GAWTP Admin, Author at Grassroots America - We The People

2021-22 | 87th Texas Legislative Session

Jul 31, 2022 | 87th Session, TXLege

Was the 87th Texas Legislature a success or failure for conservative values across this great state? How did Republican members of the Texas House and Senate perform? How do we measure this?

2020 RPT Legislative Priorities

The delegates involved in formulating these priorities represent grassroots Republicans from 31 State Senate Districts. The delegates are chosen by Republican grassroots activists at the precinct and county level to ensure it is a bottom-up process designed to make certain that local values are represented.

These priorities are the measuring stick.

2020 RPT Priorities List

2022 RPT Preamble & Principles

RPT Priorities | Bottom Line Results

In a Constitutional Republic…

Jan 20, 2023 | GAWTP Blog

**Government is the servant, not the master of the People!
Assume the role of master before it’s too late.**

JoAnn Fleming, Executive Director, Grassroots America – We the People

“Government is the people’s business, and every man, woman and child becomes a shareholder with the first penny of tax paid. With all the profound wording of the Constitution, probably the most meaningful words are the first three, ‘We, the People.’” – Ronald Reagan

A community, a state, a nation is known for what it tolerates. The independence of a free people is utterly dependent upon the principle “Government is the servant and not the master of the people.”

Both sides of the servant/master equation are at fault for the mess we find ourselves in today.

First, too many elected officials don’t believe they are public servants. They believe they are our all-knowing, enlightened masters and are either ignorant of their statutorily-mandated duty to conduct open government and to hear our redress of grievances against them, or they willfully, wantonly ignore that duty and behave as if they are accountable to no one – least of all the taxpaying rabble.

Then there’s the amiable, “nice guy/gal” types who just aren’t used to swimming with political sharks, are easily buffaloed by people with law degrees, just want to be loved, enjoy being in the “cool” group, and soon find they are in over their heads. The result? An elitist oligarchy that starts conducting the people’s business in back rooms just because they’ve come to believe they are smarter than the people who pay the freight, and they figure somebody in the justice system will always be there to save their bacon.

This is how we’ve completely lost sight of the American Revolutionary War principle of Liberty found in our Declaration of Independence. We have lost “Consent of the Governed” in our local communities, in Texas, and in this nation, leaving government to stomp all over our liberty and pillage our children’s heritage for Big Government Utopias we never asked for.

The second ingredient in this toxic, public corruption-breeding stew is the fact that most people do not see themselves as the masters. Most people – the intended Masters of Government – fall into at least five discernible categories:

1) the ignorant, who just don’t know any better;

2) the afraid, who fear business or social retribution for speaking out against the local ruling class;

3) the clueless groupies, who treat all elected officials as rock gods and would never, ever dare object to anything they do – especially if the officials are Republican;

4) the cronies, who love sloppy, stupid government as long as their head can be in the trough and their pocketbooks on the receiving end of special deals; and

5) the above-it-all detached ostriches who just don’t give a rat’s rear end.

Under the Austin Pink Dome, special interests abound, unconstitutional retroactive bills to distribute corporate welfare are signed into law, the state pours money into “Welfare for Sports and Big Tech,” and powerful legislators in both parties manipulate the system and profit from it. Meanwhile, we’re still begging for secure elections, property tax relief, accountability for public schools, and for somebody, somewhere to stop groomers, pedophiles, and pointy headed educrats from corrupting our children with deviant smut.

In Washington, DC, federal officials shred the US Constitution every day, and leadership for both parties just stand by and let it happen.

Local government officials tell you that your county, city, school district, fill-in-the-blank special taxing district is as “lean” as it can be with no waste. They declare they’ve cut your taxes and that taxpayer-funded bonds for noble causes will only cost you pennies, yet your property tax bills keep skyrocketing.

Tolerating political chicanery and unbridled corruption will get you more of the same, and in bolder, bigger doses. When will you decide you’ve had enough?

Grassroots America believes YOU can, and YOU must hold elected officials accountable. Our mission is to empower, educate, and unite those citizens who care about their children, grandchildren, and Liberty; those who do care about Truth; and those who are sick of the mess we find ourselves in.

If you’re fed up, sign up for our alerts. Attend a meeting. Raise your hand.

“As long as rulers are above the law, citizens have the same type of freedom
that slaves of any era had on days when their masters chose not to beat them.”
James Bovard

Holes in your Budget Getting Bigger?

Oct 16, 2022 | GAWTP Blog

Sticker shock at the grocery store? At the gas pump? Inflation have you worried? Brace yourself!

Most homeowners and businessowners will see an inflated property tax bill! (Rent increases for renters.)

Haven’t seen your property tax bill yet? It’s on the way! Once you see it…

Are you confused by the Grand Canyon distance between the tax-cutting promises made and the reality of what you now owe?

Are you frustrated because no matter how many times politicians tell you they’re reducing your property taxes, your bill keeps climbing?

Are you puzzled because your local elected officials have bragged about holding the tax rate steady for the past bajillion years, but your property tax bill still increases – every single year?

Are you suspicious when folks pushing local bond elections for courthouses, convention centers, schools, and parks say, “People over the age of 65 won’t pay more”?

You should be suspicious! Every time a bond election passes for a “noble” cause, the property tax debt burden for ALL taxpayers goes up. The result? The taxes of folks over the age of 65 will NEVER go down because this long-term debt will not be paid off in your lifetime! Weren’t you promised your taxes would go down someday? We think people asking you to pay more should at least tell you the truth – the whole truth!

We call all of this The Long Con. The deceivers count on the average citizen not understanding simple concepts these politicians twist and distort to their re-election advantage. Then, queue the clapping seals trained to treat these deceivers like royalty every time they walk into a room. This is how the long con of the “How Can We Fool Them Today?” strategy works.

What can you do? Learn how to spot the long con and reject it!

Watch the short 25-minute video below produced by Republican State Senators Bob Hall and Paul Bettencourt. It is instructive and eye-opening.

Hall and Bettencourt discuss bonds, appraisals, the property tax burden in Texas and how some local taxing entities are maneuvering around property tax reforms AND defiantly issuing debt for bond projects the voters rejected at the ballot box.

Watch and learn. Prepare to push back on the long con in your community!

Stop the Hounds of Hell Voter Guide

Oct 31, 2022 | Voter Info

Nov. 8^th General Election 2022
VOTING Dates & Hours
Mon. thru Fri., Oct. 31-Nov. 4: 7 AM – 7 PM
ELECTION DAY | Tues. Nov. 8^th | 7 AM – 7 PM

Voting Information Any Texas County
Click here.

>Smith County Locations/Sample Ballots:
www.smith-county.com/government/departments/elections

Report Election Integrity Concerns (512) 991-0117
or www.Texas.protectthevote.com>

General Election November 8, 2022
Simple Voter Guide Message:

This is a November General Election. Your choice is a Republican candidate or a Democrat candidate. (Other minor factional parties are also on the ballot – Greens, Martians, etc.)

There is NO Straight Ticket Voting! You must go down the ballot to vote in each race. Party labels are next to each name.

There are occasional write-ins across this big state. Check with local organizers if you have those on your ballot. Grassroots America conducts deep vetting for March Primaries where there is a choice between America First Conservatives and status quo-protecting, “leans-Democrat” Republicans.

Our Recommendations & Why

Reject the Left’s “in your face” tyranny and depravity-pushing, child-molesting agenda by voting against Texas Democrats!

Races toward the end of the ballot are important!
Do not skip them!

Democrats do damage anywhere they gain a foothold.

FACT: Texas Democrats will not resist anything Biden wants to do to Texas.
All Democrats will embrace the DC Occupiers’ agenda.

Of course, based on their record in office (what they have done/not done), some Texas Republicans have badly let conservatives down.

We made that abundantly clear leading up to the March 2022 Republican Primary Election, but the Primary Election results yielded these November 8^th ballot choices, which comes down to this question: “Who will hurt Texas more?”

Most Republicans will have the good sense to try to slow down the Left’s march across Texas. We must hold Texas. To lose Texas to the Left will most certainly unleash the hounds of hell on Texas.

America First Conservatives, look at this general election as our only a chance to hold Texas as we redouble our efforts to elect more America First Republicans in the 2024 Primary!

Don’t boycott voting!
Don’t vote for Donkeys!

The ongoing, evil-fueled attacks against President Trump and America First Republicans are proof that it is a savage fight we face against a hostile legacy media and a deeply entrenched political class. Don’t make our fight harder by giving any quarter to Democrats!

Voter Guide Clear Enough?

Pray for your community, Texas, and our nation. Ask God for deliverance.

JoAnn Fleming
Executive Director
Grassroots America – We the People PAC

Scary Tax-hiking Bonds on Your Ballot

Oct 31, 2022 | Voter Info

Passed bonds = debt issued to finance local gov’t building projects. Taxpayers will repay the borrowed money plus interest.

What does the 2022 Texas Republican Party Platform,

written and approved by grassroots conservatives,

say about bond elections?

The following two platform planks address 1) an utter lack of transparency that yields inaccurate bond project costs (incomplete project price tag) on ballots, and 2) the history of low voter turnout that passes huge blocks of debt, raising taxes on families, those on fixed incomes, and small businesses.

Platform Plank #92. Bonds Create Bondage: We urge the Texas Legislature to amend the Texas Election Code to require bond issues be approved by a 2/3 majority of those voting and only if 20% of all registered voters in the district cast ballots. Taxpayer standing must be established to allow taxpayers to hold government entities accountable.

Platform Plank #239. Bond Elections: State and local bond election ballots shall be required to include the amount of debt currently outstanding, current debt service payments, current per capita debt obligations, the amount of new debt being proposed, estimated debt service for the new debt, and estimated per capita burden being proposed. The bond issue must obtain a 2/3 affirmative vote of at least 20% of registered voters in the voting jurisdiction. No public funds are to be spent influencing a bond election. We oppose bundling of items on bond election ballots and “rolling polling” for bond and tax rate increase elections.

Why is this important?

We need the Texas Legislature, Governor, Lt. Governor, and House Speaker to get on board with these reforms to make the cost of these debt-building bond elections CLEAR to voters. Legislation should also be passed and signed into law that requires a turnout of 20% of registered voters and a subsequent 2/3 majority of the turnout to pass these behemoths.

Do you know if your county, city, ISD, community college, or special taxing district has a bond election on your Nov. 8 ballot? Know what it’s for? Know the full price tag?

There’s a grand total of $21.1 Billion in projects on the Nov. 8 ballot. This total does NOT include the price of financing (the interest)! Can you imagine what the interest will be on $21.1 Billion?

Start your fact-finding mission by clicking here: Texas Bond Review Board; enter 11/8/22 in the space for Election Date (or click on calendar icon), then hit enter.

Now that you are looking at the sortable table of all bond elections on ballots across Texas, the easiest way to find the principal ONLY portion of a bond election for your ballot is to sort the table by county. Click through the pages (see bottom left corner) or you may download to Excel and sort.

Once you find your county and any bond elections inside your county, go to your taxing entity website (city, county, ISD, special taxing entity) to see if they report how much interest will be charged to borrow this money and how many years it will take for taxpayers to pay it off. Don’t find that key information? Then start calling your elected officials to get the information before you vote.

Here’s our local example of information left off the ballot,

left off mailers sent to voters by those pushing the courthouse project,

and misinformation about the over-65 voter impact.

We think you might learn from this analysis!

The Smith County Courthouse & Parking Structure

Bond Directly involves YOUR wallet!

You should know the facts before you vote!

Do you buy a vehicle or a house without knowing the full price tag? Didn’t think so – especially when fuel, electricity, grocery prices, and property tax bills are soaring, and inflation is eating your income!

Before you vote, know these additional facts, and if you believe a new courthouse is a “good investment,” at least you will know the full price tag when you vote and will be ready to have this added to your property tax bill.

Your ballot says: “The Issuance of $179,000,000 Tax Bonds for a New County Courthouse and Parking Structure and Levying the Tax in
Payment for Such Bonds.”

The actual price tag is >$303,840,445. *

What’s the $125 MILLION difference? The INTEREST charged on the bond debt. All bond projects require interest (debt service) payments over the life (years) of the borrowed principal. Taxpayers are always on the hook for the entire amount – principal PLUS interest. Your elected officials just don’t include that extra amount on the ballot! They could, but because they are not required to do it, they do not! Instead, most taxing entities “low ball it” by talking in terms of “just a few pennies on your tax rate” or “it will only be the cost of two cups of Starbucks coffee a day.” *[Source: Specialized Public Finance, Inc. report to Smith County Commissioners dated 8/01/2022]

FACT: Over-65 Homestead Exemptions with frozen ceilings on property taxes are indeed impacted by major long-term debt. Each time voters approve a “Let’s borrow millions” bond project, property tax debt burdens for ALL taxpayers go up. Your over-65 property tax ceiling is frozen – not the floor! Adding debt ensures taxes for the over-65s will not go down.

Wait! What? Taxes for over-65s won’t go down because this new long-term debt will highly likely never be paid off the rest of your natural life! Also, when the property is passed on to children/grandchildren under 65, the exemption is removed, and property taxes are raised. If instead of passing your homestead down to heirs, you sell it, property taxes owed on the homestead by new owners will jump up way past your ceiling! In a recession, when interest rates are also soaring, this could pose a considerable problem selling a home.

I hope this helps you become better informed before you vote! If you still believe the extra taxes and extra debt are worth adding to your property tax bill during a recession, that is your choice!

Mind how you go,