A Different Kind of Texas Tea
July 6, 2009
Crowds clad in patriotic reds, whites and blues clustered under trees Saturday in Telge Park trying to find as much shade as the evergreen trees near the playground could afford.
While the sun beat down and the temperature crept up into triple digits, approximately 50 Cypress residents gathered at a conservative rally, commonly called “tea parties.”
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, who represents parts of Cypress and Cy-Fair, hosted the gathering, where “tea” is short for “taxed-enough already.”
The gathering was one of hundreds of rallies held across Texas on Independence Day to protest federal government spending and taxes.
McCaul along with State Rep. Alan Fletcher, R-Tomball, and State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, spoke to constituents about their conservative values and voting records on recent legislation.
Fletcher, a former officer in the Houston Police Department, said Independence Day brought a new meaning for him, since his son was serving in Iraq.
“When you wake up as a father and your 21 year-old is overseas at war and he's there because he chose to be there, you know what independence and the Fourth of July is all about.”
Fresh off a special session in Austin, Patrick told the partygoers that the state is moving in the right conservative direction.
“We collectively, being your voice because you gave me the mandate, the support and encouragement, are moving the state in the right conservative direction.”
Patrick cited the Cy-Fair Independent School District budget deficit and his work in helping keep the 20 percent homestead exemption in place for residents.
The state senator intervened on the school's behalf, when he discovered the district was considering repealing the homestead exemption to make up for the budget shortfall or face laying off “three or four hundred” teachers, Patrick said.
“Cy-Fair is the fastest growing school district in Texas and the fourth largest and fastest in the United States,” Patrick said. “The state does not have a formula that keeps up with the fast growth.”
He said even though it felt good to have the community, school, and state officials work together to find a solution, he warned constituents he might not be able to solve all the issues all the time.
But Patrick's intervention and the consequential legislation won't save all the jobs in Cy-Fair ISD.
The school district announced last week it will be working on budget reductions to help limit laying off teachers, but there would be 75 positions cut for the coming 2009-2010 year and no employee raises.
Patrick also touted the newly revised franchise tax exemption where businesses that bring in less than $1 million in gross receipts won't have to pay the tax for the next two years. The tax break expires in 2012 for businesses making over $600,000 unless state lawmakers extend the tax during the next legislative session in 2011.
The tax exemption is permanent for businesses that gross under $600,000 in receipts. Businesses under $300,000 were never levied under the franchise tax put in place during the legislative session in 2006.
Patrick said states should look to Texas as an example for fiscal responsibility and business tax climate.
“The reason California is in the tank, and every other state in the union, is because they have gotten away from strong fiscal conservative issues,” Patrick said. Texas has “ $9 billion in surplus and California is $40 billion in the hole, they are handing out IOUs and we give a tax cut and save the (homestead) exemption.”
McCaul said the United States government should take a cue from the state's economy.
“We can't spend and tax and borrow our way to prosperity,” McCaul said. “Texas is the model for prosperity.”
He cited key votes where he opposed the first bailout, the Troubled Asset Relief Program and the economic stimulus bills.
McCaul said he voted against the first bailouts “when it wasn't cool to be against I, I was under enormous pressure from my own president and my own party, but I stood up for you and I voted against that trillion dollar bailout.”
He said the enormous debt is now on the shoulders of elementary children and future generations.
“We've spent almost 8 trillion dollars since the first bailout,” McCaul said. “To put that in perspective is $1 million a day since the day Christ was born you still wouldn't spend a trillion dollars.”
Unlike tea parties across the state where some elected officials were booed or asked not to attend the “tea parties”, the local elected officials were met with positive affirmations from the crowd and applause.
In honor of the Fourth of July, “tea party” goers sang “God Bless America” and listened to a reading of the Declaration of Independence before departing from the heat and sun.
While the sun beat down and the temperature crept up into triple digits, approximately 50 Cypress residents gathered at a conservative rally, commonly called “tea parties.”
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, who represents parts of Cypress and Cy-Fair, hosted the gathering, where “tea” is short for “taxed-enough already.”
The gathering was one of hundreds of rallies held across Texas on Independence Day to protest federal government spending and taxes.
McCaul along with State Rep. Alan Fletcher, R-Tomball, and State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, spoke to constituents about their conservative values and voting records on recent legislation.
Fletcher, a former officer in the Houston Police Department, said Independence Day brought a new meaning for him, since his son was serving in Iraq.
“When you wake up as a father and your 21 year-old is overseas at war and he's there because he chose to be there, you know what independence and the Fourth of July is all about.”
Fresh off a special session in Austin, Patrick told the partygoers that the state is moving in the right conservative direction.
“We collectively, being your voice because you gave me the mandate, the support and encouragement, are moving the state in the right conservative direction.”
Patrick cited the Cy-Fair Independent School District budget deficit and his work in helping keep the 20 percent homestead exemption in place for residents.
The state senator intervened on the school's behalf, when he discovered the district was considering repealing the homestead exemption to make up for the budget shortfall or face laying off “three or four hundred” teachers, Patrick said.
“Cy-Fair is the fastest growing school district in Texas and the fourth largest and fastest in the United States,” Patrick said. “The state does not have a formula that keeps up with the fast growth.”
He said even though it felt good to have the community, school, and state officials work together to find a solution, he warned constituents he might not be able to solve all the issues all the time.
But Patrick's intervention and the consequential legislation won't save all the jobs in Cy-Fair ISD.
The school district announced last week it will be working on budget reductions to help limit laying off teachers, but there would be 75 positions cut for the coming 2009-2010 year and no employee raises.
Patrick also touted the newly revised franchise tax exemption where businesses that bring in less than $1 million in gross receipts won't have to pay the tax for the next two years. The tax break expires in 2012 for businesses making over $600,000 unless state lawmakers extend the tax during the next legislative session in 2011.
The tax exemption is permanent for businesses that gross under $600,000 in receipts. Businesses under $300,000 were never levied under the franchise tax put in place during the legislative session in 2006.
Patrick said states should look to Texas as an example for fiscal responsibility and business tax climate.
“The reason California is in the tank, and every other state in the union, is because they have gotten away from strong fiscal conservative issues,” Patrick said. Texas has “ $9 billion in surplus and California is $40 billion in the hole, they are handing out IOUs and we give a tax cut and save the (homestead) exemption.”
McCaul said the United States government should take a cue from the state's economy.
“We can't spend and tax and borrow our way to prosperity,” McCaul said. “Texas is the model for prosperity.”
He cited key votes where he opposed the first bailout, the Troubled Asset Relief Program and the economic stimulus bills.
McCaul said he voted against the first bailouts “when it wasn't cool to be against I, I was under enormous pressure from my own president and my own party, but I stood up for you and I voted against that trillion dollar bailout.”
He said the enormous debt is now on the shoulders of elementary children and future generations.
“We've spent almost 8 trillion dollars since the first bailout,” McCaul said. “To put that in perspective is $1 million a day since the day Christ was born you still wouldn't spend a trillion dollars.”
Unlike tea parties across the state where some elected officials were booed or asked not to attend the “tea parties”, the local elected officials were met with positive affirmations from the crowd and applause.
In honor of the Fourth of July, “tea party” goers sang “God Bless America” and listened to a reading of the Declaration of Independence before departing from the heat and sun.