Observations of a Young Republican by Russ Hargraves, Campaign Treasurer, Texas Republican Alliance, PAC, Chairman Emeritus, University of Texas at San Antonio College Republicans

Joe, I felt the need to express some concerns I had about the state of the party nationally.  If you see fit, perhaps you'd like to add them to your next letter.

April 27, 2006

Observations of a Young Republican

I remember during the 2002 and 2004 elections how proud I was to be a Republican, and how proud I was of the leadership our party and our president were showing. We seemed to stand our ground, and on those principles that we shared so deeply, we were victorious. It was our cohesiveness as a party, as a group of like-minded individuals that led us to such historic accomplishments. We knew what we wanted to achieve, and we knew how we wanted to achieve it. 

I fear now that our party has fallen into the same hole that the Democrats have found themselves in. Where our unity once provided victory and accomplishment, our divisiveness this go 'round will surely lead to our demise. The Party that once had the potential of running the country for the next decade or two now looks as if it’s ready to self destruct.

I can only attribute this to pure cowardice on the part of our national leaders and representatives. They are afraid; afraid to stand firm on the principles that got them elected in the first place; afraid that the conservatism that led this party to its recent forte will now be its downfall. To that I offer a resounding "BULL-OH-KNEE"!!!  And I believe you feel the same way also.

The American people want, they need, and they demand leadership in troublesome times such as these. To paraphrase an insightful movie monologue: They are like thirsty people in a desert searching for water. They'll search and they'll search, and when they get desperate enough, they'll drink the sand. My friends, if the GOP doesn't offer them a quenching glass full of leadership, they will surely drink the sand the Democrats are offering in a New York minute, and God forbid it’s in the form of a particular New York Senator. To Arms!!! my fellow Conservatives; now is the time to act.

I'd encourage each and everyone of you to write your representatives, your senators, your President, and tell them to return to those principles which led to our winning the House, Senate, and Presidency. As Rush would say, "Conservatism wins every time it is tried."...I tend to agree.  Please let your leaders know you still believe in those ideals that led you to vote for them in the first place, and that by sticking with those ideals, they will have earned your vote again. Unless, of course, you all have lost faith in conservatism, a possibility I strongly doubt.

Russ Hargraves

Campaign Treasurer, Texas Republican Alliance, PAC 

Chairman Emeritus, UTSA College Republicans
 

11:00 a.m. Networking

11:30 a.m.  Speakers

Ocean Star Seafood Grill Restaurant

1039 NE Loop 410

For reservations, contact Dee Brame at 210-493-5512 or email deeb@satx.rr.com
 

The November 7, 2006 elections are a mere six months away, and I ask you for your support now, through Election Day, and after the election.

The 225th District Court is a civil trial court that represents all who live in Bexar County! The 225th, like the other twelve civil district courts in Bexar County, handles cases involving families, small businesses, homeowners, employees and employers, nursing homes, health care, automobile accidents, business damages, taxes, contracts, municipal issues, oil and gas, complex business litigation, and much more.

As a former school teacher, social worker, Assistant United States Attorney in civil litigation, personal briefing attorney to judges at the state, federal, trial and appellate levels, corporate counsel, and a private attorney, I have handled a wide variety of cases. I have the broad base of experience that is needed to be Judge of the 225th District Court.

In addition, I am married to my husband of thirty-three years, Gary Barnard, PhD., a child psychologist. We are blessed with two wonderful and grown children: Daughter Brandi Cone (married to our also wonderful son-in-law Brandon Cone), and son Joshua Caleb Barnard.

Senator John Cornyn will be my special guest on Thursday, June 1, 2006 at my fundraiser at the San Antonio Country Club from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Senator Cornyn is a former civil District Judge in Bexar County and now sits on the United States Senate Judiciary Committee for the selection of judges. I ask you to join Senator Cornyn in supporting me. The cost is $100 per person. Please call Janelle McArthur at (210) 699-1925 for further information and to RSVP.

Thank you for your support.

Marialyn Barnard
 

Kudos to Richard at the Lightning for his great follow-up to this story that we broke last week. South Texas Republicans is a proud supporter of the San Antonio Lightning.

4-25-2006

DEMOCRATS
Democrat Barbara Radnofsky
'She's All For The Veterans, But...'
US Senate Candidate Mum Over Refusal To Say Pledge
SAL Political Snitch, SAL Commentary

Democrats in action. Yikes.

Bexar democrats voted recently to "suspend" the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, as they entertained a Houston candidate for US senate.

The story was first revealed in the South Texas Republicans Newsletter.

Admitting that democrat Barbara Radnofsky -- Kay Bailey Hutchison's opponent -- was present when San Antonio's Northwest Democrats held a meeting and fundraiser on April 15, campaign manager Seth Davidson said he would issue a statement Monday.

He never did. (Click for related story.)

Radnofsky, who is campaigning on being the "Veterans' Friend," will have a tough time squaring her quiet betrayal of the Pledge.

So, as she did at the now infamous meeting, she has remained silent.

Makes you wonder what she would consider important enough to break her silence.

Sure, she was out collecting money for her campaign, but if it is the quest for cash that keeps her from defending the Flag and the nation beneath it, then perhaps the Senate ain't the place she ought to be.

Meanwhile, Bexar County democratic leadership has been "unavailable" to comment on the US Flag flap.

Perhaps they have forgotten the words. Goes like this:

Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Write the editor.

Radnofsky Campaign Manager:
Seth Davidson, seth@radnofsky.com, 713-858-6256

April 27

FLAG FLAP FLIPS
'SAL Flag-Pledge Story Is False'
Except it Isn't - Tape Recording Tells Tale
Kay Bailey Hutchison's US Senate Opponent
Dem Candidate Radnofsky Caught In Email Deception
SAL Political Snitch

This is a follow-up to a story published in SAL regarding a vote by area democrats to NOT recite the Pledge of Allegiance at a fundraising meeting for US Senate candidate Barbara Radnofsky in April. (See stories below.)

Since the candidate's campaign headquarters promised -- but never delivered -- a response, we offered Radnofsky free, unedited space to answer.

Though not a response to the questioned incident that occurred in SA April15, here -- unedited -- is what she wrote:

When I was told at a meeting in Houston that the Pledge of Allegiance wouldn't be recited because there was no flag (and this was a non-political meeting), I stood up and said we should, and that I had a flag with me. I pulled my copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence out of my purse and we said the Pledge to the pamphlet with the flag on it.

Thank you for giving me a chance to correct a false report about me. I have supported and participated in the Pledge of Allegiance each time it is recited.

I've never opposed the Pledge at meetings or at any event, and reports otherwise are wrong and designed to create an issue where none exists.

Sincerely,
Barbara Ann Radnofsky

And there you are. Unedited.

However, since the candidate has chosen to call our commentary "false," we feel we must share with you a recording of a phone call to the San Antonio Lightning offices, made at 9:10p.m. on Wednesday by Barbara Radnofsky.

We will let you decide what is and is not false.

http://www.sanantoniolightning.com/crat3.html

CLICK FOR MP3

As to misleading emails sent by the candidate, we will have more on that, later.
 

Perhaps most mysterious of all is that SBOE secretary and Democrat Mary Helen Berlanga of Corpus Christi--the long-time bilingual ed proponent who was credited by insiders as having been the source for the first agenda item for last Wednesday's SBOE meeting, a "Discussion of Bilingual Education Issues"--stayed away, missing all three days of SBOE meetings.

Here's how it unfolded. The agenda item was scheduled to provide "the Committee of the Whole the opportunity to discuss bilingual education issues in Texas, including the Texas Successful Schools Study," which Study was authored by none other than Mary Helen Berlanga's husband David Berlanga, and funded by the Texas Education Agency which is overseen by the SBOE, and Mary Helen Berlanga was of course a member of the SBOE when the Study was conducted. How cozy is that, to promote your professor husband's scholarly bilingual ed work and at the same time funnel payment for such work his direction? Have we connected enough dots yet?  All of the foregoing was published on www.peytonwolcott.com on Monday, April 24.

Speaking the truth and getting it out there are powerful leveling agents.

Copyright 2006 Peyton Wolcott
 

In the business world, when faced with these challenges, a business either raises more money (i.e., more sales, more income, or borrow from the bank) or cuts its budget (i.e., reduce staff, eliminate projects, or reduce assets).

More money for Texas public Schools will not save the system. It only perpetuates the problem. The school system is in need of deep-deep reforms. To begin with, more control needs to be returned to the local School Boards. Then, the Education Code must be less “Governmental” and more private enterprise-like. Many of the requirements of the Texas Government Code need to be suspended in order to allow for more efficient administration of the Schools. The over population of “Administrators” in the system forces one to pause and wonder who the system serves? School Districts need to be managed more like a business than as a governmental entity. When that happens, Texas Schools will begin again to tend to their first duty and obligation: the education of our children.

These are not the only problems plaguing our Texas School System. Our state has an ever-growing and diverse population. As the population grows, so do the spaces and expenses required to accommodate these new students. Many of these new students present their own set of burdens on the system. More money is not the only way to address these challenges. More local control over the management of the system is called for. Vouchers need to be considered in order to serve as a constant check on the school’s performance.

Texas, don’t throw money onto a system that is not working. Fix the layer upon layer of liberal Democrat law that only demands more and more money and fails in its primary purpose: the education of our Texas Children.
 

Time: 5:30 -7:00 p.m.

Location: Don Pedro Mexican Restaurant, 1526 SW Military Dr. 

RSVP to:  Melynda at 210-828-9162.
 

By John Merrifield,
Professor of Economics
Director, Entrepreneurial Conservatism Institute

April 24, 2006

Inertia is a powerful force in public debates every bit as much as in public policy.  Because freeways are the norm, and the well-publicized alternative proposed by prominent current and former government officials is to place toll lanes alongside ‘free’ lanes, those are widely seen as the two sides of the issue.

The result of either is unattractive.  We'd have to choose between paying gasoline tax to drive on roads fully financed by 24/7 tolls (the pro-toll road position) or sit in congested 'free lanes' (e.g. Houston), or suffer a massive tax increase to pay for enough road capacity to avoid persistent rush hour congestion (the toll road opponent position). Note that Atlanta’s proposal to expand IH-75 from fifteen to twenty-three lanes epitomizes the result of the latter.

Fortunately, a better approach already exists in the mainstream economics literature. It needs to be thought of as a third side to the debate about how to avoid traffic jams.  It entails a fee for peak period use of congested road segments; yes ‘tolls,’ but only during rush hour(s) where travel demand is high.  The money derived from the fee MUST be spent on expanding the road where the fee is collected.  So, fee payers get two direct benefits from the congestion fee; less traffic when they pay, and more lanes to keep traffic down as the city grows. Gas tax money finances the lane or two needed for off-peak travel.  There are no clogged ‘free’ lanes next to semi-empty 24/7 toll lanes, just one lower, intermittent fee on all lanes. Congestion tolls also have enormous indirect benefits, including less auto maintenance, fewer accidents, and reduced air pollution.

Certainly it is true that much of the gas tax revenue has been diverted to non-highway uses. But even with the additional highway capacity that the diverted money could have funded, congestion tolling would still be appropriate for a number of road segments. Avoiding persistent traffic jams just by enlarging roads is very inefficient; very expensive. I know that because it creates roads that have excess capacity most of the time. We have market-determined prices well above zero for most things because it isn’t smart to keep up with the demand for something available ‘free.’

Author of "The School Choice Wars":  http://faculty.business.utsa.edu/jmerrifi/
"A sharp, punchy, action-oriented book. The author appears to have read - and cited - every article and study on school choice ever written. A cobweb-clearing book."

- Martin M. Wooster, Washington Times book review, 9/2/01
 

SPEECH

"We should toll, not because we have to, but because it's the best way" - Mike Krusee

Mike Krusee, chairman of the Texas state house transportation committee gave an important speech on why he's pushing tolls in his state. We don't often run stuff verbatim but his speech at the Santa Monica conference of IBTTA 2006-03-20 deserves to be an exception. We reprint it in full:

"We've been talking for a long time about how the gas tax is inadequate, about why we have no choice but to use toll financing. That is how we justify it. And it's true.

"But, in my view, we should not toll just because we have to, and we should not sell concessions just because we can.

"It is important to have a guiding philosophy, and to toll and do concessions because it fits a policy based on that philosophy.

A user fee toll is better than a tax.

"To me, the basis of our philosophy is that a user fee is better than a tax."

"So, I will briefly talk about why TX is doing tolls, and then talk about why tolls are what we should do because user fees are more fair and more efficient than taxes.

"Sooner or later, I think all the major states will realize that all major new transportation infrastructure will have to be financed by some sort of direct user fee, namely, tolls.

"States like TX, CA and FL are more aware of this because their needs are so large and, because of their rapid population growth, their needs are more urgent.

"Everyone's wake-up call is different. For Texas, it was Dell computer locating its next expansion in Nashville, TN, because Austin's roads were inadequate. On that one day, we lost 10 thousand jobs.

Dell departure the wake-up call

"We did not have the enormous funds it took to fix it, and the timetable stretched for decades.

"We knew that, in time, we would lose more business, more jobs, throughout our state.

"So we discovered the magic, and the necessity, of private sector financing and tolls. And we have solved Austin's mobility crisis.

"Then we applied that lesson to the rest of the state. With our gas tax receipts in hand, we examined current congestion levels in our major cities - Dallas, Houston, San Antonio - and then projected future congestion based on what we could build, and, importantly, when we could build it. We concluded that just to tread water at current congestion levels required tens of more billions than we had.

"Since we believe in this radical theory that an efficient economy requires an efficient transportation system, the decision to embrace toll financing for all new major infrastructure projects was inescapable.

"Now, everyone knows it's not as easy as that. Tolls are controversial. People would rather not pay. At a newspaper editorial board, they asked me, 'are tolls a necessary evil?'

"I said, No, they (tolls) are not.... evil, that is.

Gas tax is unfair, inefficient, inequitable.

"And, in fact, on the contrary, it is our current method of financing roads, the gas tax, that is not virtuous. It is the gas tax that is unfair, inefficient and inequitable.

"Think about it. You probably pay 2 or 3 cents a mile, wherever you drive, in gas tax. But if you live in the urban core (likely a Democrat), you drive mostly on city streets, so none of the tax you pay goes toward those city streets, while the guy who lives in the suburbs (likely a Republican) is driving forty miles each day on superhighways that cost billions and he is paying only pennies.

"That is inequitable. If we financed public education that way, the courts would rule it unconstitutional.

"Consider even if you take two people driving on the same road: one is in a Hummer, getting 10mpg; the other is in a Prius, getting 50mpg. Why does one pay 5 times as much as the other when road construction costs are exactly the same for each of them?

"That is unfair."

"Or, even take the same person, in different places. You pay 2 cents to drive a rural highway that cost very little to construct, and hardly any for ROW or environmental mitigation or design. And yet, you pay the same 2 cents when you cross an interstate interchange that cost $300 million.

"That is inefficient."

Roads are a utility.

"For me, the most useful way to look at transportation is as a utility business, like water or electricity or cable TV or phones.

"Nobody would say that, because water or electricity is necessary for life, that it should be free. Everyone accepts that you should pay for what you use, in a direct fashion.

"Nobody suggests that instead of paying based on your meter, that water and electricity should be paid for in an indirect way, like, use whatever amount you want to, and we'll just charge you an arbitrary amount tied to your property value.

"If that were the case, we could not finance the amount of water and power infrastructure necessary to meet demand.

We have congestion because of the gas tax.

"So it should come as no surprise that we cannot, through an indirect method like the gas tax, fund enough transportation infrastructure to meet demand. "That is why we have congestion, with congestion defined as the manifestation of a shortage, created by the lack of a free market finance mechanism.

"Under the gas tax, commuters cannot pay for mobility, even if they want to. It's the equivalent of the government saying, we're going to design our water and power systems so inefficiently that you cannot get enough water, you cannot adequately heat or cool your home, you cannot run your business, even if you want to pay to do so.

"Adam Smith would not be proud. There is no invisible hand efficiently guiding the investment of our resources in transportation.

Silly stuff like hybrids go free.

In fact, there is so little understanding of transportation finance that public officials go around proposing silly things like, hybrids go for free. Now hybrids are great, and they make sense as part of a national energy policy. But it has nothing to do with the cost of a road. In fact, if you really want to be politically correct, hybrids should be banned from toll roads.

"Think about it. Cars go fast on toll roads. Hybrids use electric power only at slow speeds; at 60mph, they are just like a regular, evil, gas-guzzling car. So, if we want to be socially responsible with our hybrids, ban them from the efficient, fast toll roads - and force them to sit in congestion and use their efficient electric engines. In fact, lets give the SUV's a discount, in order to encourage them to move at speeds that improve air quality and are efficient for fuel consumption. (I'm kidding.)

Transportation is a business.

"Let me say one more thing about transportation as a business. I am proud of what we are doing in Texas because we are creating assets for our children. "My generation, and this country, is now facing a crisis because the gas tax is not a sustainable finance mechanism. The interstate system is a giant liability. The costs of maintenance and expansion are overwhelming and we do not have the funds for it.

Toll roads create an asset not an obligation.

"But what we are doing in Texas today, by building toll roads, and then paying the tolls, is creating an asset for our children. They will not face our crisis. A generation from now, the bonds will be paid off, and our children will have in place a revenue-generating asset, much like a water or power utility - one that they own.

"That is what makes our choice in Texas not only easy, but attractive.

Like a house.

"Think of it this way. You have a house. You have worked all your life and paid off its mortgage. It is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. But you have twenty years left to live. So what do you do with it?

"You could get a reverse mortgage, spend all the money on yourself, die, and leave your kids with the debt. Or, you can live within your means and leave them an asset: a house free and clear to live in, or give them options for their lives with the money from selling it.

"Public officials face the same choice: what are we going to leave for the next generation?

Lesson learned.

"So here is the lesson we have learned: Tax roads are depreciating liabilities. They are like an old car. It costs more and more to maintain it and it is eventually worthless and in need of costly replacement.

"Toll roads are the appreciating asset of a business. It pays for itself and becomes more valuable over time. Like any profitable, revenue-generating business, it provides its owners (the public) with wealth and options for growth.

Gas tax reliance leaves behind a depreciating liability.

"States that choose to live exclusively off the gas tax are leaving the next generation a debt, a decrepit system and no options for their future.

"We in Texas have chosen instead to leave our children with an appreciating asset, a functioning economy, and funded options for their future.

"We are proud of it." end full text of speech delivered at IBTTA Transportation Improvement Forum 2006-03-20

TOLLROADSnews 2006-04-23
 

TOLL PARTY STATEMENT TO MPO

April 24, 2006

Three dollar a gallon gas is here and you’re still proceeding with 73 miles of toll lanes that ARE NOT FEASIBLE at $3 a gallon for gas. People do not have the discretionary income to pay tolls when gas is astronomically high. In some cars (like our family van), it’s already $6 to drive 20 miles and the toll rates TxDOT quoted for 1604, .29 cents a mile would nearly double that cost at $5.90 ONE WAY to work for about a 20 mile commute…that’s $12 ONE WAY total for gas and tolls! That’s $6,000 a year just to drive to work. That would amount to 16% of the median household income in San Antonio (which is $36,214 according to 2000 census data)! 

An article here from a New Jersey newspaper article just yesterday (http://satollparty.com/post/?p=219) says two of its turnpikes have lost revenue due to high gas prices, initially from Katrina, that’s continued and that are now back to Katrina prices. Just the New Jersey turnpike alone lost $5 million last year! Do you think these private investors are going to invest billions in our toll system to see multi-million dollar losses continue due to high gas prices? It’s not only prudent; it’s vital to the economic stability of the region to study the affects of high gas prices on toll feasibility before we proceed with building 70 miles of toll lanes. An investment grade traffic & revenue study on Hwy 183 up in Austin found that toll roads aren’t feasible at $3 a gallon for gas. Forbes Magazine also lists San Antonio in the Top 10 cities most adversely affected by high gas prices. Proceed with this financial house of cards at your own peril!

Then, at the TxDOT public meetings on 281 March 29 & 30, over 500 residents attended to voice their opposition to tolling 281. Even TxDOT’s self-selected very small survey of stakeholders showed that 65% of those surveyed wanted the MPO to rework its projects to fix the congestion on 281 without tolls. The people have spoken; it’s time to abandon this plan. The gas tax funds are there to fix the majority of the problems out there; there is NO justification to charge A TOLL FOR IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE ALREADY PAID FOR!

On the blog... 

Toll roads aren't feasible at $3 a gallon for gas

http://satollparty.com/post/?p=228

N.C. Newspaper: Toll roads "misguided" and "dangerous"

http://satollparty.com/post/?p=225
 

Last week I thought out loud that, “it appears that there is always something to write about in the Democratic Party.”  Thinking back on that comment this past week, I realize, at least for now, it was indeed an accurate statement.

The response to my challenging the Northwest Democrats on their refusal to acknowledge veterans by reciting the pledge of allegiance in their honor apparently hit a raw nerve with not only Democrats and Republicans, but the SA Lightning, Internet Newsletter as well.  [SanAntonioLightning.com]

Who knew that last week’s edited version of the Republicrat would be the lead story on the SA Lightning Website? What was disheartening to me was that Barbara Radnofsky failed to seize the opportunity to address the sensitive issue of the pledge and put it behind her. Now, instead of the Northwest Democrats looking like the unpatriotic fools they are, the incident has painted an ugly picture of the Senatorial candidate for the Democratic Party. 

The end-result should have been more positive and upbeat, which in turn would have diffused the volatile situation instead of escalating to a fever pitch. Her response to the editor of the SA Lightning failed miserably short. It is sad to say the least.

SALightning Article on Radnofsky

On a really sad note, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the passing of Bennye Fraser, a great Democrat activist who succumbed to cancer recently. She made all Democratic women proud.

The really depressing news is that we are still waiting to learn what the Governor and the Republican legislature is going to do about funding education during their special session. Unfortunately, education takes a back seat to the greedy, wealthy friends of the Governor who demand their property tax be lowered at all costs.

It is a no-brainer to realize they will do only enough to meet the minimum standards of the judge to keep him off their backs. They want to tax cigarettes, but conveniently forgot to tax alcohol. Can you say lobbyists?

Interesting that State Senator Frank Madla from my side of town says he is continuing his efforts to chase funds to build a Texas A&M campus on the South Side, despite stepping down May 31st.

Now it will be up to State Senator-Elect Carlos Uresti to continue the fight for better education on the South Side. It is interesting that now that Uresti has pummeled Madla at the polls, they are agreeing to work together to make the four-year campus a reality. Why couldn’t they have done that before?

Tomorrow, the Bexar County Democratic Party will meet at the Firefighters Hall to swear in the new Democratic Party Chair, Carla Vela. Like all good Democrats I have been invited to attend the ceremony. I am still debating on that one. With a fractured party, I predict that the infighting will continue to escalate.

Apparently, our candidate for Governor, Chris Bell, will be in attendance as will the Lt. Governor candidate Maria Alvarado. We are informed that Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff will preside.

Now we hear that three different groups are jockeying for prominence to coordinate the campaigns of Democratic candidates in November. One group is headed by Southside political consultant JoAnn Ramon, while another Southside group is rumored to be headed by former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, and a final group is believed to be spearheaded by Congressman Charlie Gonzalez and Justice Alma Lopez.

Ramon has been in the forefront of Southside politics for years, while the other two groups are relatively new on the scene. Since Ramon coordinates campaigns for a living, her expertise appears far superior to the other groups.

Jealousy of her past success reigns supreme in the Democratic Party. Her only real negative is that her track record for victories has been on the decline for some time. A good example is the recent Frank Madla campaign that she headed ran unsuccessfully.

Rodriguez’s track record is nothing to brag about since he has two failed Congressional campaigns under his belt as well. The Gonzalez led group is so new it is hard to predict how they will fare, if at all.

Then, of course, there is the Bexar County Democratic Party that is the designated group to actually coordinate the campaigns. If all the splinter groups would support the Party, the local Party might win bunches of elections. Now there is a novel idea.

Not much more to add to the on-going dialogue.

That’s the moderate viewpoint. I AM the Republicrat.