Thread: Perry puts priorities on illegal immigration

THE 82ND LEGISLATURE
Session opens on hopeful note as battle looms
Perry puts priorities on illegal immigration and property rights
By GARY SCHARRER and PEGGY FIKAC
AUSTIN BUREAU
Jan. 11, 2011, 8:52PM

AUSTIN — Texas lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Tuesday for a new legislative session full of challenge and potential peril, keeping the opening day focused on hope despite signs of the tough battle ahead.

House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, under attack from tea party groups and conservatives in recent weeks, easily won re-election to a second term — pleading for more civility and emphasizing the need to restore public trust in government.

"Division, threats of retribution … attacks on people's religious beliefs and distortions of people's records have no place in this House," Straus said.

GOP Gov. Rick Perry, welcoming lawmakers, immediately put a priority on enhancing private property rights and abolishing so-called "sanctuary cities."

He said immigration enforcement is the federal government's responsibility "but we cannot compound their failure by preventing Texas peace officers from doing their jobs."

Perry's emphasis on sanctuary cities is misplaced as it shifts attention away from a $27 billion budget shortfall that threatens to cripple schools, communities and public health, the head of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus said.

"I think law enforcement officials, not the governor, know best how to keep our communities safe," MALC Chairman Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, said. "If Gov. Perry was truly concerned about the safety and security of our citizens, he would never over-burden law enforcement with enforcing federal law instead of investigating and preventing violent crime."

Perry also spoke of the budget, saying that Texans expect it to be balanced "without taking more money from the employers of this state, taking more money from the working families."

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said the budget cannot be balanced without cutting education and health and human services, since that is where the bulk of general revenue money goes. Ogden called for reforms in Medicaid and the school finance system and said lawmakers must fix the chronically under-performing state business tax, which was approved to help pay for a reduction in local school property taxes.

"None of us were elected to go out and raise taxes on anybody, but the margin tax is different, because if we don't fix the margins tax ... then school property taxes will go up for sure," he said.

The House averted opening day friction when Rep. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, dropped his challenge for the speaker's post.

But Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, blocked Straus' election by acclamation when he insisted on a record vote resulting in a Straus victory margin of 132-15. The 15 votes against Straus came from the more conservative House members.

Several conservative citizen groups wanted a record vote, warning members not to support Straus and declaring the speaker's vote would count for up to 50 percent of the groups' legislative scorecard on members.

Most of Straus' attention was positive on the day that brought a record 101 Republicans to the 150-member House chamber.

Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, who started her 38th year in the House, told her colleagues in a nominating speech for Straus that she understands "the kind of leadership it takes to lead this House."

"Our speaker is not a dictator," she said, in a not-so-subtle reference to former House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, whom Straus toppled two years ago. "He does not rule from on high, telling members to make votes that do not (reflect) their constituents or their conscience."

Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, told colleagues that Straus' principles and courage allowed him to handle "extreme pressure gracefully" in recent weeks.

"Joe Straus is nothing but considerate and fair," he said. "He brought the House back from the brink of self-destruction and history will judge him kindly for that."

Straus, a Republican, faced intense opposition from several arch-conservative groups who wanted a more conservative leader of the chamber.

After his election, Straus credited his colleagues for withstanding "threats, harassment and attempts at intimidation because of the fair and respectful way in which you want this House to operate."

Outside the chamber, tea party protesters groused about Straus' re-election.

"We want the Constitution, as it was written, to be followed and we would like for people to know that God was a part of the founding of this nation," said Sherry Fleming, of Clay County. "Christianity was a big part of the founding of this nation and we seem to have pushed that aside and have become a secular society.

"I would be more comfortable if the speaker of the House were a Christian," Fleming said. Asked if Joe Straus' Judaism motivated her opposition to him as speaker, she said it didn't.

"Absolutely not," Fleming said. "I love the Jewish people."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 77238.html

"I know this was posted, this is just a different twist on it!"

Down and dirty

Maybe they are getting half a clue as to what illegals are costing them and us

But Perry is an open borders neo con no matter what line he is spewing now

I wish Texans the best. It is huge state and the only state standing in the way of a country that would look like California if it should fall to the left of center.

Looks like there are plenty of carpet baggers running around. Leftovers or transplants matter not, sure hope Texans remember their history.

related


Texas Governor working to abolish Sanctuary Cities
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-224240.html

Originally Posted by stevetheroofer

Perry's emphasis on sanctuary cities is misplaced as it shifts attention away from a $27 billion budget shortfall that threatens to cripple schools, communities and public health, the head of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus said.

Let's see, as illegal aliens and their anchor babies keep growing faster than school can handle them we spend more and more money. That means more books, more teachers, more computers, more school buildings, more free lunches, more medical care, etc. etc etc. Since most of these criminals live in ratty apartments that do not pay federal, state, local or school taxes and they work for cash and spend most of their money at places that also don't pay taxes is it little wonder Texas is in a $27 billion budget shortfall. Let's remember Texas’s illegal immigrant population is costing the state’s taxpayers more than $4.7 billion per year for education, medical care and incarceration.

The Austin school district is currently considering the closing of 9 schools. I can't help but wonder how much illegals are costing us in our school district. Some schools actually put messages in spanish on their outdoor bulliten boards. I have had to watch and make sure my own kids are not stuck in a bi-lingual class due to the fact that they teach at about half the normal rate so that the ESL students can keep up, and learn english.

Fact is Straus is part of the problem, he has loads of money from the gambling lobby and few will oppose him or his power. My thinking is they may run a few things up the flagpole but he will just toss them aside.

Austin is in fact a sanctuary city and our city council caters to every "special interest" group that you can imagine.

Originally Posted by Atex

The Austin school district is currently considering the closing of 9 schools. I can't help but wonder how much illegals are costing us in our school district.

Education.
Based on estimates of the illegal immigrant population in Texas and documented costs of K-12 schooling, Texans spend more than $4 billion annually on education for illegal immigrant children and for their U.S.-born siblings. About 11.9 percent of the K-12 public school students in Texas are children of illegal aliens.

Any school that knowingly enrolls an illegal child should have state and federal funding cut. Audits of enrollment needs to be done and any child who graduates from a school should have their credentials revoked. No H/s graduation deploma for undocumenteds, no college degree for undocumented students as well.