Good morning, 

Turns out the advice Spiderman got from his uncle comes with a downside...

But first, here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Friday, January 17, 2020
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• As 2020 campaigns heat up, a new report from Transparency Texas finds politicians who won a seat in the state house spent $354,099 on average: “In 2020, expect these campaign costs to skyrocket as Democrats and Republicans battle it out for control of the Texas House.”
        
• The former chief of staff to former House Speaker Joe Straus will soon be the top taxpayer-funded lobbyist in the state. Ross Kecseg reports Jesse Ancira will lead the anti-taxpayer efforts of the Texas Municipal League. The organization is funded by cities, using taxpayer dollars to work against reforms favored by taxpayers.
      
• You might recall Straus’ record of opposing Republican Party priorities, such as property tax and local debt reforms, led to him being formally reprimanded by his home county GOP. Ancira is recorded as having voted consistently in Democrat primaries.
      
• Yeah, I know you’re surprised.
      
• A North Texas mayor admits he triggered an “automatic resignation” from his position last month when he became a candidate for a county office, yet has continued to act in his official capacity. Erin Anderson reports on what Steve Terrell’s decision to run for Collin County commissioner means for the City of Allen.
       
• The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement has issued an official reprimand to Montgomery County Precinct 4 Constable Kenneth “Rowdy” Hayden following a year-long investigation into allegations he and his deputies falsified documents claiming they completed required civil law courses. Reagan Reed has the details.
        
• The headline at KXAN-TV’s website tells you everything you need to know about the culture in Austin: “Austin ranks among cities with highest STD rates in U.S., statistics show.” Congratulations.
      
• UPDATE: Yesterday morning I shared with you Matt Stringer’s article about three Republican candidates running for an open congressional seat in West Texas who failed to vote in the crucial 2018 election. After some additional digging, Stringer discovered that two of them – August Pfluger and Brandon Batch – had never been registered to vote before October 2019... which is when they started their campaigns for Congress. Get the details in Stringer’s latest article.

Friday Reflection

Uncle Ben, the erstwhile mentor to comic book hero Peter Parker, is credited with the oft-quoted line: “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

That sentiment inspired Peter Parker to become Spiderman, but it can just as easily be understood as a curse. The village of Chorazin came to understand that.

What’s left of Chorazin are the remains of several basalt-rock structures, including the synagogue. Chorazin is a short hike from Capernaum, Jesus’ base of ministry. The view of the Sea of Galilee is beautiful.

Yet what they did not appreciate was the even more spectacular view they had of history. 

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke record Jesus’ admonition to the people in the villages of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These are places in which the residents had witnessed what Jesus Himself described as “mighty works” but nonetheless rejected Him. They were given a front-row seat to the performance of miracles, yet shrugged them off.

With powerful knowledge, comes great responsibility.

“Woe to you” Jesus said to them, adding it will be “more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom” than for those places. 

As heirs in America to a biblically based system of self-governance, we have the highest standard of living in all of human history. We take for granted conveniences unimaginable just decades ago. Yet never in American history has the call for socialism (and the tyranny to which it inevitably leads) been louder.

We are witnesses to the bounty the blessing of liberty can bring, but in our sloth we risk – like the people of Chorazin – shrugging it off... and falling woefully away.

When people in countries that have never known liberty make bad choices, it shouldn’t surprise us. They don’t know better; but we do. We have no excuses. We have been witnesses to mighty works. We have a responsibility to respond accordingly.