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Good morning,

They will tell you that you don't understand. I end the week reflecting on who doesn't understand what in our constitutional republic.

This is the Texas Minute for Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Texas DPS Captures Confirmed Gang Member on Private Ranch Two illegal aliens were captured on a private ranch after attempting to evade arrest. As Emily Medeiros reports [[link removed]], one of the men is a confirmed gang member.

The incident occurred on a ranch in Kinney County on the South Texas border. Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety took Nery Flores, a confirmed member of the Mexican mafia, into custody. They also arrested Usvaldo Castaneda Loma.

Flores was deported from the U.S. in 2020 after serving 16 years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

"They came into the wrong County to find sanctuary from law enforcement." – Kinney County Attorney Brent Smith [[link removed]] More Than 100 County GOP Chairs Backing David Cook for House Speaker Updating a story from earlier in the week, Brandon Waltens reports [[link removed]] more than 100 Republican county chairs have now signed a letter declaring their full support for David Cook as speaker of the Texas House.

On Saturday, David Cook was elected by the Texas House Republican Caucus to be its nominee for speaker. Shortly after, Lubbock Republican Dustin Burrows announced his rump candidacy, with more Democrats than Republicans backing his effort.

The county chairs' letter, led by Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French, emphasizes accountability for any Republican representatives who refuse to unite behind Cook.

Statewide officials, including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and Attorney General Ken Paxton, have all endorsed the Republican caucus nomination process that selected Cook.RELATED NEWS A group of Texas congressmen, led by U.S. Rep. Keith Self (TX-3), are calling for the Republicans in the Texas House to support the GOP caucus nominee for Speaker of the House. Addie Hovland has the story [[link removed]]. Also signing the letter were Wesley Hunt (TX-38), Michael Cloud (TX-27), Tony Gonzales (TX-23), and U.S. Rep.-elect Brandon Gill (TX-26).

Their action comes after a Democrat lawmaker recently confirmed that Burrows would continue the "tradition" in the Texas House by naming Democrats to chair legislative committees. Overreach by Texas Ethics Commission Criticized at Sunset Hearing Citizens testified this week before the state's Sunset Commission about the abusive tactics and constitutionally suspect role of the Texas Ethics Commission in targeting citizens for speaking out politically. Luca Cacciatore has the details [[link removed]].

Fran Rhodes, president of True Texas Project, was among those who criticized the TEC for targeting private citizens with frivolous cases seeking punitive damages.

“By prioritizing punitive enforcement over transparency and accountability, the TEC has created a system that silences grassroots voices and discourages civic engagement,” said Rhodes [[link removed]].

Tony McDonald, an attorney who specializes in constitutional matters, said the agency spends its time “picking on the little guy” rather than policing the actions and activities of politicians.

Last weekend, the State Republican Executive Committee passed a resolution condemning the TEC and urging reform. UT Enforces Texas' DEI Ban with Staff Training To ensure compliance with the statewide ban on the leftwing ideology known as "diversity, equity, and inclusion," the University of Texas is now requiring staff to undergo regular training. Robert Montoya reports [[link removed]] that an internal review by UT found 13,000 instances of “DEI-related terms” on its websites.

The rejection of DEI ideology has picked up steam in Texas and across the nation. Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a statewide ban on the ideology in higher education.

The Texas law prohibits universities from establishing a DEI office, using DEI criteria in their hiring practices, or requiring employees or prospective employees to attend DEI training. It does not, however, apply to academic instruction. Houston-area Neurologist Agrees to Settlement Over Fraudulent Billing Allegations A Houston neurologist, Basem Hamid, has agreed to settle a case with the federal government stemming from allegations he charged Medicare for expensive procedures he didn’t perform. Michael Wilson reports [[link removed]] that Hamid will pay nearly $950,000.

Over the course of three years, Hamid was accused of repeatedly billing Medicare for the full cost of surgically implanting electrodes in a highly invasive procedure requiring an operating room. Those were never done. Instead, he reportedly treated those patients in his clinic with electro-acupuncture devices taped to their heads. Conservative Leader Award 2024 Randy King of Euless

"For over a decade, Randy has been a member of True Texas Project leadership, doing whatever is needed whenever it's needed. He stepped up when no one else would. He's one of those that quietly works in the background and gets things done." – Fran Rhodes

The 2024 honorees announced so far...

⚔️ Brooks McKenzie [[link removed]]

⚔️ Tammy Warren [[link removed]]

⚔️ Jackie Wakin [[link removed]]

⚔️ Laura Giles [[link removed]]

⚔️ Jim McIngvale [[link removed]]

⚔️ Jennifer Thatcher [[link removed]]

⚔️ Stephen Sullivan [[link removed]]

The Conservative Leader Award began in 2014. On our website, you can meet the honorees from previous years [[link removed]].

Friday Reflection

We Know Who Doesn't Understand [[link removed]]

by Michael Quinn Sullivan

We’re fast approaching the “you just don’t understand” season of the Texas Legislature.

The comment is inevitably directed at constituents who express frustration when long-promised action on publicly popular legislation fails to materialize.

So, with Texas’ legislative session about to begin, you can expect to hear it with frustrating regularity.

The real problem isn’t that the citizenry doesn’t understand the legislative process; it is that we understand all too well the lack of policy results.

Whenever the ideas or results of politicians are criticized by the public, far too many elected officials will lash out with one of several versions of that “you don’t understand” cliche.

One of my favorites is, “You didn’t attend the meetings at the Capitol where we hatched this scheme, so you cannot criticize it now.”

Well, by definition, 30 million Texans were not in those meetings. That does not, however, negate anyone’s right to speak out about the direction of legislation… or lack thereof.

The arrogance of suggesting otherwise reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the roles of citizens and elected officials. Citizens set the agenda that public servants are supposed to implement. Failure to do so is the politicians’ error, not the citizens’.

If every Texan is expected to participate in every segment of the creation of every policy, then the holders of public office are more superfluous than subtitles on a silent movie.

The people are allowed to miss every single millisecond of the legislative session and the secret-squirrel backroom “strategy” meetings, yet still opine loudly and vigorously about the results. What the politicians don’t understand, or simply refuse to acknowledge, is that is how our system was designed to work.

Never forget: Citizens are the masters in our republic, and elected officials are the servants.

The citizenry – the masters – set the expectations and leave it to their servants (the elected officials) to get the job done. Sure, the details of the legislative process are interesting and sometimes informative. But, in the end, those details and even the process itself often serve as a weapon of distraction wielded by politicians more interested in serving themselves than the people.

It is up to the politicians to make sure their processes produce the results Texans want. The politicians need to understand a very basic truth: the citizens don’t want excuses; they expect results.

Quote-Unquote

"The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry."

– William F. Buckley, Jr.

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