Good morning,

Today’s edition is full of Democrats behaving badly… even for Democrats.

But first, some encouraging news from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick leads the Texas Minute for Thursday, April 7, 2022.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Dan Patrick is Done Funding Woke Corporations

• Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) tells Texas Scorecard he wants the Lone Star State in the fight against woke corporations, like Walt Disney. Sydnie Henry has the story.
     

• Following the release of the Texas Senate’s interim charges—topics for Senate Committees to study in the interim before the 88th Legislative Session next year—Texas Scorecard asked Patrick if one charge (studying the potential removal of state investments from Russian companies) would also encompass corporations like Disney.

      
• “Texas must not allow our pension funds to be held hostage by woke corporate boards,” Patrick told Texas Scorecard. “We need to keep our investment dollars with funds that make sound business decisions, not those who follow dictates from noisy progressives who do not represent the vast majority of Texans.”

Democrat D.A. Protects Cop Who Assaulted Conservative Reporter

• Last month, Sara Gonzales of Blaze Media posted a video to Twitter of Dallas police officer Jackia Miles allegedly shoving her at Beto O’Rourke’s townhall. Now, reports Katy Drollinger, Dallas County’s Democrat District Attorney John Creuzot is refusing to release records related to Officer Miles.

      

• The video appears to show Gonzales filming O’Rourke speaking to a constituent when one of his campaign staffers reaches for Gonzales’ phone and tells her to stop filming. An officer, later identified as Jackia Miles, pushes Gonzales away from O’Rourke and the staffer, saying, “I don’t even gotta touch your phone, I can just touch you.”

      
• Texas Scorecard submitted an open records request to Creuzot’s office for information related to the police officer. In response, Creuzot wants Attorney General Ken Paxton’s permission to withhold the information.
     
• Whether it is protecting groomers or redefining womanhood, Democrats are waging war on basic human dignity. Since this happened at a Beto event, it might be fair to ask if Beto approves of police officers trying to silence female reporters?

Democrat Drops Out

• Faced with long odds at gaining re-election in a seat drawn to elect a Republican, one-term Democrat State Sen. Beverly Powell of Burleson announced yesterday she is removing her name from the 2022 general election ballot. The Republican nominee for the seat, State Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford) will now cruise unopposed through the November election.
      
• The district changed dramatically in the 2021 redistricting process, making it more favorable to Republicans. Powell had enlisted disgraced State Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) to disparage the maps and his fellow Republicans in a court filing late last year after he announced his own retirement. That case is going nowhere, and has been mocked by observers across the political spectrum.
   
• With Powell’s departure, and King’s certain election, Texas Republicans have increased their majority in the state’s upper chamber.

Incestuous Dealings In Harris County

• Allegations of corruption in Harris County have hit an unignorable fever pitch. A Texas Scorecard investigation exposes the connections between Democrat County Commissioner Rodney Ellis (a former state senator) and organizations receiving taxpayer money. 

     
• Meanwhile, state and federal officials have also been unable to ignore what’s happening in Houston. The Texas Rangers launched an investigation into questionable county use of federal taxpayer monies, and the FBI searched Houston’s health department. While most reporting on Harris County’s problems revolve around Democrat County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Robert Montoya’s investigation points to the ties Democrat Commissioner Ellis has with beneficiaries of government largesse.
   
• These include taxpayer-funded programs involving an organization with ties to an Ellis donor… and his wife.

Judge Admonishes Round Rock ISD ‘Bad Faith Five’

• Since last year, the “safe and suburban” Round Rock ISD, located just north of Austin, has been a major hotspot in the statewide and national conflict between parents and public schools. The superintendent, Hafedh Azaiez, has been protected by five school board members for allegedly ordering his mistress to have an abortion and then physically assaulting her when she talked about it.
        

• The ‘Bad Faith Five’ – as trustees Amber Feller, Tiffanie Harrison, Amy Weir, Jun Xiao, and Cory Vessa, have come to be known around Round Rock – were admonished by a district judge for their failure to set a good example in the school community.
   
• The criticism came as the judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by pro-transparency trustees Dr. Mary Bone and Danielle Weston against the district. The judge said she did not dismiss the case on its merit, but because state law deprived her of jurisdiction over the matter.

More Money For Your Power

• In the newest edition of Liberty Cafe, Bill Peacock explains why Texans are over-paying for electricity. Faulty economics and greed are bringing about the decline of Texas’ once world-class electricity market.

How Can Citizens Keep Score In Politics? Texas Scorecard

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The districts displayed here should reflect those recently redrawn by the Legislature. Though the new lines do not take representational effect until 2023, they will appear on the 2022 ballot. Please note that your incumbent legislator and/or district numbers may have changed.