Border Blogs: Expressing our Border Culture

I received various calls asking me about reports I left a gathering intended to form a new Republican outreach organization.

The new group had been intended to reach out to El Pasoans and persuade them to join the conservative cause in El Paso and join the Republican Party. Initial meetings had yielded an agreement the group would be called the Abraham Lincoln Forum. It would be an independent organization that could affiliate with national organizations as it deemed in its interest.

One such organization made a presentation to the group - the Latino National Republican Organization or LNRC. Previously, there had been a moderately active chapter of the National Hispanic Republican Assembly.

A few current candidates and the new party chairman agreed that the Republican Party needed a political education arm to reach out to El Pasoans.

An interim chair was designated to set up the original meeting. That meeting was presented as a candidate forum and presented as the founding meeting for the new group.

The gathering was well-attended by Party activists and candidates.

The interim chair held close reins on the proceedings which was allowed by all because of the general consensus existing to that point about the need to work together.

At the point of electing officers, a disagreement ensued. The nominee addressed the groups about Republican outreach to Latinos, Chicanos and Hispanics.

The reference to a racialist organizing principle caught my attention. I began to speak to the importance of adopting a different organizing principle based on common conservative policies when the interim chair attempted to limit my speech.

This angered me.

I attempted to complete my comments in reference to the agreement the group would organize around Abraham Lincoln rather than a racialist definition "Latino".

The interim chair, at that point, made clear the group was the LATINO NATIONAL REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE. I do not know who is behind this group, what it stands for and I disagree with a racialist organizing principle.

I was now very angry because of what I perceived as two policies with which I vehemently disagreed: limiting my right (and that of any other member to speak) and violating the agreement to organize as the Abraham Lincoln Forum.

At that point, it was clear there had been a hidden agenda to impose a racialist divide on the group. I, therefore, chose to withdraw my membership, withdraw support for the group and leave.

I will continue to work for the Abraham Lincoln Forum initiative and its goal of promoting fiscal conservatism and the Republican Party.

My vision for El Paso and the region is to promote a vibrant, prosperous, highly educated community with an abiding respect for the individual, for entrepreneurship and for limited government interference in the free market.

Conservatives who feel a strong need to reach out to conservatives in El Paso who have a Mexican or Hispanic heritage have formed a new group styled, The Abraham Lincoln Forum. The group has aligned itself with the Latino National Republican Committee.

Interim President is Bobby Ortiz, former Congressional candidate who earned 46 percent of the vote in his bid.

The group will meet again on Wednesday February, 24 at 6:30 pm at Gerardo's restaurant to organize for the March primaries.

The first meeting was impressive as measured by the caliber of the those attending.

State Senate candidate Dan Chavez was in attendance as were various party activists.

Below is a brief synopsis of my platform for the County of El Paso. It includes statements on tax policy, proposed topics for debate such as internal reorganization issues and proposals for the state and legislative agenda and an item for the new Ethics Commission.

A. Ethics Commission
1. Review policy that allows employees to run for office and then refer recommendation to state delegation if the policy is deemed misguided;
2. Current employees running for office may continue to do so under the grandfather principle or take a leave of absence or resign as they deem fair and appropriate.
B. State Legislative Agenda
1. County Attorney to be appointed by Commissioners’ Court as a whole and not be an elected position;
2. Constables shall be appointed by Justices of the Peace and not be elected positions;
3. Justices of the Peace shall nominate deputies and staff for constables;
4. Such nominations will be reviewed and approved by the Sheriff and, ratified by the Constable;
5. Nominations shall then be presented to the Commissioners Court for approval;
6. Education
o Support elementary, high school, college seamless integration and curriculum coordination.
o Support definition of bilingual education as total English immersion classes with Spanish language tutorials;
o Support integration of county school districts into one large one;
7. Sheriff
o Limit jurisdictional assignment to unincorporated areas;
o Limit jurisdictional assignment to municipalities proportional to population;
o Limit jurisdictional assignment to municipalities at 20 percent of total resources and budget;
o Renegotiate union contract in proportion to any budget cutbacks by the County;
8. District and County Clerk
o Integrate District and County Clerk offices
C. Federal Legislative Agenda
1. Immigration
Decriminalize status of immigrants who hold valid home country passports or matriculas consulares that are in the US without permission;
o Deny entitlements or work permits to immigrants in the country without permission except as allowed by US policy.
D. Internal Reviews and Reorganization
1. Chief of Staff should be nominated by the County Judge and ratified by the Court as a whole;
o Chief of Staff shall report to Court as a whole;.
o County Judge shall be the immediate supervisor;
o Chief of Staff housed w/ County Judge;
o Chief of Staff shall have one administrative Assistant;
o All department heads report to the Chief of Staff;
o Chief of Staff and Administrator of Council of Judges prepare joint report of activities;
o Chief of Staff coordinates with Auditor’s office in presentation of auditor's annual budget.
2. Commissioners’ Staff – One administrative assistant and one clerk
3. Audit and Review of Purchasing Department
o Full best practices audit and review of the Purchasing Department policies and procedures to be conducted by Council of Judges internally or through external reviewer;
o No participation of Commissioners’ Court in said review;
o Any recommendations that need Court approval shall be approved on Consent agenda;
o In any initial, RFI, RFP, RFQ or other, bidding process, a department head shall be assigned as lead investigator to ensure timely follow-up of projects and budget review;
E. General Policy Issues
1. Hold tax rate level from current year;
2. Balance the budget;
3. If cuts are necessary, these must come first from non-mandated programs not directly administered by the County; then from those administered by the county; lastly, from mandated programs;
4. Refuse grant allocations from state and federal government that are not self-sustaining;
5. Encourage private sector and not-for-profit sector partnerships to take over non-self-sustaining programs;
6. Freeze COs and GOs for a renewable period of four years with a declared emergency exception;
F. Inter-City Cooperation
1. Municipalities
o As the highest elected official in the County, the County Judge shall call a monthly meeting with other municipal mayors and unicorporated area institutional leaders to discuss public policy and coordination issues;
2. Cd. Juarez, Mexico
o Set a monthly meeting with Mexican municipios and consular officials to discuss security, immigration, business and international coordination issues;

Rep. Luis Gutierrez of the 4th Congressional District in Chicago, Illinois has proposed a new immigration bill. It has elicited little reaction in large measure because it does not solve the problem and makes no one happy.

The Gutierrez Immigration Proposal has seven (7) key elements. It proposes to:

1. Crackdown on Employers of immigrants in the US without permission;
2. Establishes a Path to Citizenship;
3. Requires immigrants to demonstrate they had been working, pay a $500 fine, learn English and undergo a criminal background check if they are to apply for program;
4. There is no touchback (repatriation or return home) provision;
5. Calls for improvement of Border Security including additional training and equipment for border guards,
6. Requires Homeland Security to improve jails and eliminate deputizing local and state officers as immigration agents.
7. Calls for the establishment of a Federal Commission to study the best approach for the “future flows of workers.”

The problem with this approach is that it essentially establishes amnesty without slowing immigration without permission and fails to establish a temporary worker system.

The Immigration Act 2010 proposal presented in this blog establishes middle ground in addressing the problem long-term and eliminates the harassment and abuse now being experienced by immigrants.

The worst of times and the best of times.

The irony of the devastation in Haiti is the opportunity it the tragedy represents to the people of that country.

With nothing of its infrastructure left and many of its people killed, they have an opportunity to rebuild into a different society.

Too idealistic?

A different version of this essay appears on www.redskydigital.com

If you studied business administration, you know the first thing you do when you graduate and go into business is throw away the books.
Nothing can prepare you for the roller coaster of the ebb and flow of consumer preferences and economic cycles of recession and credit expansion and contraction.
Add to this the challenges of reporting to government oversight agencies and managing employees and you have a full time job above and beyond keeping your small business doors open.
If this were not enough, owners have to contend with competition by others and the vulnerability that may arise if they have political interests that clash with those in government circles.
Internally, employees often demand a great deal of attention both in terms of compensation and personnel management.
Many owners go into business with insufficient capital and a great idea, only to find their dream, of owning a business, undermined by factors completely outside of their control.
If they try to get help, they find there are many mechanisms and tools ready made for those that have an abundance of capital. But, if they do not have a wad of cash tucked away for rainy days or when government lays on a thick layer of senseless requirements, you have nowhere to turn.

Taxes

Some will have you believe taxes are the major burden, business owners have to contend with. This is partly true. The other side of that story is the fact that government regulation has a great deal to do with success.

Unfortunately, the wheel of fortune rules with whom you will have to deal. Local government has many excellent employees and just as many deadbeats. The deadbeats, particularly those with life-long bureaucratic experience, can, literally, break your business.

EPBRCC

Recently, the El Paso Business Region Chamber of Commerce opened its doors to mitigate burdenson requirements and help small businesses. It has grown to 130 members in the four months it has been in existence. Their next meeting is January 27th, at which time, they are hosting a debate between county attorney candidates. They, of course, will announce details.

EPBRCC is doing an excellent job of organizing business owners and helping them become better informed regarding bureaucratic requirements. If you own a business, this is an organization you must join to be at the cutting edge of what is happening in El Paso. If you would like more information call 633-5942.

The El Paso Times editorialist in residence wrote a piece on his dislike of taxes and the words used to describe them. He is angered by the request being put on the ballot by EPISD.

Credibility

He argues:
1. Taxes are masked with deceiving terms.
2. Rat-ification begins with ‘rat’ (and Democ-rats end in ‘rats’). …’Rat-ification is much more official-sounding than hike: Tax rat-ification vs. tax hike.’
3. ‘Troubled Asset Relief Program was a cobbled-together desperation measure (to respond to Democrat and Republican spending over the last decade.
4. President Obama wants a 10-year tax nailing the country's biggest banks to help make up for a projected $117 billion deficit in the bailout fund…Except it's not being called a tax. The preferred name seems to be "Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee."
5. He speculates that ‘perhaps if the feds renamed the IRS something like the "Fair Annual Income Readjustment" -- or FAIR -- people wouldn't mind paying their taxes.’
Following the logic, raids like the recent one by the IRS of a local furniture shop could be called a FAIRNESS VISIT. Har har..C-har-lie Edgren.

The problem with this nth editorial decrying taxes is Edgren’s failure to provide any alternatives. While most fiscal conservatives may agree there needs to be a hold on taxes, more is needed from those asking for fiscal sanity.

A review of Mr. Edgren’s editorials yields not a single helpful suggestion relative to education, drop-out rates, low achievement et al. At the same time, a review of EPT editorials yields support for every tax and spend politician under the sun over the past few decades. So what gives? Speaking through both sides of one’s mouth may be comforting but not credible.

Education

The problem in education is clear to most that have looked into the issues confronting public schools. The fact is that inadequate teacher preparation, language difficulties with many students, grading curves, standardized tests etc. are all SYMPTOMS of the problem.

The challenge is to find the political will to address the structural problems. The design of public schools grew out of a 19th and 20th century curriculum design strategy responsive to the needs of the pre-technological society. That design is obsolete.

Leaving aside the jurisdictional problems such as too many school districts, governance issues etc, the major challenge is in the design of the grade level structures and the methods used to impart knowledge. There is no suggestion here these are trivial matters. They are not, but they are not the fundamental issue.

The fundamental core issue is the design of education structures to “prepare” students for college. This dichotomous short-term view of education is, at bottom, the problem.

There can no longer be any substantive structural change that can afford to ignore the necessity of life-long education. A life-long strategy, by definition requires a realignment of education that responds to the need of a new technological context and the needs of emerging businesses in the service sector.

Even if the U.S. finds the political will to restructure its relationship with China to regain manufacturing preeminence, the reality of manufacturing in the 21st century is technology-dependent. The current economic crisis may force the issue.

Schools today are not equipped to prepare students for the real needs of current and future business.

I recall a debate on education issues with Mayor John Cook at a YISD mayor’s forum years ago. I suggested then that libraries would have to move to providing computer terminals for students. His response, which elicited APPLAUSE from the teachers was, “I disagree with that. We need to buy more books. I love to curl up in bed with my favorite book.”

Perhaps Mayor Cook likes novels. but in today’s society young people carry laptops and tablets and blackberries.

EPT needs to upgrade its own contribution to public discussion by allowing other opinions onto its editorial pages.

There was a great deal of feedback received relative to a recent essay endorsing Rick Perry for reelection.

If Senator Hutchison has demonstrated fundraising capacity, received an endorsement from Dick Cheney and is simpatico with a slight majority of Republican women, why should Hispanic Republicans endorse Perry?

There are two reasons that matter most to all conservatives (including Hispanics) with regard to the intense campaign between the two powerhouses.

First, Perry has made states’ rights a significant issue and deftly kept it on the frontburner with his reticence to accept stimulus funding opportunities. To his credit, he has been an increasingly consistent critic of irresponsible spending in Washington D.C.

In the final analysis, you are either principled in your political beliefs and values or not.

Second, federal spending over the last 10 years, under Senator Hutchinson’s tenure increased consistently with President Bush signing every appropriations bill that crossed his desk.

As a key insider, Hutchinson and the Republican majority were part of the problem of incessant spending. It has made it difficult for Hutchinson to now claim she is and has been a fiscal conservative. In fact, the Cheney endorsement may be construed as payback for her complicity with irresponsible spending under the prior Republican administration.

This inconsistency in staying true to her principles are illustrated on another issue.

Under President Bush, for example, she ignored repeated requests from the military to engage a greater effort in Afghanistan but now purports to be a critic of President Obama for waiting so long to announce a surge in that country requested by the American military command.

The fact is Texas Republicans must take account of Hispanics in Texas and our issues including the big one relative to immigration. (An essay on a proposed approach to immigration can be found on this website by using the search function.) In addition, 30 percent of all Texans speak Spanish at home.

Admittedly, neither Perry nor Hutchison have addressed Hispanic issues substantively, except to say the party must be more inclusive. But, importantly, Perry has recognized the challenge of education and the fact that structural reform is needed not simply increased funding and reliance on technological innovation as suggested by Hutchison.

Until a more definitive platform is presented by Hutchison, conservatives (including Hispanics) are better served with Perry.

Having said the above, after the primary Hispanics will have to get behind whomever wins and impress upon them that keeping Texas in Republican hands in the long-term is a function of embracing a clear conservative Hispanic agenda.

Note: Many comments sent to this blog are not posted because they do not meet the criteria for publication. Allegations of arrests, convictions or other wrongdoing against individuals must include a source, Civil or Criminal case numbers or sourced media articles or other evidence. Unless there is public record, named witnesses etc, rumors or allegations intended to defame an individual will not be published.

el paso times . com

The El Paso Times website is a source of information for some in this city.

Unfortunately, despite various postings by editor, Chris Lopez, regarding outreach, fairness and balance in reporting news, the proof of the pie is in the eating.

As long as the editorial page editors demean and berate those they do not like, and, at the same time, constantly praise and slant news articles to favor their preferred candidates, there will be no possibility of rehabilitating an image of media bias at the Times.

Moreover, denying those attacked by the editorial board the opportunity to respond on the editorial page is an unfair practice that will undermine any goal of rehabilitating a biased image.

The race for the County Commissioner's seat being vacated by Veronica Escobar seemed like it would be a slam dunk for Sergio Lewis, a long-time Democrat and school board member.

But, Ben Mendoza a self-styled Independent Democrat filed on the last day making the primary a goal for which Sergio Lewis must now make an effort to gain.

Sergio Lewis

Sergio Lewis is from a proud military family and has served as school board trustee. His views are center left wing of the Democratic Party. He is interested in high growth for the city and is concerned with unfunded mandates. In his announcement speech he said, “We have a growing community, we have a growing military community. In the 90s when I was board president, I was part of the preparation for BRAC, as we know it today,” he said. He has served on the EPISD school board for eight years and has also served as its President.

The agenda is one that lists health care, continued preparation for BRAC and increased support for law enforcement, veterans and the elderly. He will, no doubt, lay out his agenda in the debates relative to what he would do as Commissioner to accomplish his goals.

Ben Mendoza

Ben Mendoza has been a life-long Independent who decided his best shot at gaining attention for his views would be to compete within the Democratic party and appeal to the center right members. He has previously run as an Independent and maintains a centrist overall view of what is needed relative to policy a the County.

He is a fiscal conservative and believes the City and County have taken on too much debt. He too is concerned with funding for non-mandated programs. “If the state or federal governments want the County to undertake some program, they need to provide funding for it.” Some historical examples of this include the County being forced to house criminals without adequate reimbursement and programs for the elderly that are insufficiently resourced.

Frontrunner

Given Sergio Lewis’ history with the Democrats and his experience on the school board this race will likely be decided in his favor.

But Ben Mendoza says he is hoping enough independents and conservative Democrats will turn out to make him the nominee.

The distribution of interest groups in the Democratic Party will make the state representative race in District #76 very interesting. There is no Republican in that race.

This race pits an incumbent legislator against two significant interest group surrogates. The so-called Shapleigh-Rodriguez camp (Naomi Gonzalez) and the Serna-Gonzalez network (Tony San Roman).

Of the latter two, the S-R camp is possibly the stronger because the S-G network has not been in full operation since the heyday of Rep. Serna’s reign.

Norma Chavez’s record will be difficult to attack. According to her campaign materials, Chávez increased funding for job-training program - Skills Development Fund (SDF) - from $50 million to $80 million passed legislation that improves accountability by establishing reporting requirements for the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. In addition, the legislation allows the state to use the SDF as an incentive to attract out-of-state businesses. Rep. Chávez passed legislation that created the Center of Law and Border Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso.

She carried legislation that expanded the number of courts at the County.

Chavez also succeeded in increased funding for school districts affected by Base Realignment and Closure, and legislation that requires a feasibility study of establishing a law school in Texas' Border region. Rep. Chávez secured $48 million for the Texas Tech Medical School in El Paso. She gained $9 million to restore solvency to the Fire Fighters' Pension Fund. and secured the $1 million needed in debt service to issue $12 million in bonds for the Economically Distressed Areas Program (EDAP) which builds water and wastewater services in colonias.

Chávez passed legislation that increased funding for the Skills Development Fund, from $25 million to $40 million. This program has helped over 2,500 employers create almost 55,000 jobs and has retrained 85,000 workers. Rep. Chávez also passed legislation to require local workforce development boards to include financial literacy education in worker retraining programs offered by the Texas Workforce Commission.

On immigration related issues, Rep. Chávez also filed and passed "the coyote bill" creating a state penalty for those individuals who use Texas highways, lands, and waterways to transport undocumented workers for a profit. Significantly, as a former Farm worker activist, she carried legislation that improves inspections of farm worker housing and passed a floor amendment to protect farm workers' right to know when and what kind of pesticides are used in the fields.

Naomi Gonzalez Tony San Roman

Both of her opponents bring interesting qualifications to the race. The key question is whether their political mentors will be able to translate their prestige into votes for their surrogates.

The fact Rep. Chavez is known to work both sides of the aisle makes her more valuable as a member of the state delegation. Her recent rapprochement with Congressmen Reyes will also bring to her additional resources and manpower.

One supporter stated, “Everyone has to remember, Norma Chavez has a base. That base isn’t going anywhere because she has taken care of their issues: farmworkers, bikers, and, never forget the ‘peeps’. She has taken care of her political network as well. In the valley, you can’t ignore the Gandaras and with Silver on board, I just don’t see her losing. The Times can mash her all they want but it doesn’t matter in her district.”

The above notwithstanding, no one should underestimate an Assistant County Attorney and a former El Paso Community College board member. Both positions provide a great deal of analytical and policy experience that is sure to force Rep. Chavez into substantive debates. But, Chavez has always maintained the attitude, “When you run for office, you should always run scared.” Says one of her supporters, “This dedication to campaigning and her special relationship to her base makes her hard to beat.”

There has been some talk that Gonzalez or San Roman may attempt to focus attention on Chavez’ personal peccadilloes as a means of weakening her.

The problem with that strategy is the exhaustion of voters relative to dirty campaigning. They are tired of it and the first one to throw mud will probably pay a price, electorally. Every poll undertaken locally suggests the El Paso voter is more sophisticated than given credit for and they will be anxious to see candidates address issues.

A winning strategy for Gonzalez or San Roman will require a focused platform that must persuade voters they would be better off without Norma Chavez. Such a platform is yet to materialize. Moreover, the S-R camp and S-G network needs to decide on which races they will focus. It is likely they will focus on the Senate race as the most important.

Short of a major faux pas by Rep. Chavez, she will be the next Democratic Party nominee and win reelection in November.

From a Republican policy perspective, Chavez is considered a moderate centrist.

Republicans in El Paso, Texas proud of their Hispanic Heritage endorse Governor Rick Perry’s reelection bid.

Economic Policy

While unemployment has reached unprecedented levels across country Texas remains below the national average thanks to the strength of our economy and the policies of the Republican administration of our great state.
Texas is reaping the benefit of years of fiscally responsible policy choices under Governor Perry.
Who doesn’t remember the double digit billions of dollar deficit in 2003 mitigated by aggressive spending cuts? Continuation of fiscally conservative policies are essential for the long-term well-being of Texas.

Relations With Mexico

Governor Perry’s recognition of Texans of Hispanic heritage and historically indelible linkages with Mexico are keys to successful commercial relations. Texas and Mexico are important trading partners whose economies are intertwined.
The majority of Texas exports go to Mexico. Not only is Mexico our partner in trade, it’s also a long-time neighbor whose history and culture is interwoven with ours.
At the same time, security on both sides of the border is imperative and Governor Perry is doing a good job addressing the needs of the border in these extremely violent and dangerous times.
Governor Perry’s efforts to secure the border will slow the contraband going in both directions: guns going south and drugs going north. Governor Perry recognizes that a full one third of Texans identify themselves as Hispanic, and are part of a growing part of our state’s population.
Hispanic Texans will compose the largest demographic group in our state by 2020.

Governor Perry In His Own Words

Governor Perry has stated unequivocally his philosophy with respect to the state’s diversity. He said once, “As surely as our state flag bears one star, we are one Texas and one people. And we all …want the same thing. We all seek a good education for our children, safe neighborhoods for our families, and the chance to succeed based on our own merit. That is what Texas is all about, and that is what all Texans deserve, regardless of the sound of our last name…(let’s) work together to ensure respect for the culture, and appreciation for traditional values of family, hard work and integrity. These are Texas values, and we need to perpetuate them in our homes, in our schools, and in the voting booth.”

Personal Endorsement

While we recognize the critically important contributions of Kay Bailey Hutchinson and the passion of Debra Medina, Texans proud of their Hispanic heritage in El Paso are ready to work with Governor Perry to make Texas truly the national leader in innovation and creativity.
I am proud to add my endorsement of Governor Perry to those of other El Pasoans and Texans of Hispanic Heritage who recognize the new alignment forged with Governor Perry’s vision for Texas and invite all Republicans to join together and reelect Governor Rick Perry.

In a recent gathering, Dan Chavez, Republican candidate for State Senate, stated the “time is now” to gain the attention of Austin lawmakers.

A candidate for the position vacated by Elliot Shapleigh, Chavez feels that for too long Austin has largely ignored El Paso lawmakers as irrelevant. Some observers have suggested the former incumbent was largely ineffective because of his incessant and shrill attacks on Governor Rick Perry and his Senate colleagues.

Dan Chavez opposes a state income tax, believes in supporting small business from onerous government taxation and is a strong fiscal conservative. He believes in opening lines of communication with his future Republican colleagues in the Senate and wants to work in tandem, not at odds with Governor Rick Perry if he is reelected.

Jose Rodriguez, the Democratic opponent, wants to taken on issues in education, health and the economy. Local media reported his statement, "If we invest more in early childhood education, then we'll tackle our high school dropout problem before it even becomes a problem." According to the El Paso Times, he said he plans to work closely with businesses to create more jobs, and by being senator, he'll have more freedom to offer resources to El Paso.

Dan Chavez issues a strong critique of Rodriguez’ approach. He said Rodriguez will have little to offer if he follows his mentor’s confrontational approach. For Dan Chavez, a state income tax is out of the question. Moreover, the notion that investing in early childhood education is the solution to the dropout problem is reveals a superficial understanding of the problems confronting families in El Paso and is an example of the classic tax and spend approach to solving problems.

A more useful approach according to Chavez, who is an economist, is to persuade the Senate that gaming may be the best, short-term vehicle for creating jobs and revitalizing the El Paso economy. The added wealth will jumpstart the economy and provide families with the resources to create a better life.

He believes that more needs to be done in education and agrees with aligning the higher education standards more closely with the needs of business. This is important because job creation is sorely is needed. El Paso cannot be complacent with double digit unemployment and chronic underemployment.

Also, incentives for teacher and school performance are important and must continue according to Chavez. Spending more money, by itself is not going to solve any of the problems facing children in school. More money for pre-school by itself will do nothing without accountability and assured performance.

On the Democratic side, Jose Rodriguez, Liza Montelongo and Louis Irwin will vie for the nomination for State Senate. Chavez says, he considers Jose Rodriguez the frontrunner but is very interested in learning what Ms. Montelongo and Professor Irwin bring to the table.

He wants to listen and read more about their ideas and platforms.

Joanne Bernal and Theresa Caballero are two voices of the Democratic Party with distinctly different styles and agendas.

It has been my pleasure to observe both candidates for County Attorney work in two very different contexts. Republicans do not have a candidate in this race.

In my view, El Paso will be well served with either of these two candidates.

Joanne Bernal

As 1st Assistant and now as acting County Attorney, Joanne Bernal has always been responsive and fair in her dealings with Commissioners Court. In every instance in which policy questions have arisen, Joanne has provided full explanations for her legal recommendations. It is a pleasure to work with her at the County.

One thing that stands out in her personal narrative is the fact she has had a wonderful and solid family background. What you see is what you get. Her unassuming self-confidence, and desire to serve, is clear and unmistakable. As a result of this firm family support, which she explains includes her husband and immediate family, she is self-assured and believes strongly in herself. She is not interested in pursuing particular policies or agendas, rather, she enjoys providing legal counsel and feels elected officials should make the policy calls. She sees the role of County Attorney as providing legal counsel and assessing policy only if requested to do so.

Her view on various policies is unclear but this is due to the fact she has had to work for and support former County Attorney Jose Rodriguez’s policy approaches. No doubt, her views will be articulated more clearly during the primary campaign.

Theresa Caballero

Theresa Caballero is a passionate and highly intelligent attorney. Almost single-handedly, she has exposed weaknesses in policies set forth by the city’s so-called Democratic aka welfare progressive elected officials. At the same time, she has no qualms taking on Republicans with whom she disagrees.

She has advocated for ethics, against eminent doman, incessant property tax increases and is a tireless advocate for her clients in private practice. She is empathetic with small business and has clear and definitive ideas regarding the rule of law.

The thing that stands out in her personal narrative is her willingness to stand alone when necessary. She has no problem advocating for, or opposing, policies she believes are not in the best interests of the community regardless of who may favor or oppose them.

As County Attorney, she will no doubt keep elected officials in line with the spirit and letter of the law. Her keen intellect will help the Court and elected officials address what is important and minimize wasted time spent on arguably trivial matters.

Highly professional, Theresa Caballero knows when she should weigh in, or not, on policy matters.

On fiscal matters, Theresa Caballero has a long record of opposing tax increases. While this is not directly relevant to the office of the County Attorney, it speaks to her fiscal conservatism.

There has been much discussion relative to the County’s Ethics Commission on talk radio. A caller on Greg Freyermouth’s show suggested the Ethics Commission was flawed because each Commissioner had an individual appointment. The call provoked a spirited debate.

It is my view the design of the Commission mitigates undue influence by sitting Commissioners. I was involved in the discussions and ultimately the crafting of the legislation passed by Commissioners Court and the state legislature.

Initially, the proposal was for Commissioners to have a selection of members and then have those members select at-large appointments.

This design left open the possibility of the “rule of three”. Three commissioners working together could stack the Commission and then, in turn, those appointments could appoint at-large members with individuals with similar political views, if not, agendas.

It was also explained by the County Attorney that not everyone would fall under the Ethics Commission. Some officials and employees would fall under civil service or judicial ethics board.

To mitigate the potential pitfalls of the initial proposal, the County Judge proposed an alternative that was, ultimately, adopted.

The current design has five (5) Commissioners appointing a member. This ensures robust and vigorous debate among competing political and legal interests.

At the same time, the other five (5) members of the ethics commission would be nominated by various organized groups of employee mediators, attorneys and former judges. Thus, groups such as the civil service commission, the El Paso Bar Association, mediators with the Rio Grande Council of Governments (RGCOG) were selected to present nominees to the Court.

This additional group of ethics commission members bring viewpoints not directly influenced by established political interests.

The standing and quality of the organizations and the nominees assures a check and balance system whereby no one political interest predominates.

The chair of the commission is a key position. The design calls for a rotation of the position every six months to eliminate the possibility of entrenchment of a particular viewpoint. In addition, the chair does not vote. This ensures an uneven number of members and eliminating the possibility of a tactic of strategic ties.

While not perfect, the current design has much to recommend it and, no doubt, will add value to the County.

Charlie Edgren wrote an editorial Saturday where he basically makes the following arguments:

1. President Obama’s effort to reassure the American public that an intelligence debacle such as the one leading to the Christmas Day terrorist attack wasn't going to happen again rang hollow because the U.S. is not 100 percent secure;
2. Successes insinuated by President Obama can not be made public but Edgren believes government (Obama) lies;
3. To win, all terrorists have to do is slowly paralyze or disrupt various aspects of American life-as-usual e.g. air travel. Patting down travelers is to treat Americans like inmates in prison.
4. The U.S. should probably bomb terrorist strongholds and countries into a parallel universe and that probably “would be considered a victory” over terrorism.
5. President Obama and Napolitano have made a mess of the Homeland Security and Transportation Security System in the year they have been in office.

Dishonest Media

This is an example of unfair writing.

Are there elements of Obama’s policies that some may believe are misguided, shortsighted or frankly wrong for America?

Yes. And there are enough of those issues that reasonable men and women can debate and discuss and fight (electorally) over.

But to write a piece against a sitting President by playing on the fear of the public of potential terrorist attacks is not fair.

1. Charlie’s first point is that President Obama is not making every effort to get control of a security system put in place by Vice President Cheney. He is suggesting President Obama is not working diligently to gain accountability by the leaders of those security agencies that remained from the previous administration.

In point of fact, President Obama, to his credit, took personal responsibility and promised to do all he can. I believe that. Do I believe there will be more attacks? Absolutely. Is Obama to blame for the hatred of terrorists of the U.S.? Of course, not.

2. Edgren believes the government lies.

Sure, it does. Take, for example, the lie that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. The point is not specific to, nor damning of this particular administration. Transparency is a very big issue.

3. Edgren believes that when air travel or other activities are disrupted, the terrorists have
won.

Over 1 million Iraqi civilians have been killed in the war, tens of thousands of Afghani civilians have been killed in the war, and post 9 – 11, a score of American civilians have been killed.

Edgren's exaggeration clouds the issue and insults the work and sacrifice of our military men and women and intelligence services. I suggest that terrorists will have won, when his neighborhood has been blown up by a drone controlled by Iran.

4. Edgren wants to bomb terrorists strongholds to oblivion. Yet, he supports the current surge?

Targeted attacks on Al Qaeda strongholds are absolutely necessary and I have written about the importance of doing so but the economic not military interests behind the current surge in Afghanistan is what is driving the war strategy.

5. Edgren claims President Obama and Janet Napolitano have undone Bush’s security system.

There is absolutely no evidence to back this up. Key security personnel in the CIA and Homeland Security continued on from the previous administration.

Clearly, Charlie Edgren is more interested in scoring slams against President Obama for whatever political interests he may have, rather than providing clear, concise and cogent analysis of the issues confronting our nation.

I disagree with President Obama on many issues and with the general direction of the Democratic Party relative to expenditures which is why I am running as a Conservative and a Republican.

But, if this country is to move forward, those disagreements must be honest.

A reader requested I speak to issues of racialist perceptions in El Paso.

Discussion of these issues often creates a minefield of potential misunderstandings and defensiveness but it is a disservice to citizens when leaders do not lay out their views in response to voter questions.

Not too long ago, some commentators loved to constantly derid a former city representative for his heavy Spanish accent and his inability to express his ideas clearly in English.

The truth is that anyone, that has worked with that former elected official, knows him to be highly pragmatic and talented. But, his inability to get his points across effectively in the English language made him the subject of scorn by some bigots. They were constantly pointing out his gaffes and laughing at him.

More recently, there has begun a campaign to attack my views by referring to my use of the English language as “fancy” (read: educated) a description that has an equivalent of “uppity” (read: not knowing their place) when used in reference to educated blacks.

Some measure of criticism against President Obama, particularly from the so-called 'birthers', is borne of a general visceral repudiation of the very notion a Black man should lead our country as Commander in Chief.

Locally, there is no middle ground for those of Mexican heritage when it comes to bigots. Bigots hide behind pronouncements of equal opportunity and constantly exploit the weaknesses of those they despise.

In the final analysis in the bigot dictionary, those of us of Hispanic heritage are either “dumb Mexicans” or “fancy" talkers.

Having said the above, the good news is that they are easy to identify.

Bigots do not respond to the substance of what is said or written by either those struggling to express themselves or those that express themselves clearly. They are too busy hating the ethnicity of the objects of their scorn.

The latest example of the scorn with which things Mexican are held is the demand by the Convention and Tourism Bureau to exclude Juarez from a long-standing border city tourism brochure. It is as if they believe that erasing Juarez and Mexico from their promotional brochures it somehow alleviates the problem of endemic violence in the region.

The arrogance displayed by those decision-makers is a clear example of the bigotry under the surface in El Paso society today.

In my opinion, bigots, bigotry and xenophobia should be acknowledged, not ignored.

The above notwithstanding, most people understand there is good and bad in every person, culture and religion.

The ignorance of the bigots should not paint the perception of the feelings or beliefs of the entire group. Doing so is to fall in the same trap of hatred based on external factors and not on the “character” of the individual.

All things being equal, most people are tolerant, accepting and forgiving. This is why so many people love living in El Paso.

Comparatively, there are fewer haters here than in other major American cities.

The Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project (PDN-CRP) and its attorney, Chris Benoit, have opened up a new front to defend workers, in the U.S. without permission, by suing families who hire domestic workers based on the minimum wage law.

El Diario de El Paso reports this advocate has helped “at least five El Paso workers, the majority of whom are undocumented.” The recovered money for each employee, during the short time the organization has been taking labor cases, has been between $200 and $1,500, he affirmed. ‘We’ve won five or six cases since August 24th, when we started,’ he said.

‘The majority have involved the non-payment of wages, but there has been a mix, because some of them were also receiving less than minimum wage.’

The workers include domestic workers, who regularly cross the border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso to work in homes where they are mistreated or receive payments that violate labor laws.

Benoit clarified that for their organization, the worker’s immigration status is irrelevant, as their labor rights are the same as for any citizen.

The PDN-CRP started the Economic Justice Program this summer to help workers who have seen workplace violations while working in the United States. Every worker, regardless of migratory status, has the right to receive minimum wage in Texas for their work, he assured.

The group works by putting pressure on ex-employers to obtain the just wages that they have refused to pay the worker.

In every meeting, there are more people who are interested in participating in the organization’s sessions, as a majority of workers don’t know their labor rights, he added.

Several cases are reported by local workers and are under investigation.

In fact, after not being able to reach an agreement in one of their cases, volunteers from the Economic Justice Program will hold a candlelight vigil next Monday in front of the house of one of the ex-employers. ‘The purpose is not just to win individual cases, but to start to raise the profile of wage theft here,’ he said.

‘We are trying to promote the idea that it’s not always necessary to hire a lawyer, but that successful negotiations can also occur with just mutual aid. Under federal law, a domestic worker should receive at least $290 a week for 40 hours of work,’ explained Benoit.

‘Many employers say they have made agreements and that ‘the worker agreed to receive this amount of money.’ We tell them that they can’t make contracts that violate the law,” he added.

To summarize, the PDN-CRP believes:

1. All workers should receive minimum wage regardless of legal status;
2. Domestic workers should receive at least $290 for 40 hours work and overtime when they work more than this;
3. Workers and employers cannot agree on a wages by contract, they must abide by federal minimum wage laws;
4. Federal law requires $7.25 an hour;
5. Undocumented workers have a right to sue in court;
6. The Paso Del Norte Civil Rights (PDN-CRP) project is helping them sue to recover wages;
7. PDN-CRP makes is no distinction between companies and individuals hiring a domestic worker.

Policy is Dead Wrong

If the PDN-CRP wishes to alleviate, rather than aggravate, the financial desperation of workers who do not have permission to be here, its best course is to leave things alone.

If it succeeds in intimidating individuals who engage house cleaning, day care and other house work, then there will be a great many more people out of work.

What family who needs hospice, senior care, day care, lawn care, house repairs et al. wants a lawsuit from a non-profit because they found someone willing to do the job on a day or week contract basis at a negotiated fee?

The situation in El Paso that finds individuals negotiating work with domestic or house workers is the best market approach to the problem of endemic unemployment and underemployment. To demand federal wages in this economy is not reality-based.

Mr. Benoit and his associates may think they are helping but, on the contrary, they are greatly hurting the people with whom they express concern.

Are people earning less than minimum wage in El Paso?

Yes, of course they are.

They have been doing so for years. But, if you want to spread the wealth, it is done by allowing the market to work. It is not accomplished by insisting that people who want to employ others and those that want to earn wages being offered in this market do so with fixed wage rates set in Washington D.C.

The vast majority of economists believe arbitrary minimum wage law costs the economy thousands of jobs. Domestic workers as well as teenagers, workers in training, college students, interns, and part-time workers all have their options and opportunities limited.

A low-paying job is an entry point for those with few marketable skills. Cost-of-living differences in various areas of the country make a universal minimum wage difficult to set and it does not make sense to try to compel individual local families to follow it.

It is true that adults need a minimum amount of income from work to survive and that they may lose work to those with less skills.

More importantly, employers have more power to abuse the labor market. There are many documented cases of such abuse. At minimum, a certain level, of minimum wages, force businesses to share wealth with their employees.

But, in a market with so many working under the radar, to close the avenue of employment because wages do not meet federal standards is counterproductive.

Horse Sense

On a practical side, who is going to hire those that have sued?

Do those that have sued understand that when they demand federal minimum wages, they assure themselves unemployment?

Do those that are encouraging these lawsuits understand the damage they will do to the informal economy in this County?

Someone needs to tell the domestic workers they are being used to make a political point and they will not get rich overnight by suing El Paso families. They also need to understand the harm they are causing so many other domestic and house workers.

Many months ago, I made a decision to run for public office and on January 4th, I announced my candidacy for County Judge of El Paso.

A number of things motivated this decision: my desire to engage conversation regarding local, state and federal policy; my severe disappointment at the general level of discourse by sitting elected officials; and the embarrassingly painful investigations of many elected officials and judges.

Some of my close friends asked me why I chose to run in the Republican, as opposed to the Democratic Party.

The answer is that I have always been conservative and a strong constitutionalist. The Republican philosophy is closer to my own beliefs than the Democratic.

Having said that, it is important it is understood that I disagree with unlimited spending and ever increasing taxes to pay for it. It is bankrupting our nation. Regrettably, over the last nine (9) years, both Democrats and Republicans have engaged this irresponsible practice.

As Chief of Staff at the County, I have consistently advised prudence in tax policy and my voice and diligence has helped maintain open lines of communication with County department heads and other elected officials.

I am proud of my service and my success in getting the job done. Being actively involved in civic and political issues since the early eighties, I have sought to create value through helping frame issues and elect good representatives as well as helped many people in a variety of ways. I have worked hard for others. And, it is now time I join the conversation directly. I am hopeful I can bring common sense ideas and clarity to local policy considerations.

As you know, I have been actively involved in creating value in my community. I believe in maintaining taxes low; promoting small business and, thus, creating jobs; removing the caustic environment through which elected officials communicate; prioritizing mandated programs; and promoting an ethical environment. Regarding the latter, I was involved directly in the crafting of the new ethics commision adopted by Commissioners Court and adopted in Austin.

You will have a clear choice.

The candidates on the Democratic side hail themselves as so-called progressives. Progressivism is the alternative new brand for ‘tax and spend’ philosophy. To successfully overcome their campaigns to tax you more and spend your money on what we can’t afford, it will take a very strong and dedicated grass roots organization.

With the cost of reaching voters, the thousands of brochures and signs needed, radio ads, and the entire county to cover, I will need your help.

It is time to take back the political process and participate in word and deed. Therefore, I humbly invite you to get involved in my campaign.

Your contribution, made payable to “ Jaime O. Perez for County Judge” will make the difference. Mail to Armando Castellanos, Treasurer, 7600 Franklin Dr., El Paso, Texas 79915.

Your gift of any amount from $50 to $1000 will help me raise the resources I need to win. The goal is to raise $5,000 by President’s Day.

Thank you for your kind consideration.