Press Conference on the steps of the Texas Capital
As I started writing this article I thought about titling it “Mr. Green Goes to Austin” or “The Texas Legislature, As Seen between the Legs,” or better yet, “Some of our Members of the Texas Legislature must think they are so Smart and the Public so Stupid, and why They feel that only They can Make Decisions that Affect our Lives.”
- Notice the legs? And you thought I was kidding!
OK, so here is the disclaimer. Yes, this blog may seem a bit political, but honestly, it is not meant to be that way. Rather, this is my observation of a day that started out with me feeling excited to watch the Texas Legislature put the power of our future in the people’s hands but unfortunately ended with me feeling that certain representatives must really think that the public is stupid because the legislature had worked, and succeeded, at grabbing that power away from the public. Ahhh…democracy, you just have to love it! If you haven’t figured it out, I am a huge believer in our right to vote. Anyone that knows me well has heard me say, if you don’t vote, then you can’t gripe. That statement is usually followed by a bit of a lecture on how those who died before us died for our right to vote and how by not voting a person basically negates their sacrifice. So there you go, now you can see why I get so riled up when someone tries to take away that right or as in this case, arrogantly yanks it away.
Now with that out of the way, I shall begin…Just a couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend a press conference held on the steps of the Texas Capital. I was also invited to visit some of our local officials who would be in Austin due to the Legislature being in session. Honestly, I really wasn’t sure what this press conference was about but the thought of seeing one in person and the opportunity to visit the capital while the legislature was in session was very exciting and something I just couldn’t pass up. So off I went to Austin!
During the drive, I did take some time to learn what the press conference was going to be about. At that time, all I knew was that the press conference was in response to an addition to House Bill 300 and that this addition would basically allow the local communities to vote on whether or not they wanted to fund rail and other road projects by either an additional license fee, car registrations renewal fee or by adding up to 10 cents to a gallon of gas.
I arrived at the bottom of the Texas Capitol Steps and I have to say, I was a bit taken back by the magnitude of the building itself. Not because of its structural size but because of its history and what it stands for. However, I was quickly brought back to reality when I saw a group of people holding signs made out of what looked like construction paper, with “Texas not Taxes” printed on them. I immediately wondered, was I at the wrong press conference? What was being taxed? Then the press conference began…which brings me to the “between the legs” part. As everyone crowded in for the conference, one by one, various elected officials began to speak and many members of the press jumped up and crowed into position in front of the podium to get their upfront take on the situation. As I was looking for my space to take my pictures, I noticed a perfect spot near the ground between two other people. Of course, I am not afraid to sit on the ground, so I crouched down and began taking pictures and notes as the speeches went on and on. A few minutes later a woman in a skirt basically stepped over me and stood there right on top of me. (Ok…you can stop laughing now) Either she was trying to pick me up or she was just someone who was rude. So, being the vocal person I am, I simply looked up and said, “Lady, if you get any lower to my face, this is going to become inappropriate. “ She looked down at me and quickly moved away. ..
After that was done, I focused back on the press conference where I heard the usual, “this is good for Texas, this is good for business” type of remarks that usually bore you to sleep. However, the best statement came from Texas House Representative Vicki Truitt who said “Since when did conservatives not believe in the judgment of the people?” Interesting, huh! So after Rep. Truitt’s statement, I decided to really take a hard look at this bill and what I found was very interesting. House Bill 300 basically allowed counties the opportunity to ask those living in their community if they were interested in paying an additional driver’s license fee, an auto registration renewal fee or a gasoline tax to fund rail transportation and additional road improvements. Translated, that meant that this bill would give the counties the ability (and requirement) to hold a vote to determine if we (the community) wanted to go with this idea or not. Remember, we could vote YES or NO. This House Bill was all about giving the people the right to vote on an issue, not about taxes. Yes, it was the people voting on whether or not they wanted to incur an additional tax, but not a tax increase itself. Hmmm…what a waste of good construction paper. All those “no tax” signs waiving in the background were really for nothing at all, because House Bill 300 was allowing us to determine our own future. Wow, who wouldn’t say yes to that?
Well…clearly several politicians in Austin must think we are too stupid to make our own decisions because House Bill 300 was debated bitterly by both sides of the political spectrum. One politician from the Tarrant County area (not Vicki Truitt, she was championing giving us the vote) said that she was against the bill because her constituents were opposed to it. Hmmm, I don’t think she read this bill very well, because I don’t remember anyone being against the right to vote on their own future. Sounds a bit like political funny business to me….or that she should spend more time being a representative and less time being a professional politician.
Sadly, after a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, the bill finally died. Voters won’t have the right to vote if they want to self-tax to fund rail and road improvements. We’ll just have to wait until someone in Austin determines that our transportation needs are important enough to address and maybe then we will see some improvements to our congestion.
On the bright side, it is nice to know that there are those in Austin who have relieved us of the necessary burden of having to vote on our future. I’m sure they just didn’t want to bother us…………
