Good morning!

The attitude of many Texas Minute readers toward the practice of Democrats holding chairmanships in the GOP-controlled Legislature was summed up by one of the many responses I received: “If we wanted Democrats at the head of the table, we’d have voted for Democrats.”

Check out the survey results – and some other reader responses – at the end of today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Wednesday, December 15, 2021
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Texas GOP Goes Local

• Recognizing that local elections matter now more than ever, Erin Anderson reports that the Republican Party of Texas is “doubling down” on helping conservatives win key city and school board elections that are nominally nonpartisan.
   
• “Unfortunately, too many Texans believe because they live in a Republican state, radical liberal policies will never become law,” wrote the RPT Chairman Matt Rinaldi in announcing the new local initiative. “However, the hard truth is that many times liberal policies do pass, and often at the City and School board level without anyone paying attention.”
   
• City and school district candidates aren’t identified by political party on the ballot, but their actions once in office reflect their political ideologies.
   
• Texas Democrats have been actively targeting local races since 2015, when the party launched Project LIFT (Local Investment in the Future of Texas). The program allocates state party resources to recruit, train, and elect Democrats to city councils and school boards.

Paxton Investigates Pharmaceutical Companies

• The latest chapter in the years-long fight to protect Texas children from being coerced into gender disfigurement procedures is playing out in the Office of the Attorney General, reports Jacob Asmussen.
   
• Attorney General Ken Paxton is “investigating Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and AbbVie Inc. under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act,” according to his office. “These pharmaceutical companies allegedly advertised and promoted hormone (puberty) blockers for unapproved uses without disclosing the potential risks associated with these drugs to children and their parents.”
   
• At issue are gender mutilation operations. Currently in Texas, medical professionals are allowed to cut off children’s healthy body parts as part of gender surgeries or chemically castrate them through cross-sex hormones and puberty blocker drugs.
   
• While many Texans have expressed support for a ban on these activities, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan have rejected efforts to do so.
   
• “The manufacture, sale, prescription, and use of puberty blockers on young teens and minors is dangerous and reckless,” said Paxton. “These drugs were approved for very different purposes and can have detrimental and even irreversible side effects. I will not allow pharmaceutical companies to take advantage of Texas children.”

CPS Blocks Family Advocates

• After the Texas Home School Coalition successfully fought to bring a family back together, Texas’ Child Protective Services is now trying to block them from helping other families in the future. Brandon Waltens has the story.
       
• In 2019, Texas Child Protective Services illegally removed Daniel and Ashley Pardo’s son, Drake, citing undisclosed “medical child abuse.” THSC intervened and the case went viral, making headlines and serving as an example of the state of the broken agency and a rallying cry for parental rights activists nationwide. The Supreme Court of Texas eventually forced CPS to return Drake to his home and family.
       
• Now the Department of Family Protective Services—the umbrella organization that oversees CPS—is trying to keep advocates out of the process. (DFPS has been under fire recently for using leftist indoctrination propaganda as part of their new employee training and promoting liberal causes.)
      
• In a new policy memo, the agency claims changes are necessary due to “the frequency with which DFPS interacts with advocacy organizations, such as parent rights advocates and homeschool coalitions….”
     
• THSC says new rules for CPS caseworkers are designed to restrict family advocates from communications, leaving scared and confused families struggling alone through a “complex government system.”
      
• Seems like DFPS is more interested in protecting themselves than in serving the best interests of Texans.

Get EXPOSED

• On Monday, Dec. 20, the first season of EXPOSED by Texas Scorecard will launch with two episodes everywhere you listen to and download podcasts, as well as TexasScorecard.com.
     
• The first season is a deep dive into Round Rock ISD – a safe, conservative school district located in Republican-heavy Williamson County. 
     
• You won’t believe what’s been going on there… and you’ll be shocked when you realize these things are going on in school districts around the state.

Y’ALL ANSWERED

Yesterday we posed one of the questions that will appear on the Texas Republican primary ballot: “The Republican-controlled Texas Legislature should end the practice of awarding committee chairmanships to Democrats.”

Readers responded overwhelmingly “yes” (96.3 percent) – with just 3.7 percent disagreeing.

Here is a sampling of responses from the inbox…

• “If we wanted Democrats at the head of the table, we’d have voted for Democrats.” – Jack Boteler
      
• “What's the point of winning if you give the prize away?” – Robert Poimbeauf
      
• “Republicans have a long history of great platforms that never get acted on. As much I would like to see this platform be implemented, I doubt it will fare any better than previous ones.” – Ginger Platt
   
• “There is a reason we work for a majority.  We are in a polarized political environment and the days of bipartisan are in the past.  If you have the majority, use it, because the other side will if they get the opportunity.” – Rickey Franklin
     
• “Can anyone name one thing appointing Democrats as chairs has done to move the GOP agenda forward and serve the people?” – Lisa Buck
   
• “While I agree that most Democrats should not chair commities, seems to me that most Republicans are not any better. For the most part they all (no matter which party) seem to be looking for someone's pocket to get into and line their own.” –  Donald Straley
   
• “We as activists work hard to get Republicans elected! We expect Republicans to be appointed to committee chairs so we can get our conservative legislation passed! No to Democrats!” – Maggie Wright
   
• “Sheep would not elect a wolf to lead the herd, but some Republicans act like lemmings eager to be led over the cliff.” – Alan Caffey
   
• “Republicans need to learn to WIN and quit being so squishy.” – Mary Matthews
     
• “It is entirely irrational and self-destructive for Democrats to be handed committee chairmanships in the Texas Legislature. The practice needs to end, NOW!” – Robert Lee
   
• “Not all Democrats are bad people. I think we need a mix of opinions and attitudes in our legislature and if a Democrat is the best person for the job and is working for the good of all then that person deserves the chair.”  – Noël Holub
     
• “The only thing that is accomplished by appointing Democrats to committee chairs is to weaken the strength of the majority and encourage the left in the hope of gaining the majority and turning Texas blue.” – Mark Henley
   
• “It's time for real Texans to get informed, stand up, and resoundingly vote out the vacillating RINOs, beginning at the top. Leftist, special interest, troublemakers have no business being placed in key positions by this parade of clowns.” – Randy Miller
   
• “I answered No because there was no option for 'Under certain circumstances'. … Committee Chairs should be easier to remove for 'cause'. Meaning if they break the rules (like not showing up for a special session). If committee chairs are not shared under a Republican controlled legislature, it will give the other side an excuse to not share them when they control the majority.” – Thomas Camardo
   
• “Who ever thought this was a good idea in the first place? The naive ignorance of ‘moderate’ RINOs is mind boggling. We continue to play softball while the left plays cutthroat.” – Barrett Breedlove
   
• “The only ‘benefit’ of this practice is the ability of the UniParty to assign bills to a committee chaired by someone completely opposed to the values held by the Texas grassroots conservatives.” – John Bolgiano
   
• “Republicans were elected so we can control what happens in the government not give it away.” – Jim Hughes
   
• “In the last legislature, we saw too many Republican priorities slowed, weakened, or stopped by Dem chairmen.  That is not acceptable.” – Kathy Powe

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