His FAKE “Toll Payer Protection Act” is Anti-Taxpayer!
State Rep. Matt Krause, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, just filed a bill that seriously undermines Gov. Greg Abbott’s ‘No toll’ pledge by re-authorizing public private partnership toll roads. These types of toll roads are opposed by both the Texas Republican and Texas Democratic Party platforms. In a very bizarre flip-flop, Matt Krause is now supporting the very toll road schemes he helped us kill last session. What happened?
Texans for Traffic Relief – an Austin lobbying group front – is headed up by a guy who was once a leader in the Young Conservatives of Texas. So what? He now shills for contracting and engineering special interests and has declared war on conservative grassroots activists:
The Big Road Lobby doesn’t like the promises made by Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick, nor the tremendous grassroots support these statewide officials have earned because they’ve stood firm on their campaign pledges for “no more toll roads.”
This FAKE “Toll Payer Protection Act” claims to take the tolls off a road once it’s paid for, but then allows the Transportation Commission to extend the toll every 10 years into perpetuity (forever in gov’t terms)! That’s not toll cessation – it’s toll extension!
This is what our Executive Director has to say about HB 1951. She gets to the heart of the matter by pointing out The Problem our Republican legislators are ignoring as they get all cuddly with the Big Road Lobby:
“We are stunned that Rep. Krause would be convinced by the Big Road Lobby to file a bill that undermines the promises made by Governor Abbott and Lt. Governor Patrick to end toll roads. Rather than supporting a fix to TxDOT’s underlying structural management problems as cited in the 2017 Sunset Advisory Commission’s Report to the 85th Legislature (page 2), the Big Road Lobby continues to wail that there’s just not enough money. As long as TxDOT is ‘not meeting expectations andis not prepared to effectively handle the influx of new transportation funding projected to double over the next decade,” nor has it “met key on-time or on-budget measures for several years,’ there can NEVER be enough money poured into the transportation bureaucracy! We are deeply disappointed in Rep. Krause for filing a fake “toll payer protection” bill that undercuts taxpayers, our Governor, and Lt. Governor in order to appease the road lobby. We call on him to reverse course, and we call on current House authors and co-authors to remove their support immediately.” JoAnn Fleming, Executive Director, Grassroots America – We the People PAC and its premier project – the Texas Conservative Grassroots Coalition
Texas-style liberty cannot survive if its leaders are driven by pragmatism, which divorced from principles, drives one’s decisions to be based on political expediency (AKA raw fear of losing the next political race).
The media and a myriad of political voices – on both the left and the right – proclaim conservatism on its last legs – if not completely dead in Texas. This prognosis fits their self-focused, self-justifying narratives, which declare our demise – based solely on the results of one mid-term election.
We got their memo; promptly filed it our circular file.
But, since some folks appear to be going all wobbly, we’re reaffirming our principle-based legislative priorities for the current Texas Legislative Session.
Most of these priorities are ones we’ve talked about EVERY legislative session for the past FIVE sessions (you know, back when Republicans had a super majority in the House and a larger majority in the Senate?).
Truth be told, Republicans have had trifecta rule down at the Capitol since 2003. We suggest they stop listening to consultants and listen to the people who hired them at the ballot box…before they go the way of the Dodo bird and are consulted into extinction.
We’ve spoken with several conservative legislators the last couple of days. We are incensed that NONE of the independent gun rights groups were invited to the Abbott table and that our conservative legislators were shut out of the conversation too.When gun control advocates leave the Governor’s meeting high-fiving each other, you know there’s a reason for concern.
In short order, we will plan a Coalition effort with conservative legislators to stand against erosion of gun rights and to support laws already on the books that are not being enforced. We support school safety, but we do not support criminalizing lawful gun-owners in the process.
The following is our initial read on Governor Abbott’s May 30, 2018 School and Firearm Safety Action Plan:
1) His proposal creates a de facto mandatory storage law and makes every gun owner a potential felon.
2) His proposal makes it a potential felony to store a gun in your automobile.
3) His proposal will make it a potential felony to make firearms accessible to you or your properly-trained teenagers in the case of an emergency.
4) His proposal effectively outlaws unsupervised shooting by anyone under the age of 18, regardless of training or ability.
We are also concerned with potential “red flag” laws that could target gun owners on an anonymous tip, allowing judges to temporarily seize an individual’s firearms if that person is considered an imminent threat. If a citizen speaks against a tax increase or a bond election, would local officials consider that citizen an imminent threat? What about citizens who hold prayer vigils outside abortion clinics or groups who hold Tax Day rallies? Oh, yes indeed, some officials would call that an imminent threat in a heartbeat!
Other language in the plan approaches criminalization of gun owners if they fail to report a missing firearm in a specified government- mandated time frame.
We will oppose any legislation that makes it harder for citizens to use their firearms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense.
Stay tuned. Our right to self-defense PRE-DATES the Second Amendment. It is a God-given right – not a right bestowed by the government. We intend to fight to preserve it. What about you?
We don’t go looking for a fight, but if you bring one, like all good Texans, we’ll rise to the occasion to remind you about values, conservative principles, and your job description. If you want to avoid a messy “clean up on aisle 9” that you most certainly will not enjoy, these are key points to remember…
Know your purpose and stay in your lane. Be sure your staff understands this, along with thenext ten items.
Respect is a two way street.
Remember that you werehired at the ballot box to do a job defined by statute & oath. Do it.
Remember that we do not work for you; therefore, we will not ask your permission to speak out on issues.
Remember that we do not work for you; therefore, we will not allow you to define our role as activists, set our priorities, or tell us when we can and cannot interact with your office.
Remember the times you’ve needed us to have your back when you were unfairly attacked? BEFORE you get all whiny because we ask a question you don’t like, you might want to take a walk, have an ice cream cone, or take a deep breath, ‘cause you really don’t want to go there!
Be thankful that some of us have enough mercy to ignore unbecoming and childish behavior the first time, but don’t count on not being publicly called out if you keep it up (and that goes for the silly social media stunts you think we don’t see).
Remember your Oath of Office. Some of us expect you to keep it and hold true to it in every way. That means following and upholding the rule of law – all of it, all of the time.
We don’t post or traffic in rumors about officials, but your voting record, your public comments, and how you conduct yourself is your job performance record, which makes it our business.
Just as is the case with any employee, you will be rated on what you do, as well as what you do not do. Failure to do your job, pass the buck, point fingers at others, and constantly make excuses is cause for non-support or opposition.
An endorsement from us is not a life-long commitment on our part. From the day you take office, you are being evaluated. It is an entirely reasonable expectation that you will keep your promises and pledges, and that you will hold true to the values and principles you extolled when you were a candidate. Veer from that at your own peril.
Thank you for serving in public office. For those who really try to do it right, it is a very tough job. We get that. So, make sure you and your staff don’t make your job harder than it already is. If you stay in your lane, keep your promises, work hard, respect the folks, and do what is right, we’ll have your back!
