Initiative For Texas - Position Paper

A POSITION PAPER: ON AN I&R RIGHTS FOR TEXANS STRATEGY--LOOKING TOWARD THE MARCH PRIMARY; THE DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTIONS; THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS (‘08) AND THE 2009 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Authored by Eddy M. Williams

Member of a Non-Partisan Coalition Working for I&R Rights for the Texas Voter

THE STRATEGY DESCRIBED AND DISCUSSED: I&R activists in their home counties are asked to do the following:

1) Identify Democratic and Republican precinct chairpersons who believe that I&R rights for the Texas voter are essential to the citizen’s urgent need for reform and for a rollback of the government’s ever-expanding encroachments on our properties, possessions and freedoms.

2) Having identified such persons, suggest they introduce an I&R resolution in their March primary precinct meetings following the closing of the polls. (Because they are precinct chairs, they’ll probably be attending their state conventions.)

3) Given they plan to attend, ask them to work with other party members and non-partisan I&R activists to staff an I&R booth during their party’s state convention.

Background Information on the Democratic Party’s Involvement in the I&R Movement:

In 1996, all legislators were asked to sign a pledge to support I&R for Texans during the 75^th Legislative Session. No Democratic legislator in the House signed the pledge. In the Senate, John Whitmire of Houston and Judith Zaffirini of Laredo signed the pledge.

Mr. Joe Jaworski, a city councilman in Galveston and a Democratic candidate for the state senate (District #15), has expressed his support of I&R rights for the Texas voter.

In 2006, at the Democratic State Convention, a Democratic member of the non-partisan I&R coalition, was denied a previously-promised opportunity to place I&R fliers in the totebags of the 6,000 delegates attending because the flier had not been approved by the Executive Committee. She was, however, allowed to distribute the fliers at the convention and to circulate a petition. Can it be assumed, then, that although the Democratic Party leadership does not advocate I&R rights for the Texas voter, there exists a tolerance of consideration regarding the issue?

Options Open to Democratic Delegates Who Will Staff the I&R Booth at the Convention:

It is possible at a state convention to bring any issue to the floor for discussion and a vote via the rule, Resolution Recommendation by Petition, given that the proposed resolution is approved by the Convention’s Resolution Chairman, which is just a formality. If 30% of the total number of delegates sign the above petition, convention rules state that the resolution, upon being presented to the convention chair, is to be brought immediately to the convention floor for discussion and a vote. If 60% of the attending delegates sign the petition, it is automatically adopted by the party.

The Democratic convention delegates who will staff the I&R booth need to be apprised that if there is a significant response to this effort (e.g. 50 or more delegates), a Recommendation by Petition should be considered. The proposed petition content would read:

BE IT RESOLVED, that this convention call a discussion and a vote on the adoption of a plank in the 2008 Democratic Party Platform in support of binding, statewide Initiative and Referendum rights for the voters of Texas.

If the petition effort is not initiated, the mission of the Democratic party leaders staffing the I&R booth would be to talk to as many convention delegates as possible with I&R literature in hand. Further, they would urge them to be I&R activists in their home counties working with petitions and resolutions available to them at www.initiativefortexas.org .

Background Information on the Republic Party’s Involvement in the I&R Movement:

Prior to the mid-90’s, the Republican Party platform had contained a pro-I&R plank for about 15 years. In 1996, under the Texas Eagle Forum’s leadership within the Republican Executive Committee, that pro-I&R plank was replaced by an anti-I&R plank. Even though the rank and file of the Texas Republican Party support I&R rights for Texans, the insiders in the party stand adamantly opposed to any change in the status quo. This change in platform position on I&R is extraordinary in view of the fact that the membership of the Texas Republican Party has twice overwhelmingly endorsed I&R in primary election advisory votes in 1980 and in 1982. Similarly, Republican support for I&R is evident by the fact that 58 Republican House Representatives signed the pledge to support I&R for Texans during the 75^th Legislative Session in 1996 as did 12 Republican Senators.

Given the foregoing, the mission of pro-I&R Republican delegates who agree to assist in staffing an I&R booth during their state convention will be one of education and persuasion. The true facts of how I&R works needs to be explained as well as informing them of the opportunities that I&R would provide for limiting and reforming our state government. Further, the booth’s staff will supply these delegates with I&R literature, petitions, resolutions, in short, all the tools needed to inform/persuade the voters in their home counties to support I&R rights for the Texans and to urge them to communicate that same message to their state legislators.

To I&R County Activists in the Field:

Thank you for all your efforts to date. Please continue meeting with county judges and commissioners’ courts, city councils, and civic, service and social groups informing the people of the Texas voters’ need for I&R, explaining what opportunities I&R would provide for greater voter voice and as a tool to control and reform our ever-expanding, special-interest driven state government. www.initiativefortexas.org has been upgraded to provide you with a good many new tools: a resolution and petition, a master of the informative I&R pamphlet, a flow chart showing “How the Initiative Process Works,”

I&R Talking Points, and much more. All can all be downloaded. On the homepage, notice there is also an online I&R Petition, so spread the word about that. You can access all these “downloadables” by clicking on a yellow box titled A Strategy Kit for the County I&R Activist.

However, within the context of all of this work, please try to make this strategy of identifying pro-I&R Democratic and Republican convention delegates a priority in these three months leading up to the March primary.

As Democratic I&R supporters and convention delegates are identified, submit their names and contact information to emwup@granderiver.net; or call (830) 965-1584. Mailing address is Initiative for Texas; c/o E.M. Williams; P.O. Box 110; Dilley, TX; 78017.

If you are a Republican activist or working with Republicans, please submit the names and contact information of Republican convention pro-I&R delegates to Lynn Foster: e-mail lynnf0@ev1.net .

Some Closing Thoughts:

This position paper on a new I&R Strategy is calling for a greater level of citizen involvement and support than this movement has heretofore enjoyed. The movement’s motto, IT’S NOT ABOUT POLITICS; IT’S ABOUT FREEDOM, rings true and clear. Is there any value in our lives that is more important or more essential to our American ethic of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?” We’ve heard it before, but we need to hear it again. Our freedoms are at risk. AND I&R RIGHTS FOR THE TEXAS VOTER ARE NEEDED TO PROTECT THEM.

Join this non-partisan effort and bring, in the words of Abe Lincoln, “…a new birth of freedom” to the citizens living in this great state. Succeeding generations of Texans will thank you.