Good morning!

One way to gauge how well you are doing your job as a citizen is by how much the politicians and cronies grumble about you. And I’m closing out the week with a reflection on whining politicians.

But first, here is the Texas Minute for Friday, April 8, 2022.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Abbott’s Border ‘Gimmick’

• Gov. Greg Abbott announced his latest response to the influx of illegal immigration across the state’s southern border. It was quickly derided by conservatives as a “stunt” and “gimmick.” Brandon Waltens has the details.
   
• His breathlessly announced plan was to send illegal aliens captured at the border to Washington, D.C., in buses. The proposal caught headlines of right-leaning media outlets, who were quick to report glowingly of the action.

   

• Details released by Abbott shortly after the TV cameras turned off, however, let the air out of the tires. The bus trips will be voluntary for the illegal aliens. In order to board a taxpayer-funded bus or flight, an illegal alien must volunteer to be transported and provide documentation from the Department of Homeland Security showing that they had been detained and released.
       

• “It’s a gimmick,” tweeted State Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler).
   
• Former State Sen. Konni Burton, who runs The Texan news website, derided Abbott’s announcement as “just another stunt.”
      
• “Busses? Gas? Food? Is this what the budget surplus will be used for instead of property tax relief?” asked former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, who came in second place to Abbott during the primary election last month. (He was referring to reports that lawmakers will have a $25 billion budget surplus in 2023.)
     
• Now, if the governor had announced state guardsmen and law enforcement would start immediately turning back all illegal border crossers, marching them to the other side of the Rio Grande…

• On the newest edition of The Headline at 5:30 p.m. today, I’ll be on with Brandon Waltens to talk about this particular story. He’ll have a few other stories to discuss, as well as a conversation with Robert Montoya about the corruption in Harris County.

Parents Frustrated By Frisco ISD

• Frisco parents are fuming over sexually explicit books found in their local school libraries after district officials assured them “each book is reviewed.” It turns out, reports Erin Anderson, the reviews come from third-party publications and not the district officials tasked with approving school materials.
      
• Parents want to know how sexually explicit books got into school libraries in the first place, and what the district is doing to keep it from happening again.
      
• “How did these inappropriate books get into our schools in the first place?” asked Frisco resident Shannon Ta.
   

• Last month, State Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Frisco) sent a letter to all Texas school superintendents, asking them to pledge to “take all necessary steps to root out and remove explicit and obscene books.”
     

• Frisco ISD Superintendent Mike Waldrip declined to sign the pledge but assured Patterson the district carefully reviews all library books.
     

• Yet Frisco ISD school board trustee Natalie Hebert shifted blame to third-party book reviewers and vendors.

Gassing The Taxpayers

• Texans’ wallets are feeling the consequences of subpar national energy policies. And with states like Georgia and Maryland suspending their fuel taxes, Sydnie Henry explains how such an effort would work in Texas – and what the consequences might be.
   
• “It is highly improbable that Texans will see relief from exploding prices on things like gasoline or everyday grocery staples any time soon. Unfortunately, we are suffering from the poor decisions of our elected leaders over many years,” said Jeramy Kitchen, the executive director of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility.

Please Join Me…

• In wishing a very happy birthday to my wife’s sister, Natasha!
   
• And in wishing a very happy Saturday birthday to my aging sister, Julia. 😜

Friday Reflection: Let Them Whine

When your opponents are complaining about how powerful you are, don’t interrupt them. When the government cronies complain about your ability to frustrate their plans, let them keep talking. You are just doing your job as a citizen.

A donor told me he was increasing his giving to our organization because he’d been to a meeting where politicians were complaining about us. They made it clear they didn’t like us exposing their records and self-serving antics.

“I figured if these powerful guys are so upset about your emails, tweets, and articles, then I want to be on your good side,” he jokingly emailed me later.

His generosity will be put to good use, reaching even more people. I did, however, have to remind him – if only for the sake of my own conscience – that those politicians who sneer, snicker, demean, and demagogue us aren’t actually upset by what we do; they are upset by the fact citizens have a way to keep political score.

Despite their lofty rhetoric, politicians don’t like an informed electorate. They don’t like people asking pesky questions. They don’t like taxpayers knowing the details of their backroom dealmaking. They don’t like citizens keeping score.

Too bad!

Those seeking to undermine our republic and erode liberty don’t want witnesses to their dirty deeds. They encourage us to disengage from government, they pretend it is a virtue to be “apolitical.” They promise to tell us what we need to know about what they have done to us, er, for us.

Our system of government requires an informed and engaged citizenry. Unlike other nations, we were purposely formed as a self-governing republic. We don’t have the constitutional ability as citizens to put government on autopilot. It requires the constant care and zealous vigilance of the citizenry. It has always been that way.

The most awesome and awe-inspiring appellation in our republic is not president or governor, senator or councilman. You can search the world and not find a more sought-after or desired title than that of “citizen of the United States.”

Our sacred job as citizens, for each other and our posterity, is to help each other be as informed and as engaged as possible. Yes, it will make the power-hungry, self-serving cronies whine. Let them whine: you have a republic to save.