Thread: TX: What Do Tarrant County GOP Voters Want?

What Do Tarrant County GOP Voters Want?
Bill Zeeble, KERA News (2010-01-13)

DALLAS, TX (KERA) -

When Republican candidates for governor take the stage to debate tomorrow night, Tarrant County voters will be there. What issues are of greatest concern? KERA's Bill Zeeble has more from this north Texas GOP stronghold.

Tarrant County's Republican party chair says Tarrant is among the nation's most conservative counties. Unlike the big Texas counties of Dallas and Harris, every county-wide office in Tarrant is held by a Republican. In the busy food court of Fort Worth's Ridgmar Mall, Republican Bobby Thompson pauses between bites to talk issues. Transportation's a big one. While he says he likes a lot of what Governor Rick Perry has done, he disagrees with Perry's plans for a Trans-Texas Corridor that was recently cancelled.

Bobby Thompson: Well I'm totally against it and I believe they're stealing property from owners. It has a lot to do with our bill of rights and our constitutional rights and the right of ownership not having our property seized for no reason, really.

Senator Hutchison says Perry's transportation plans amount to land grab filled with pricey toll roads. The governor criticizes Hutchison's Transportation paper as offering no new roads and no way to pay for any. Debra Medina rejects both as big government boondoggles. Back in the mall, voter Phillip Stephenson says no matter who the next governor is, transportation's a big problem.

Phillip Stephenson: I think the highway department is being very badly mismanaged right now and one of the things that I'm looking for is someone to work with TXDOT and kind of clean that up a little bit. 209 If you look at our highways and streets, I think they're getting bad and I think someone needs to get in there and straighten that out.

That's not all that GOP voters want straightened out. Health care is a big concern. Texas ranks first among states in the number of uninsured. Tarrant County voters, including Judd Carothers, here with his wife and child, worry about the rising cost of health care. Carothers also fears a comprehensive health plan passed by Democrats in Washington will hinder quality care and cost Lone Star State taxpayers too much money.

Judd Carothers: We are very opposed to a government-run health care program that will do nothing except raise taxes across the board and will create more economic hardship in a time that we do not need any added strain on families and businesses, especially small businesses.

Carothers also worries about border security and rejects immigration reforms that would, in his words, "nationalize illegals." His concerns are shared by Republican voter Yvonne Palmer.

Yvonne Palmer: Not letting those immigrants come over here and stay here for whatever, and then they're entitled to Social Security, health care whatever. That is not fair. If they want to come here to be a citizen let them come here to be a citizen but they need to come here and work their way up just like we all did.

Some voters worried about rising property taxes to pay for schools through what they called a failed Robin Hood plan. Others complained their Republican party had lost touch with its conservative roots. Many of the dozen or so GOP voters KERA talked to said they're still undecided on their choice for governor. This week's live televised debate, produced by KERA and its media partners, could help them decide.

www.publicbroadcasting.net

Debra Medina is sounding better and better. Let's hope the MSM doesn't push her to the side like they did in our Presidential elections.