Thoughts This Fortnight

By Gary Polland
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

FEDERAL TAX REFORM-HOW ABOUT A FLAT TAX?

Steve Forbes & Stephen Moore, both outstanding economic analysts have revived great idea—a single flat tax for individuals and corporations of 15%.  Think of it, we would have one of the lowest tax rates worldwide.

The simple flat tax will take a meat axe to all the dead weight costs associated with complying with our current byzantine tax code. It is estimated that we spend around eight-billion-man hours doing tax forms in 2024.

The reform will end itemized deductions and special credits except for families with children.  It will also end wasteful business deduction like the green energy credits and the corporate SALT deduction.  This reform will eliminate almost all loopholes, and it will turbo charge our economy.

HARRIS COUNTY (Houston) TEXAS COMMISSIONER RAMSEY FINDS MILLIONS IN WASTEFUL SPENDING & IT’S ONLY THE BEGINNING

Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey, the only fiscally responsible member of the Harris County Commissioner’s Court recently unveiled his first of many spotlights on run-away wasteful spending.

The unneeded Harris County Administrators Office was created by Democrat big spenders on the court Lina Hidalgo, Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia.  They are set to spend $24,697,705 in 2025.  The office was created to put a large group of bureaucrats between sixteen county departments who were being supervised by the County Commissioners.

Keep in mind that the Democratic commissioners all voted late last year to raise property taxes by an estimated 15 to 18 percent & have been taking so called excess toll revenues to spend as opposed to paying down additional toll road debt or using it to improve mobility!   Since the creation of this office there is no evidence, it’s making any difference for county taxpayers.

We have many basic government services not being handled well by the county like enough patrol officers.  In fact, we could add 274 patrol officers in the county by eliminating the wasteful Administrators Office.  That simple act would increase public safety.

The bottom line is it matters who the Commissioners are, and we need to elect fiscally responsible ones regardless of party.  Your next chance is in 2026 in both the primaries and the general election.

HENRY JACKSON SOCIETY REVEALS HAMAS HEALTH MINISTRY LIESWHY DOES OUR LEFTIST MEDIA SWALLOW IT

Andrew Fox authored a new study for the society demonstrating conclusively that the death toll in Gaza was a fraud and came to these conclusions: (1) Men killed were listed as women to inflate the female count, (2) Adult deaths were registered as children, (3) Terrorist deaths were listed as civilians, (4) Natural deaths from cancer etc. were blamed on Israel, (5) The media underreported combat deaths to inflate civilian numbers.

The bottom line is Hamas lied to try to make Israel look bad and our major leftist media fell for it.  The fact is that Israel has run the most humane war in modern history.

BATTLE FOR TEXAS SPEAKER-STOP THE THREATS

The hotly contested race for Texas House Speaker has come to an end with the election of Dustin Burrows of Lubbock over David Cook. In the campaign leading up to the vote, the contest was viewed as one between an establishment candidate (Burrows) and a conservative insurgent (Cook).

Now that the race has concluded, the GOP House members should put their differences aside, unite behind a conservative agenda and support the newly minted Speaker for the good of Texas.  Remember President Ronald Reagan’s 11^th Commandment, “Thou shall not speak ill of a fellow Republican”.

A Republican circular firing squad will only help the progressive leftist Democrats.

DON’T MISS WHATS YOUR POINT HOSTED BY GREG GROOGAN

Your editor, Gary Polland appears generally as a guest pundit every other week on the leading political talk show in the Houston area market.  Tune in to Fox 26, Sundays 7 a.m. or set your DVR.  Many call this show essential viewing.

CARTOON OF THE FORTNIGHT

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.