Thoughts This Fortnight

By Gary Polland
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

TIS TAX SEASON & OUR TAX SYSTEM IS STILL A BIG MESS

In the 2000 Presidential primary campaign, the Editor of Forbes Magazine Steve Forbes Campaigned on a platform favoring a flat income tax that could be filled out on a post card.  Simple and transparent.

Since 2000 our tax system is more complex and time consuming, with little transparency. This year, your editor’s return was 65 pages.  Without a tax computer program, it would’ve taken over ten hours to complete with a little luck.

Its past time for a change in our over complex and difficult tax system.  President Trump and the GOP should pass fundamental reform.

By the way, our Texas property tax system despite heroic efforts by Governor Abbott,  Lt. Governor Patrick and State Senator Paul Bettencourt, is taxing people out of their homes.

With tax increases by local governments and school districts piled on top of unvoted for appraisal increases, many people who bought their homes ten or more years ago now pay more in property taxes than their monthly mortgage payments.

REFORMING MEDICAID SAVES IT

Clearly, Medicaid reform is needed as we now spend $850 billion a year while our health system delivers mediocre at best services.   Amazingly, six in ten able-bodied adults have no earned income in the program.   By adding a work requirement for able-bodied adults, it puts people back to work where over time they can go off Medicaid and onto employer options.

This allows the program to focus on the poor as originally intended.  And we need more people in the work force.

THE IRAN THREAT TO AMERICA, ISRAEL AND THE WEST UPDATED

Last fall we ran an article about the Iran threats and now months later, what has changed?

Iran continues to develop its nuclear arms program and continues to call for “Death to America and Israel”.  The US should have a short leash on any delays as the Iranians are known to delay and delay and can’t be trusted.  The world would be better off with the Iran nuclear program destroyed.

Who is on the frontline defending the West from radical Islam as personified by Iran?  Israel. Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism.  Iran calls for death to America and death to Israel, over and over again.  We should believe them.

The defeat of the radical regime in Iran and its proteges Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis is critical.  Israel is doing the heavy lifting, and we need to help them with weapons, tankers, and heavy bombers.

HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS TOLL ROAD AUTHORITY CASH ON HAND $2 BILLION PLUS

Last week, the HCTRA Executive Director Roberto Trevino testified before the Texas Senate Committee on Transportation.  Trevino recently was rewarded with a 40% raise to $485,000 per year. Incredibly he did not know the cash on hand of his agency.  The reason TCR believes it that he was told to oppose the request by the City of Houston.  The city provides police, EMT and Fire services without reimbursement at this time and it desperately needs the money.

As Rice Baker Institute Fellow, Bill King opined, “…it is clear that we need more transparency and better checks and balances on the torrents of cash that the toll roads are now generating.  The Houston region desperately needs funding to improve its rapidly deteriorating infrastructure.”

Houston is 99% contained in Harris County and it deserves additional funding without a tax increase.  HCTRA should be compelled to turn over a significant share.  FYI… reimbursement or sharing of revenue since the authority began has been ZERO.

NATIONWIDE INJUNCTIONS BY FEDERAL DISTRICT JUDGES JUST SAY NO

The recent spate of nationwide injunctions being used to obstruct the Trump administration’s policies is outrageous and surely unconstitutional.  First, we have a geographical problem.  Why should a Houston District Court tell anyone outside it’s District what to do?

Second, a nationwide injunction extends to citizens that are not litigants before the court.  Third, a nationwide injunction goes beyond the necessary acts to protect the Plaintiff while the case is pending.

So, what do we do?  It is past time to forbid U.S. District courts from issuing injunctions further than needed to protect parties before the court unless a higher court allows it.  This violates the separation of powers doctrine prominent in our constitution.

CARTOON OF THE WEEK

About Your Editor

Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as “the most successful county Chairman in America” by Human Events – The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his twenty-eighth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. For the last twenty-three years, he has edited the Texas Conservative Review. As a public service for the previous 20 years, Gary has published election guides for the GOP primary, general elections, and city elections, all to assist conservative candidates. Gary also for 20 years cohosted Red, White and Blue on Houston Public Media TV 8 PBS Houston, longest running political talk show in Texas history and for the last two-plus years Gary has been a regular commentator on Fox 26-Houston’s “What’s Your Point” airing Sunday’s at 7 a.m. Gary serves on the Board of Directors of American Values, a national pro-family, pro-faith, conservative organization supporting the unity of the American people around the vision of our founding fathers and dedicated to reminding the public of the conservative principles fundamental to the survival of our nation. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.