Mind Numbed Robot

...of the constitutional debate over 200 years ago. - from Imperfect America

The United States under the Articles of Confederation was a disaster. The federal government was weak and heavily indebted, state governments carried massive debts, printed money like it was newspaper and imposed confiscatory taxes on their citizens. Inflation raged, veterans went unpaid and farmers across the country were being thrown off of their farms and into jails because of debts and taxes. This was the climate in which the Anti-Federalists were decrying the Constitution. They suggested the federal government would become too powerful, that citizens would lose their freedoms and states would become beholden to it. What they didn’t suggest however was a coherent or compelling alternative. When faced with a choice between the Federalist’s imperfect Constitution and the Anti-Federalist’s nothing, the citizens chose the Constitution.

read the rest here.

NOW FEATURING:

The Peter Morrison Report has graciously granted the Robot permission to republish his in-depth interviews with Texas political candidates and insightful commentary on issues close to those of us in Texas and Southeast Texas in particular. The Peter Morrison Report will also be featured in a new sidebar on this site along with other sites of importance to Texans and to the S/E portion of the state as we get ready for the 2010 election cycle. Thanks Peter. Here is the first installment:

A few weeks ago the Peter Morrison Report was contacted by the Debra Medina campaign. She is a Republican candidate for governor here in Texas. An interview came out of that discussion.
To be fair, I have also contacted the campaigns of the other three declared candidates: Kay Bailey Hutchison, Larry Kilgore and Rick Perry. If they agree, each will be featured in a future report so you can make an informed decision in March.

The interview consists of a question followed by the candidate's unedited responses. Let's get to it:

Peter Morrison Report: What do you see as the top challenges facing Texas, and our next governor?

Debra Medina: Texas, like all of the United States, is facing unprecedented economic challenges. Property taxes, excessive regulation and broad use of eminent domain authority all but destroy private property ownership. Couple those concerns with a
growing dependence on federal largesse, a high unemployment rate, additional school property tax buy down and diminishing sales tax returns and you quickly realize that the state of Texas must cut spending drastically and restructure tax in order to relieve the drag it places on the economy.

PMR: In your opinion, what are the causes of the terrible setbacks the Republican Party suffered in 2006 and 2008? How do you think we can reverse this trend?

DM: Failure to walk our talk. We must elect officials who follow the strict interpretation of constitution and govern in a manner consistent with our party platform. Recognizing that politics is corrupting and that absolute power corrupts absolutely, the Texas Republican Party should adopt a rule unilaterally establishing term limits as an additional eligibility requirement when seeking a place on the primary ballot for all state officeholders i.e., state representatives, state senators and all state-wide officeholders.This would serve to protect not punish Republican office holders.It would keep them beholden to the people they serve and remove incentives to be "bought and paid for" by special interest groups seeking to use the law to gain favor in the marketplace.

PMR: What are your major differences with Rick Perry, and why should conservative Texans support you over him?

DM: I recognize that the family is the building block of a free society and that parental rights to manage that family as they deem must be aggressively defended. It is not the role of the government to usurp that right even when the government thinks it knows best. Rick Perry only wants you to manage your family until
he doesn't like what you do, then he will use the mighty arm of the great state of Texas to swoop in and mandate healthcare or take your children.

I recognize that private property ownership and gun ownership are essential elements of freedom. I will fight to curtail eminent domain authorities and will certainly recognize the duty to protect the sovereignty of Texas rejecting any attempts to cede our land to foreign interests. I will advocate the ownership and skilled use of weapons so as to increase safety and security in our state. I will not, as Perry did, cavalierly throw tax money at psychological counseling following the next tragic shooting in our state as though that will help solve the problem. I recognize that the protection of life, liberty and property must begin with us. We
must be prepared to defend ourselves. In our earliest days as a country, Noah Webster recognized, "the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any band of regular troops that can be, of any pretence, raised in the United States."

I recognize that the central banking system in the United States is incapable of maintaining a stable economy. I recognize that the market is the best regulator of the economy where inefficient businesses are allowed to fail and are held responsible for those failures. I recognize that Texas assets must be protected and that just as nations such as China and India are moving away from the dollar, Texas must move a portion of our assets as well to protect those assets and protect the Texas economy. I will not sit idly by and wait for Washington D.C. to protect Texas. I will not, as the
Governor did with his "what recession" remark discount the suffering in Texas as many are unemployed and struggling. I will recognize that people not government care best for people. I will resist efforts to make the state the benefactor of the hurting and needy - families and businesses alike.

PMR: If elected, what concrete steps will you take to deal with the invasion of illegal immigrants which is transforming Texas?
DM: Texas must press the federal government aggressively to secure our border. Meanwhile, however, we can not simply wait on Washington D.C. to act. We must develop stronger working relationships with border county sheriffs to support and augment their efforts to secure the border to insure that all traffic enters Texas through a legal port of entry. These efforts should involve coalition building between state and local law enforcement, allocation of funds for equipment and personnel and enhanced deployment of State Guard and volunteer corps along the southern border.

Texas must also protect the economic interests of her citizens by challenging federal mandates into healthcare. The cost of providing "free healthcare" to anyone who asks has forced many hospitals from market-driven profitable enterprises to
public-dependent (tax funded) facilities. Texas' healthcare providers must be allowed to set their own charitable service policies. Texas should fight to overturn the federal EMTALA provisions and return to the state oversight of our healthcare
industry.

PMR: What is your stance on the Voter Photo ID bill from the last session?

DM: Do not believe photo ID will serve to prevent illegal voting until and unless the issuance of photo ID is restricted to U.S. citizens and legal aliens. Texas currently issues drivers licenses to individuals who admit to being in our state illegally. We
should work instead to tighten voter registration requirements and to insure that the voter rolls are accurate.

PMR: Do you support sanctions against employers that knowingly employ illegal aliens?

DM: Yes.

PMR: Do you support a border fence?

DM: Only in areas where local law enforcement acknowledges that it will help in their efforts to secure the border. In discussions with these individuals believe that is in densely populated urban areas only.

PMR: Do you believe that local governments and law enforcement officers have the authority to enforce immigration laws?

DM: No, believe that immigration law enforcement is clearly the purview and responsibility of federal law enforcement. Do believe that we, local governments and law enforcement, must enforce the laws that we have. Do believe that individuals convicted of a crime in Texas should be deported if they are here illegally.

PMR: As governor, would you encourage localities in Texas to enforce immigration laws?

DM: Will work closely with local law enforcement to identify where and if state law needs to be strengthened to address this issue. Would not advocate local law enforcement becoming "federalized."

PMR: Do you support Sheriff Arpaio in Arizona, who has vowed to keep enforcing immigration laws even though the feds have ordered him to cease and desist?

DM: Appreciate Sheriff Arpaio's efforts to insure law and order.Appreciate his leadership in enforcing law and protecting citizens in his county in spite of "you can't do that" opposition. Agree with Sheriff Mack regarding the role of the county sheriff, "We must start at home, in our counties, in our own 'spheres.' We must erect the barriers and keep those at bay who would confiscate bank accounts, guns, land, property, and children...You cannot shrink from that duty merely because the violator comes into town with a three piece suit and a fancy attaché case."

PMR: In August, you posted an article called "Latinos and the GOP" on your campaign website, which many conservatives would find troubling. You seemed to be criticizing Kay Bailey Hutchison for voting against Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court, and saying that her vote will make it harder to attract Hispanics to the GOP. Yet Sotomayor is a hard core supporter of affirmative action and quotas, as well as gun control. This seems inconsistent with your stances on personal liberty and the right to bear arms. Can you explain what you meant?

DM: Kay Bailey Hutchison was absolutely correct to vote against Sotomayor; the problem I was addressing is that the GOP has treated Latinos so poorly for so long that George Lopez was able to characterize this as a racially motivated "no" vote instead of a "no" vote based on the fact she was the wrong candidate on the issues. Texas Republicans have for years claimed to be working hard on "minority outreach" and yet we see no indication of any meaningful relationship with or participation of Hispanics in the Republican Party. Because there is no true relationship between the party and the Hispanic community in this state, all action is viewed along strictly racial lines. People are social beings, we crave belonging to a group. Texas Republicans must recognize that there are many areas where we share common ground with Hispanics. We must purposefully and genuinely reach out to this group (and to other groups) where there is a high likelihood of shared value. We must teach and we must engage...or Hispanics will continue to block vote straight ticket democrat...and in just a few years when that voting block alone comprises in excess of 50% of our population, conservatives will be forever a bygone relic in the Texas public square. There is no room for compromise of values and ideals; there is plenty of room to talk so that we are heard - that includes speaking the language (or, in my case, at least making sure my message is communicated in Spanish), getting into the community, meeting people where they are and where they live.

PMR: In that same piece, you went on to say that the GOP must start considering the reaction of the Latino community when it comes to illegal immigration and border security. You even refer to these as "Latino interests." It's hard to understand this as anything but a call for the GOP to back off on these issues. Could you please clarify what you meant?