The Journal of Texas Conservative Politics10924 Grant Road, Suite 133 • Houston, Texas 77070 • www.terrylowry.comOn the web at www.TerryLowry.comArchives posted since January 1st 2005March 2018, Volume 27, Number 1LINKING TEXAS CONSER VATIVES SINCE 1993WEEKDAYS 2:00-3:00PM ON KKHT 100.7FMTHE WHAT’S UP Radio ProgramFOR T BEND COUNTY SPECIAL EDITION FOR THE PRIMARY ELECTIONWill One Be President Some Day...Or...Will One Be Governor Some DayU. S. Senator Mary Miller Stefano de Stefano o Ted Cruz Bruce Jacobson, Jr. Geraldine SamU. S. Representative District 22 Eric Zmrhal James Green Danny Nguyen o Pete OlsonGovernor SECEDE Kilgore o Greg Abbott Barbara KruegerLieutenant Governor Scott Milder o Dan PatrickAttorney General Ken Paxton Comptroller of Public Accounts Glenn HegarCommissioner of the General Land Office o Jerry Patterson Davey Edwards Rick Range George P. BushCommissioner of Agriculture Trey Blocker o Sid Miller Jim HoganRailroad Commissioner Weston Martinez o Christi CraddickJustice, Supreme Court, Place 2 Jimmy Blacklock Place 4 John Devine Place 6 Jeff BrownDistrict Judge 328th Walter Armatys 458th Ken CannataDistrict Attorney, 268th Judicial District o Cliff Vacek Shawn McDonaldCounty Judge Robert E. "Bob" HebertJudge, County Court-at-Law No. 1 Chris Morales No. 2 Jeffrey A. McMeans No. 3 Jennifer C. Chiang Tricia Krenek o Harold Kennedy No. 4 Amy Mitchell No. 6 o Dean Hrbacek Lewis White District Clerk Annie Rebecca ElliottCounty Clerk Laura RichardCounty Treasurer Bill Rickert o Tina Gibson Wes VelaCounty Commissioner Pct. 4 James PattersonJustice of the Peace, Pct. 1 Place 2 Atwood "Woody" McAndrew o Mary S. WardJustice of the Peace, Pct. 3 Jarret Nethery Kelly Nicole CrowJustice of the Peace, Pct. 4 Justin M. JoycePresiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals o Sharon Keller David Bridges Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 7 Barbara Parker Hervey Place 8 Dib Waldrip o Michelle Slaughter Jay BrandonMember, State Board of Education District 7 Matt RobinsonState Senator, District 17 Kristin Tassin o Joan HuffmanState Representative District 26 D.F. "Rick" Miller District 28 John Zerwas District 85 Phil StephensonJustice, 1st Court of Appeals District Place 2 Jane Bland Place 6 Harvey Brown Place 7 Terry Yates o Katy Boatman Place 8 Michael Massengale Place 9 Jennifer CaugheyJustice, 14th Court of Appeals District Place 3 Brett Busby Place 4 Marc Brown Place 5 Martha Hill Jamison Place 6 Bill Boyce Place 8 John Donovan District Judge 240th Chad Bridges 268th John "Hawk" Hawkins Mike Hartman Tear this page out and use it in the voting booth.✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔✔Don’t Vote Alone.Take SomeoneWith You.!Tear this page out and use it in the voting booth. www.TerryLowry.com February 20181The Power Of The PrimaryGuest Editorial by Senator Ted CruzThe concept of self-govern-ment is a relatively youngidea when compared to thetotality of human history. Far morecommon are monarchies, oli-garchies, or some form of brutaloppression where the strongremain so by oppressing the weak. Our Founding Fathers charted a much different course.America was born of the radical idea that all men andwomen are endowed by their Creator with unalienablerights, neither derived from nor dependent upon govern-ment. In fact, our Constitutional Republic created a formof government where those in office derive their authorityonly by the consent of the governed. Exercising Our Right To VoteThis American experiment is remarkable in both designand application. The most basic cost of preserving libertyfor ourselves, and future generations, begins with exercis-ing our right to vote. Each citizen is empowered to partic-ipate in the process of electing those who will serve. It isa profound privilege that is all too often squandered.Nationally, roughly 55% of the voting-age populationcast a vote in the 2016 presidential election. Here inTexas, according to the Secretary of State, our turnout wasjust over 46% for those of voting-age, which was actuallyup slightly from under 44% in 2012.Experts disagree over the reasons behind our relativelylow voter-participation rates, and proposed solutions forincreasing interest vary widely as well. While participat-ing in a general election is critical, one key step that isoften overlooked is the power of the primary.Importance of the PrimaryOur system is set up to typically offer general electionvoters a binary choice between one candidate each fromthe two major political parties. As a result, the primaryelection becomes vitally important, especially in Texas,and those who participate exercise a great deal of politicalpower. In the 8 Republican primaries held every two yearsbetween 2000 and 2014, voter participation among thevoting-age population in Texas varied from a low of justunder 4% in 2006 and a high of 8% in 2010. By contrast,the Texas Republican Primary in March of 2016 saw a par-ticipation rate of 14.69%! Vote Again in This PrimaryThe 2016 Texas Republican primary saw over 1.4 millionmore participants than cast a vote in March of 2014. Thatis a trend we should all hope continues. Republican candi-dates up and down the ballot are currently working hard toreach voters with their message and vision for the future. Each one is offering to serve, and the choices we makewhen we vote in March will have a direct impact on thelevel of excitement there is in November, and will ultimate-ly determine what type of government we have followingthe next election.Now is the timeNow is the time to participate. Study the candidates.Look at their actual records—not just their words, but theiractions—and support those who reflect your values.Primaries are our best opportunity to select leaders whomost closely represent us, and our participation now helpsto elevate candidates who can energize and excite voters toparticipate in November. Following the conclusion of the ConstitutionalConvention of 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked whatkind of government we’d been given. Franklin replied, “aRepublic, if you can keep it.” Let’s each do our part in 2018to keep the Republic and preserve the amazing system ofself-government our Founders created.Ted Cruz www.TerryLowry.com February 20182I Won’t Back Down Guest Editorial by Lt. Governor Dan PatrickIhave been fighting skyrocket-ing property tax rates sincebefore I was in public office.Texans pay some of the highestproperty tax rates in the nation andit is simply not acceptable thatsome are being taxed out of theirhomes. Our high property tax rates threaten our strong economy.Business owners from all over the state tell me they havebeen hit with mind-boggling property tax increases – doubling, tripling even quadrupling increases that are sosubstantial that they must consider re-locating their businesses outside Texas. This is completely unacceptable. We cannot have all the work conservatives have accomplished to make Texas a job-creating engine for the nation overthrown byastronomical property taxes. Taxpayers SpokeLoud and ClearFollowing the 2015 Legislative Session, I created theSenate Select Committee on Property Taxes, chaired bySenator Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston. This SelectCommittee traveled the state to hear people’s property taxstories first hand. Hundreds testified before the committeeabout the jaw-dropping increases that many people arefacing. This Select Committee also learned that too often, theirlocal officials simply did not understand the need to reinthese taxes in. Ironically, I heard from more than one localofficial that he had to increase local property taxes by as much as eight percent because “he was from a fastgrowing area.”Lower the GrowthI proposed legislation in both the regular and the specialsession that would have required local government to goto the people for a vote if they raised local property taxesby more than 4 percent. Cowering to local officials whodon’t want anything to hamper their ability to raise taxes,leadership in the Texas House killed the bill both times. Although there was clearly support among the membersof the House for a property tax reform bill, Texas Houseleadership adjourned a day early and went home, ratherthan continue negotiations on the legislation.Property tax reform is a top priority for me and I amhopeful that with new leadership in the Texas House nextsession, we will finally achieve reforms that will returnpower to the people and allow them to vote before theirlocal officials can raise their taxes. Disaster ReappraisalTexas House leadership also blocked the Senate’s disasterreappraisal bill in the last session. Because of HurricaneHarvey, this was particularly unfortunate. I called on localofficials to reappraise the damaged property anyway,which they had the discretion to do. It is simply wrong toforce people who are struggling to recover and rebuild topay the same property taxes on their houses as they paidbefore the storm. Many counties did exactly that, butsome, including Harris County, refused. I will get disaster reappraisal passed in the next session,but in the meantime, I identified a law that can providesome help at least in the short term. Those whose homeswere damaged in disaster impacted counties can pay theirproperty taxes in four installments rather than a lump sum.Taxing authorities must be notified by January 31, though. There’s more information on my website, www.danpatrick.org.I know that many local officials will continue to fight toraise taxes, but I won’t back down.Weekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.comDan Patrick3February 2018 www.TerryLowry.comTexas Economy Envy of the Nation Guest Editorial by Glenn Hegar, Comptroller the State of TexasThanks to conservative fiscalmanagement and Texas’pro-business, pro-growthpolicies, the state of the TexasEconomy is strong. Business own-ers and job creators saw Texas as awelcome oasis during the Obama administration, andwhile the new Trump administration has taken importantsteps to ensure the Federal Government learns from failedObama-era policies, the rest of the country still has a longway to go to create the kind of economic engine Texas hasbuilt in recent years. That’s most obvious in Texas’ state employment figures.Texas employment growth led the nation in November2017, adding a net 54,500 jobs. And for the 12 monthsthat ended in November 2017, Texas added 330,600 jobs,the largest numerical increase among states. The Texasunemployment rate stood at 3.8%, which is well below theU.S. unemployment rate of 4.1%. In fact Texas unemployment was at its lowest level in 4decades!Liberals argue that the job growth in Texas is not as goodas it sounds, but the numbers and facts say otherwise. Inthe third quarter of 2017 Texas saw the nation’s second-largest growth in personal income at 0.9%, above thenational average of 0.7%.Recently, Texas has benefitted from a rebound in theenergy sector. Currently about half of all active rigs running in the US are in Texas, and in the Permian Basinalone, the oil and gas industry invested more than $28 billion into land acquisitions in 2016. But that only tells part of the story. In the early days ofthe recent downturn in energy, I wrote and spoke abouthow the grit and entrepreneurial spirit of Texans wouldallow the Texas energy sector to innovate and lead the wayto recovery. And we see evidence of that in the currentrebound. Our rig count has remained flat but our overallproduction has increased tremendously, meaning Texasenergy players are leaner and more efficient than everbefore.This upturn in the energy sector has also brightened theoutlook for our state’s rainy day fund since much of therevenue for that fund comes from oil and gas severancetaxes. After my most recent transfer, Texas’ rainy day fundstands at a robust $10.98 billion.And we should all be thankful for the conservative economic leadership that has kept the Rainy Day Fundgrowing. Texas still faces significant economic uncertaintyahead. In late August of 2017 out state endured the costliesttropical cyclone on record when Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Texas coast. Many of our fellow Texans arestill feeling the impacts, and our state has a long recoveryahead.The costs of those recovery efforts will pose a significantchallenge to lawmakers as they set their sights on the 2019legislative session. And there are other challenges andlong-term obligations threatening Texas’ balance sheetthat legislators must address.But as anyone who witnessed the aftermath of HurricaneHarvey knows, Texans are resilient! And so is our economy.If we stick to our principles and maintain our conservativeeconomic policies, Texas can remain the economic envyof the nation and provide our children and grandchildrenwith the same opportunities you and I enjoy today.Glenn HegarWeekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.comwww.TerryLowry.com February 20184Chance Favors Only the Prepared MindBy Terry Lowry, Editor/PublisherThe LINK LetterIn March 2017, incumbents andothers began asking, “What arewe going to do in 2018?” TheRepublican Primary was nearlytwelve months away. TheNovember 2018 GubernatorialElection was nearly twenty months away. Why start plan-ning and working in early March 2017? A century ago, Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favors onlythe prepared mind.” Flashes of insight don't just happen –they are the products of preparation. Winning electedoffice just doesn’t happen, unless your name is ScottWalker. Liberal Progressives Impose Their Lifestyle Harris County went deep blue in November 2016. FortBend County went light blue. Liberal ProgressiveDemocrats are working overtime to control the seats ofpower within local, state, and federal governments. Political leaders are chosen in the Primaries. Because ofextensive gerrymandering (the dividing of election dis-tricts to favor one party over another) there are few close,competitive races in November. This enables the few whovote in the Primary to select the leaders who may holdoffice for decades or longer. For over twenty-five years, I have been meeting withcandidates, investing hundreds and hundreds of hourseach cycle. The process entails asking probing questionsto discern their spirit and motivation for seeking an elect-ed position. Some candidates are like ‘chameleons’.The Endorsement ProcessThis process entails searching the Internet, meeting withother Conservative, Pro-Life / Pro-Family leaders whomake endorsements and respecting their opinions. Understanding why some organizations and/or individu-als endorse one candidate over another, or make noendorsement, can lead to valuable insights that cannot begained by simply shaking a candidate’s hand and listeningto their one or two minute stump speech.Long Time Friendships Can MatterFrom time to time, candidates have long standing friend-ships with opinion leaders. Making endorsements solelybased on friendship may cause ideological differences tobe glossed over. But as County Judge Ed Emmett oncestated: “Of all the slates – those who distribute SampleBallots – Terry Lowry is the most fair.”God will hold me personally responsible for each of myendorsements. I would gladly retire, but God has notreleased me from this calling. Choose Leaders Now – In the PrimaryEarly Voting begins Tuesday, February 20, and ElectionDay is March 6. Nearly half of the votes cast will be bymail (senior citizens and those who are disabled) and/orby those choosing to vote early. Ten percent of the totalvote could be those who have requested, marked, andreturned their mail-in ballot. For information on how tovote by mail log onto www.HarrisVotes.comPick: Where and When To VoteEarly Voting allows the voter to pick where and whenthey vote. Last cycle, over 383,000 voters visited our web-site at www.TerryLowry.com and clicked on the link forVoter Information. The options available are: SampleBallot for your County and Where to Vote Early and onElection Day. We have prepared a map showing yourCounty with the Early Voting Locations and times/daysyou can go there to cast your ballot. We have sample ballots attached to this publication thatyou can simple take into the voting booth with you. Studyour endorsements and do your own research. A political writer for the Houston Chronicle once stated:“…forty percent of the Republican Primary Voterscarry the LINK Letter sample ballot with them intothe voting booth…” I am sure that was not a scientificpoll, but I like the numbers. Remember, it is legal to carrythe sample ballot with you. NOTE: it is against the lawto have your smart phone on inside the voting area orbooth.Terry LowryContinued on page 55February 2018 www.TerryLowry.comMeet Some CandidatesLt. Governor Dan Patrick’s oppo-nent, Scott Milder, says, “…theLieutenant Governor spent much of the 2017 Legislative sessionsfocused on bathrooms.” In my opin-ion, Joe Straus, big business, and theLGBTQ community are supportingScott Milder because they do not like the fact Lt. Gov.Dan Patrick stood tall defending Texas women andgirls. Most Texans agree: No Men in Women facili-ties. Period. See Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s guest edi-torial on page 9.Glenn Hegar is the Comptroller ofPublic Accounts. Glenn is a sixthgeneration Texan, statesman, busi-nessman, farmer, husband, andfather. He is a strong advocate for jobgrowth and greater diversification ofthe Texas economy. Today, Glennhumbly serves as the Comptroller of PublicAccounts. God may tap him on the shoulder somedayand whisper in his ear to seek higher office. Glenn is aConservative star and the sky is the limit for his politi-cal career. Read Glenn Hegar’s guest editorial on page10. Find Glenn Hagar at www.GlennHegar.comSid Miller is the Commissioner ofAgriculture. Sid is a worldwideAmbassador for Texas. During hissix terms in the Texas Legislature,Sid was named a Taxpaye rChampion and consistently ranked asone of the most Conservative lawmakers based on his votingrecord. Sid Miller is an eighth-generation TexasFarmer, trusted defender of the SecondAmendment, and a proven Pro-Life leader. Find SidMiller at www.MillerForTexas.com Trey Blocker is a "Gun for hireinside Austin lobbyist" seeking yourvote to become the Commissioner ofAgriculture. Not only does he lobbyfor liberal causes, he has contributedthousands and thousands of dollarsto elect Democrats. Unacceptable.Period. Former Commissioner of theGeneral Land Off ice, J erryPatterson, is seeking re-election tothis off ice, running against the current GLO Commissioner GeorgeP. Bush. Read Jerry Patterson’s op-ed on page 14.George P. Bush is taking a lot ofheat for his stand on re-imaging theAlamo and overseeing Harvey reliefefforts. George P. is not securingmany endorsements from conserva-tive Pro-Life / Pro-Family leadersthis election. You can read George’sop-ed on page 12.Since being elected as the firstRepublican Judge of the 405thDistrict Court in Galveston County,Michelle Slaughter has transformedthe court from the least efficient andleast effective into the most efficientand most effective. MichelleSlaughter is seeking to become a Justice on the TexasCourt of Criminal Appeals. The Texas Court ofCriminal Appeals is the court of last resort in Texas forcriminal matters. Texans do not want judges who aresoft on crime and do not follow the law. Find MichelleSlaughter online at www.JudgeMichelleslaughter.comDib Waldrip, Candidate for theTexas Court of Criminal Appeals,is suppor ted by the LBGTQ community. www.TerryLowry.com February 20186Sanctuary Cities in Texas? Not on My WatchGuest Editorial ByAttorney General Ken PaxtonAt its core, our f ight oversanctuary cities centerson the urgent and criticalissue of restoring the rule of law.For decades, America’s bordershave remained unsecured whilethe federal government’s appetitefor enforcement has changed withthe political winds. Defiance and DisorderRecent efforts by the federal government to restorelaw and order have been met with open defiance by liberal leaders of local governments who disagree withCongress’ policy decisions. This defiance is just onesubset of the threat to the rule of law in America. Foreign terrorists are attempting to undermine the ruleof law with fear and chaos. Liberal federal judges andunelected bureaucrats are ignoring the rule of law bysubstituting and injecting their opinions. Presidents have attempted to thwart the rule of law byoutright violating the Constitution. Texas state and localgovernments are now refusing to obey or enforce duly-enacted laws. Restoring Law and OrderLast year, the Texas Legislature studied, debated andpassed Senate Bill 4 to address the dangerous, rogueactions of sanctuary cities threatening public safety ofTexans. Governor Abbott signed the bill into law saying, “It’sinexcusable to release individuals from jail that havebeen charged with heinous crimes like sexual assaultagainst minors, domestic violence and robbery. There are deadly consequences to not enforcing thelaw, and Texas has now become a state where thosepractices are not tolerated. With this bill, we are doingaway with those that seek to promote lawlessness inTexas.”Single CourtKnowing supporters of sanctuary cities would sue toblock the law, I directed my office to preemptively fileour own lawsuit. This was to ensure any opposing law-suits filed would have to be settled in a single court,rather than fight it out across the state. The federal court in Austin “punted” our case to itscounterpart in San Antonio, which predictably deniedour motion. My office has appealed that ruling to the5th Circuit to reinstate our case in Austin, where itbelongs. Thankfully, the 5th Circuit has issued a staywhich allows Texas to enforce key provisions of SB 4while we await a ruling from the court.Protect Law Abiding CitizensBeing compassionate towards the safety of all the citizens, this is an issue about public safety. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety,during the last six years, more than 230,000 criminalaliens have been apprehended and charged with morethan 612,000 criminal offenses in Texas, including:n 1,254 homicide chargesn 74,000 drug chargesn 741 kidnappingsn 6,588 sexual assaultsn 42,000 theft chargesn 9,204 weapons chargesSanctuary cities endanger our citizens. We cannotallow local public officials, law enforcement authoritiesor sheriffs to disobey the law just because they disagreewith it. Imagine the chaos if individuals were able tochoose which laws to obey and which to ignore? Senate Bill 4 is constitutionally necessary and a criticalgoal in restoring the rule of law. America’s foundersunderstood that few things are more central to thepreservation of a free and prosperous society as maintaining the rule of law. Remember: the Rule of LawToday, we f ace a nation that has forgotten the importance of maintaining the rule of law.We see state and local politicians supporting efforts toprevent the federal government from carrying out oneof its few and defined powers—securing our bordersand establishing a uniform rule for immigration andnaturalization. In times like this, it is the rule of law that needs a sanctuary, and I’m fighting to ensure it.Ken Paxton7February 2018 www.TerryLowry.comSid Miller: The Texas Ag CommissionerGuest Editorial BySid Miller Texas Commissioner of AgricultureFriends, I am blessed to bean eighth generation farmerand rancher w ho stillmakes his living from the land. In2014, the voters of the great Stateof Texas bestowed upon me a greathonor when they elected me to be the twelfthCommissioner of Agriculture, a job that I had beenpreparing for all my life.My first official act as Commissioner was to rescindall TDA mandates on our public schools participating inthe school nutrition program. This took government outof those decisions and returned them to local schooldistricts. Local school officials and parents shoulddecide what is best for our children and their nutrition.Inspection of Fuel PumpsAs Ag Commissioner, I have implemented efficienciesand cost savings measures. Our inspectors are now driving 750,000 fewer miles annually and are performingdouble the number of inspections per day.I put a new program in place allowing our inspectorsto certify over 400,000 fuel pumps in our state everytwo years instead of eight. We now inspect fuelpumps for credit card skimmers that rip-offTexans.I initiated Operation Mavericksending TDA inspectors acrossthe state to identify and to bringinto compliance over 7,000businesses that were operatingillegally.When I took office, the TDAorganic certification programhad a two and half year backlog.Within ninety days we had thebacklo g eliminated and the program running on time.Exporting to South America,China and IsraelSince taking office, my team and I have embarked on trade missions to every continent on the globe withthe exception of Antarctica. We established a SouthAmerican TDA off ice in Argentina launching greattrade relationships with cattlemen in the entire region.Texas beef cattle genetics are the most desired in theworld and we are working hard to develop a strong market for them in Latin America.I personally led a trade mission to China resulting inincreased sales of and price for Texas pecans. China hada ban on American beef. I urged the removal of this ban.Shortly after our trade mission, the Chinese governmentdid exactly that, resulting in untold opportunities forsales and profits for Texas cattlemen.I have always been a staunch defender of the State ofIsrael so in 2017 I went there and signed the first evertrade agreement between Texas and the biblical heart-land of Samaria.Every Texan Touched by TDAEach and every day the Texas Department ofAgriculture touches the lives of hard working Texans in a myriad of ways. Not only are we tasked withstrengthening a $115 billion dollar industry thatemploys one out of seven Texans, we are alsoresponsible for protecting the health, safetyand pocketbooks of Texas consumers.I humbly ask for your vote on March6 so that I may continue serving asyour Texas AgricultureCommissioner.Editor’s note: visit Sid Miller’s campaign atwww.MillerForTexas.comSid MillerNext >