Notes from Thursday’s Speeches

So, we arrived late to the convention on Thursday. We walked in on the middle of Governor Rick Perry’s address. The only point of substance I caught was Perry’s promise to address gang drug smuggling and violence during next legislation session. Outside of that, Perry got a strange ovation when he declared that Democrats want the change (and dollars) from your pocket and ended with a weird marching band metaphor (featuring actual marching band members, with a few out of tune).

Next up was Comptroller Susan Combs. She declared that she operates under the premise that “it’s your money” and will eschew wasteful spending. She states that the Texas government has cut back 4.3 million dollars under her watch and Texas led the nation in new job creation between April 2007 and 2008, adding 262 thousand jobs to the economy.

The highlight of Thursday’s speeches was Railroad Commission Chair Michael Williams, sporting a shiny bowtie. He has turned down 2 pay raises during his tenure. He declared that the cap-and-trade carbon tax is nothing more than a redistribution scheme; it would suck trillions of dollars from Americans and would not appreciably help the environment because India and China would continue to pollute. He believes that environmental policy and the economy are not mutually exclusive issues; the environment can be improved better though offering incentives to companies that would make environmental innovations. Other major points he made were:
1) Williams thanks Obama for opening up possibilities and appreciated that all one needs to do to succeed in politics is to be “tall, black, and articulate”
2) He declared that our Middle East policy should not appease the left, but serve American interest.
3) He called to a return to our roots to succeed in November
4) Williams wants to encourage more American students to go into math, science, engineering, and technology. He cosponsors a summer camp to help students who are interested in these fields.

Then some guy came up, asking for money. I did not catch his name and, being a poor college graduate, walked the booths instead.

When we returned, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst was in the middle of his address. Dewhurst declared his support for a spending cap amendment and a voter identification act. He stated that Texas Department of Transportation needs to start working for Texans and opposes the Trans-Texas Corridor. He called for the border to be secured and pushed for a national identification card. Ronald Reagan Count: 2

Speaker Tom Craddick described his efforts for tort reform and merit based teacher pay. He also wanted to fix the appraisal system so that tax cuts get to the people better.

President Bush sent a short video address.

Then the candidates for Texas Republican Chair and Vice Chair came up in turn. Paul Perry called for America’s need for liberty to perverse faith and family. He declared the Trans-Texas Corridor unconstitutional and demanded that school districts stop building professional football stadiums and focus on the academics. Current Chair Tina Benkiser described her efforts to stop the “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” and voter identification. She outlined her plan to protect private property via a constitutional amendment and end Texas property taxes. She supports our moral common foundation. Current Chair Doctor Robin Armstrong wants to remove us from the United Nations. He mentioned Barry Goldwater twice and Ronald Reagan 8 times. Debra Medina, who was involved in the suit against the Texas Republican Party, stated that the pageantry of the day’s events was designed to get us to drink a status quo “Kool-Aid”. She also fought against Gov. Perry’s plan to require the HPV vaccine for all 11-year old girls.
The convention was then officially opened, the events of which will be summed up in another post.