fossil fuels and China and
other countries who buy our debt. It does not have to be
so. With common sense policies that promotes maximum
development of domestic fossil fuels and alternative
energy.
Texas is the national leader in wind energy and
when transmission lines are completed to get that energy
to market, it will make a difference. TXU has recently
announced a program to promote home solar power with an
inexpensive lease of equipment. Two new nuclear
generators are in the permitting process for Texas.
United Parcel Service has a major distribution center in
Dallas that relies for much of their truck fuel on
natural gas. Bio fuels using food vegetation and fuel
cells are in experimental stages. So it is not like
nothing is being done. But the fact remains we will not
be energy self sufficient anytime soon without fossil
fuels. Coal and oil need to continue a big role for a
long time. So let us do it all; continue to encourage
development of new sources' Revive nuclear by reviewing
and streamlining the permitting process; Remove
restrictions to public lands and off shore exploration
and production. Use every resource available to produce
a master plan for energy self sufficiently. Let the US
Department of Energy become the Department of Energy
instead of Department of No Energy.
Sure these three proposed solutions leave lots of
what ifs - lots of learning and lots of real work. I
wish It were as easy as writing an essay. But unless we
can find leaders willing to take chances and make things
happen we will not leave our children a better life- or
even a life as good as we have. We need action not just
Hope. Hope has become equal to inaction and change is
equal to digging the hole deeper.
Illegal Immigration
Constituents send me more letters and e-mail about
immigration than any other issue. Most encourage me to
support bills or ideas to reduce, eliminate, or
disincentivize those who are in or came to the U.S.
illegally. A few argue that the benefits of illegal
immigrants are greater than the cost.
This is what I think:
1. Every Texas elected official (including state
representatives) and others including law enforcement
officers, take an oath in which we agree to "preserve,
protect and defend the Constitution and laws of the
United States and of Texas."
A. A non-citizen entering the United States without
permission is a violation of federal law.
B. How can we deny our duty to pass laws and policies
that are in concert with and support federal law?
2. Supply and demand always effect each other. So an
unlimited and uninterrupted supply of unskilled and
under skilled labor may lead to lower wages and lower
consumer prices in some areas, but it does so on the
backs of legal workers who could expect to be better
compensated for their work if demand for their services
weren't reduced by the illegal supply.
While some may think this is good because it allows our
businesses to be more competitive and our consumer goods
and services to be less expensive, that is not the whole
story.
The whole story also includes the public benefits and
services paid for by taxpayers to support and make
possible the maintenance of low income workers--both
legal and illegal.
I believe it would be better to pay real livable
salaries so legal workers would not generally need to
seek public assistance. That might also mean we pay more
for some of our products and services; or, it might
require some public funding or tax incentives to allow
our businesses to be competitive; however, at least it
would be transparent and honest and would not make
productive people dependent on government programs.
But, let us not be too judgmental about those who are
here illegally. They are generally here illegally
because our people illegally hire them and take
advantage of lower cost provided by the labor supply
they furnish. Let's be honest. If many of us found
ourselves in a position where we couldn't adequately
support our families here, but could with jobs in
Mexico; we would be trying to get into Mexico.
Before we vilify those who are here for honest work,
let's look at ourselves. We who take advantage of them,
need to do our duty--support the laws we are sworn to
support and support policies that make illegal entry and
residence less attractive. Toward this end, I have
introduced the following bills in the Texas House:
1. HB 658 requires governmental entities to participate
in the Federal Work Authorization Program (e-verify).
2. HB 1061 denies all state licenses, whether they be
drivers' licenses,
occupational licenses, or other identification
certificates, to non-legal residents.
3. HB 1033 designates English as the official language
of Texas.
4. HB 1035 requires that all state applications and
tests be given in English.
