Help Me Find What’s Missing in Texas Government Today

I’m looking for something’s that’s missing in Texas government today and I desperately need for you to help me find it.

I think back on my heroes in both my childhood and my young adult years.

There was Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan and my personal favorite of all–Gandhi.

All of these heroes made political deals…probably better than anyone, but they were different from other “deal makers” in that they were guided by a “northstar” mentality. Before we had GPS and even compasses—all travelers used the north star as their guide on their journeys—because the north star was fixed, never moved, you could always count on it and all the other stars turn toward it. Nobility, honor and service and people were their north star.

That’s what missing in government today and as a result, we’ve lost our way….

When I think of the things that are happening in Texas in today, Gandhi’s brief quote from his weekly prayer
meetings at Birla House in Delhi in 1947 come to mind: “Today we have lost our senses.” And we have, we have lost our senses. Everything that’s being done and said today in Texas is guided by anger, fear and greed. We hear our governor alluding to cessation from the United States of America, and we see the State Board Of Education taking Thomas Jefferson out of our History curriculum. What’s happened to us?

Texas’ statistics and ratings PROVE that we have lost our way!

We 49/50 in dropouts
We’re 44/50 in educational funding
We’re 48/50 in health and human services
We have one of the highest rates of citizens without health insurance.
Texas is one of the worst industrial polluters in the U.S.
Texas is number one in the nation for outsourcing state functions to private companies.
Texas has the highest homeowner’s insurance rates in the nation.

Gandhi was right—Today we’ve lost our senses”
Texas is sinking…save her!
I don’t want Texas to be guided by anger, fear and greed, I want Texas to be guided by those higher principles, those noble principles like compassion, reconciliation, courage and service to others.

I’m tired of these empty political phrases we keep hearing over and over and over:
Instead of “traditional values”, why don’t say “creating value”?
Instead of “maintaining our way of life”, why don’t we say “creating new possibilities”?

The economy of Texas is important and I mean to balance our budget in a fair and equitable manner BUT not on the backs of others like senior citizens and children. That’s what happened in 2003—both in redistricting and in balancing the budget—it was a blood sport of selfish motives based on mean-spirited principles.

My opinion is this : If you enrich the lives of your people, then the other riches will follow!

These are things I want for Texas:
I want quality public education beginning with Pre-Kindergarten.
I want to democratize higher education—whether it’s community college or a traditional university education. People’s desire to learn shouldn’t be limited by their pocketbook and parents shouldn’t have to face a lifetime of debt to send their students to college.
I want a new standard of ethics created for elected officials by closing that revolving door between office holders and lobbyists. Personal gain should never be equated with public service.
I want health care to be a right not a privilege.
I want to see more women in the political arena. Less than 20% of political officeholders are women. We need women in public service. They bring another viewpoint—a viewpoint that is nurturing and open to mediation and reconciliation. If I’m elected in November, I will be the first woman from this region to be elected to state office—that gives me reason to cheer, not for me, but for all the young women and girls that are behind me, this is to prove to them that I what I told them all these years is really true—that anything you want to do is possible with determination and hard work!!
I want economic growth that is based on industries that helps people and meeting their needs: biomedical for those with chronic diseases and technical innovations to improve quality of life for people and especially, for our environment.
Without these things, we will create a whole generation of “underclass” of Texans who will be at the mercy of those above them—and they will grow up angry, resentful, and devoid of hope and opportunity.

We must have a new human revolution in government in Texas. We must be advocates for each other.
People are more important than highways.
People are more than business profits.
People are more important than monuments and renovated governor’s mansions.
Government IS people and that’s why we need representatives who are advocates for people.

So I’m your candidate!! And I’m hands down the best candidate! I really believe that in my heart!
We don’t need more businessmen or accountants in Texas government.
We need a smart public servant who cares about and knows people,—what motivates them, how to talk to them
I’m more ethical and I work harder and I am more energetic–just ask anyone who has worked with me…once I get an idea or a cause in my heart, I am like a WOMAN POSSESSED!
My whole life has been about service to others–in my twenty eight years as an educator–both as a teacher and then as a counselor, in my career counseling practice, in my writing and in my speaking career and as a volunteer and one who sits on many advisory boards in Lubbock and in the state of Texas! I believe in helping people.
And because I have the desire—the ganas—the el fuego en el vientre—fire in the belly, passion, enthusiasm, and  determination.
We must recapture that idea of the north star like our great leaders of the past–it’s unwavering, it’s constant and it shows us the way.

I want to be your representative in the Texas House but I need your help—I must have your help, I cannot do it alone. I need your commitment, I need you to work for me, don’t wait to be asked, just do it. I need your money. I promise me that if elect me to the Texas House, District 84, I will not forget who sent me there.

Gracias, Thank you, and Namaste