I will proudly “STAND” for Barry Smitherman for Attorney General
It is thought by many that the grassroots Tea Party folks are behind Ken Paxton for Attorney General. Even so much so that an endorsement list was put out with names on it as supporters when some of those endorsements had not been given or earned. I know this because my name was put on this list and I had not given my endorsement.
Why is this an issue? Because it is just politics as usual. You build a huge endorsement list and try to get the momentum moving in your direction instead of being on the campaign trail earning votes not endorsements.
I had a friend call the other day and ask me about this race and I stated that I learned a very important lesson from Ken Paxton. Don’t give an endorsement just because someone asks you to. Much like he did with Supreme Court Judge David Media. When I asked Ken why he endorsed David Medina over John Devine when clearly John Devine was the Conservative in the race he stated that someone from Perry’s office had ask him for that endorsement and he gave it without really knowing who he was endorsing. Once again Politics as usual.
It just so happens that I knew a lot about that race because I was working to get the truth out about Judge David Medina who had been charged with tampering with evidence and his wife charged with arson. Here is the information I was apart of helping put together. Runaway Grand Jury or Runaway Justice
Thankfully we had an excellent candidate running against David Medina, John Devine who is now a Texas Supreme Court Judge. The people won in that race even though Medina was endorsed from Rick Perry down to Ken Paxton because there were those of us who were willing to not just go along to get along because it was easier. We were willing to stand up for what was right. Ken Paxton showed he was willing to go along to get along in that race.
In addition he showed in the first speaker showdown that he was not willing to STAND in the race against Joe Straus for Speaker of the house. After he had been running for Speaker himself he stepped out at the last minute to give cover to those who were willing to vote for Joe Straus- a man who has done more harm in Texas through blocking good legislation and pushing bad legislation than any other elected official I have seen. I was also a part of the battle to expose the Texas Pledge Card system and Speaker Joe Straus so I know this issue well. Here is the video so many of us worked hard on to Speak Truth to Power. No Pledge to Straus.
Therefore I do not come to this race uninformed or without background to know how politics in Texas works.
Thankfully like the Supreme Court race we do have a strong Conservative Leader running in the Attorney General’s Race. His name is Barry Smitherman.
I believe we are in transformational times and it can not be politics as usual anymore. Our state and our country is completely under attack from within. We must have leaders who have shown they will STAND and DEFEND!
Unlike Ken Paxton who is a real estate attorney, Barry Smitherman has a record as a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. As a prosecutor, Barry Smitherman “focused on keeping families safe by specializing in prosecuting family assaults and drunk driving cases.“
As Chairman of the Railroad Commission Smitherman has a record of taking a stand as he stood with Attorney General Greg Abbott in suing Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency seven times to protect jobs and energy for our families, and future generations of Texans.
As so many of us work to understand the issue of FED LED ED/Common Core in Texas it was Barry Smitherman who when it was brought to his attention lessons are being taught in curriculum products like CSCOPE that districts were purchasing and using which completely undermines Texas’ oil and gas industry. Once again he stepped up to the plate and took action to help spread the word to stop CSCOPE.
Did you know that as chairman of the Railroad commission ” he instituted a complete review of over burdensome oil and gas regulations resulting in a dramatic increase in Texas jobs.”
Some may try to say hey he is the Smart Meter Guy you can’t support him. Well as David Bellows stated in his article below when Barry realized what the consequences of the Smart meter legislation was and Smart Meters were affecting real people he took action.
Smart Meter outrage took the Texas scene by storm within the last few years. Texas Conservative groups were rightfully mad about these intrusive, big brother, potentially health hazardous Smart Meters. Some conservatives mistakenly got upset at the PUCT. The truth is that it was the Texas Legislature that passed the law to force Smart Meters onto Texans. It was the Texas Legislature that passed the law to force Texans to pay for the Smart Meters, not the PUCT.
In 2005, the Texas Legislature passed HB 2129, mandating a fee for the implementation of smart meters and encouraging the adoption of smart meters. Both Ken Paxton and Dan Branch voted aye on this bill. Section 7(h) of HB 2129 states: “The Commission (PUCT) SHALL establish a nonbypassable surcharge for an electric utility or transmission and distribution utility to use to recover reasonable and necessary costs incurred in deploying advanced metering and meter information networks to residential customers…”
Section 8(a) of HB 2129 states: “In recognition that advances in digital and communications equipment and technologies, including new metering and meter information technologies, have the potential to increase the reliability of the regional electrical network, encourage dynamic pricing and demand response, make better use of generation assets and transmission and generation assets, and provide more choice for consumers, the legislature encourages the adoption of these technologies by electric utilities in this state.”
Section 8(b) of HB 2129 states: “The Public Utility Commission of Texas shall study the efforts of electric utilities to benefit from the use of advanced metering and metering information networks. The commission SHALL present to the legislature on or before September 30 of each even–‐numbered year a report detailing those efforts and identifying changes in the state’s policies that may be necessary to remove barriers to the use of advanced metering and metering information networks or of other advanced transmission and distribution technologies.”
In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3693, again making clear its intention that smart meters be deployed as rapidly as possible. Again, Ken Paxton and Dan Branch voted for this legislation. Section 20(i) of HB 3693 states: “Subject to the restrictions in Subsection (h), it is the intent of the legislature that net metering and advanced meter information networks be deployed as rapidly as possible to allow customers to better manage energy use and control costs, and to facilitate demand response initiatives.”
Conclusion: If you notice, in the above laws that were passed and approved by Ken Paxton and Dan Branch, the word SHALL was used. The word SHALL means it must be done and is NOT optional. The Texas Legislature mandated the PUCT to implement smart meters by passing a law stating that the PUCT SHALL do it. The Texas Legislature also used the word NONBYPASSABLE in reference to the fee that Texans must pay to implement the Smart Meters. Like shall, nonbypassable means it is mandatory and not optional. So before anyone starts to say that the Legislature did not intend for Smart Meters to be mandatory or that the PUCT should have just not implemented smart meters, you need to check your facts. We Texans do not live in Obamaland. We do not just decide which laws to enforce or not enforce like Obama does. The Texas Legislature passed laws creating and mandating Smart Meters and instructing the PUCT to make it happen. The PUCT followed the law that was passed by the Texas Elected officials. Obama thinks he can just ignore laws passed by Congress, but here in Texas we hold ourselves to a higher standard and the PUCT did the only thing they could, and they followed the law passed by Paxton and Branch.
The Legislature is to blame for Smart Meters, not the PUCT. The Texas Legislature even went as far as to pass a bill in 2007 encouraging the RAPID deployment of Smart Meters. So they wanted to force them on us and then they wanted to make it happen as soon as possible. After reading the wording of the laws passed by Paxton ad Branch, no one can deny that Smart Meters were created and pushed by the Legislature. Furthermore, the only authority that can stop smart meters, besides a Judge, is the Texas Legislature. If people are mad about Smart Meters, which they should be, then it is up to Texas Legislators like Ken Paxton and Dan Branch to take a stand and amend the law that they wrongfully voted for. The PUCT and Barry Smitherman have taken a stand with conservatives and asked the Texas Legislature to change the law, but so far the legislature has done NOTHING, including Ken Paxton and Dan Branch doing nothing.
Mandatory Smart Meters are a big problem. Maybe no one in the Texas Legislature knew about the problems that would arise when Smart Meters first came out. But hey, now you know! So what are you going to do to fix the problem? You change the law. At least Barry Smitherman is actually trying to fix the problem. The legislature and the laws they passed are to blame. Since the negatives of Smart Meters have been made known, Smitherman has listened to conservatives and he has tried to get the legislature to change the law. The legislature, including Paxton and Branch, has not responded.
Smitherman is the only Texas Attorney General candidate brave enough to listen to conservatives and respond by trying to correct the problem and by trying to get the legislature to change the law and not make smart meters mandatory.
So that is the truth about who created, pushed, mandated, and is still allowing Smart Meters to be forced onto Texans, who also are forced to pay for them.
As we move forward in the primary process and vote in March I hope you will not be just a go along to get along voter. I hope you will do your due diligence and make sure that every candidate you vote for earns your vote in the campaign and after the campaign as an elected official continues to deserve your vote.
Like my wonderful Mother use to tell me. I brought you in this world, I can take you out!!
I STAND with BARRY SMITHERMAN . A man who has proven he will STAND and DEFEND TEXAS!!
Barry I look forward to your leadership and courage as the next Attorney General of the State of TEXAS!!
I also encourage you to listen to this great interview Rebecca Forest and I had with Barry’s wife Marijane Smitherman who is a great Mom, Wife and defender of Texas herself.