Thursday, March 14, 2024

Why I Support Ellen Loveless for CC GOP Chair

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

You might know that I endorse Ellen Loveless for party chair.  I have been asked to offer reasons why I take this position.  First, I will tell you that I spent hours talking with Howard Powers and Ellen Loveless.  They are both great people.  I sent a check to each of them at the beginning.  Finally, I decided Ellen would be the better choice.  To begin with, here are notes I took from a Candidate's Forum hosted by Collin County Patriots, 1-9-2024, Tuesday night at Collin College.

 

Ellen Loveless

Howard Powers

Shelby Williams

Should it be possible to remove a bad County Chair?

 

Yes

 

Pass

 

No

Should we have closed primaries?

Yes

No

Yes

Should the Republican Party decide who can be on its ballot?

 

Yes

 

No

 

No

Should the CC GOP endorse in municipal elections?

Yes

Yes

No


I thought that these were important questions so I took notes and compared them to other people's notes, trying to be accurate.  I liked Ellen's answers to these questions.
I believe that our executive committee meetings will be more productive under Ellen.  Our productivity problems, from my observation, come from having the county party chair fight with the executive committee (EC).  The conflict has come from the chair trying to thwart the will of the executive committee.  Is the role of the chair to be a dictator or a facilitator?  We members of the executive committee, who are grassroots activists and citizens of Collin County, are educated, successful and independent minded people who won't be pushed around.
Quite a lot of men confuse leadership with bullying.  Two of our party chairs have tried to bully me, and I think that is why they were poor leaders, because they resorted too quickly to bullying others.  I do not believe Ellen Loveless will try and bully anyone.  Furthermore, I do not believe that she will allow herself to be bullied by others.  She has backbone.  She is feisty.
Our party chairs have, in my opinion, bent under pressure.  Most recently, Chair Abraham George, after the EC voted to ask Jim Pikl to resign as SD8 Committeeman, started working against the EC.  After the Pikl vote, we were not allowed to conduct business for 3 months.  That was a 3 month delay in endorsing the Republicans in the Princeton election for city council and ISD.  Voters were seen at the polls in Princeton holding push cards that showed our endorsement.  The work we do matters and we should not have a party chair that fights us.  I believe after the Pikl vote that pressure was applied to our chairman and he bent under the pressure.  That has to stop.  I believe Ellen will not bend under pressure because she has no ambitions for higher office. 
Moving beyond political reasons for supporting Ellen, there are qualitative reasons for supporting her.  I think she has a good heart.  She is chair of the prayer team.  She is a devout Christian, and I believe we need God's blessings in these difficult times.  Besides the American flag, her house flies the "Appeal to Heaven" flag.
That means something to me.  You can read about it here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Tree_Flag
Furthermore, she is supported by people I respect.  I was privileged to sit at her table at the Lincoln Day dinner, along with Sharron Albertson, Karl Voigtsberger, and Bunny Pounds.
There are a number of reasons, both political and personal, that led me to support Ellen Loveless for party chair.
She will be forward looking as the party chair, she will be cooperative instead of combative, and we will become more productive as a party.  I will be voting for her and I encourage you to join me in voting for Ellen Loveless for GOP chair.

Thank you for your time,
Robert Canright


Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Consider attending the Texas State GOP Convention

 

Do please consider attending the Texas Republican State Convention in San Antonio on May 23 to 25.  You will want to attend as a delegate so you can have voting privileges.
As a delegate you can vote for:
planks to the Texas GOP party platform,
members to the State Republican Executive Committee,
the Texas delegates to the National GOP Convention,
the Texas representatives to the Republican National Committee (RNC), 
the Texas members of the Electoral College,
the Chair and Vice Chair of the Republican Party of Texas.
This is important.  We are defining the purpose and leadership of our party.  This is particularly special because it is a Presidential election year.
I will mention that I am running for a spot on the State Republican Executive Committee, running against an incumbent.  I hope to gain your vote for this position, SREC SD8 Committeeman.  You cannot vote for me unless you attend.  I'll tell you more about this in a later email.
Be patient while I explain the process of becoming a delegate. You are elected to be a delegate to the state convention at an earlier convention, an SD convention.  The Senate District (SD) conventions are held on March 23, 2024 Saturday.  Almost all of you will be in SD8, Angela Paxton's district.  A few of you might be in SD2, Bob Hall's District, or SD30, Drew Springer's district.
At a precinct  convention, to be held on March 9, 2024 Saturday, after the primary election, you apply to be a delegate to the RPT State Convention.  To attend your precinct convention you should vote in the Republican primary.  The Collin County GOP will tell you the location of the precinct conventions and the SD conventions later, but for now you know the date is March 9, which is shortly after the March 5 primary election.
You need to know your precinct number, which is on your registration card.  You just show up at the precinct convention, which is a number of people from your precinct huddled around in a circle of chairs.  At the precinct convention you will apply to be delegates to the State Convention.  That is the most important part of attending your precinct convention.
At your precinct convention you can propose planks for our party platform that will be considered at the SD convention.  Additional proposals for party planks can be made at the SD convention.   You will vote at the SD convention for which planks you want to recommend to the state convention.  Also at the SD convention you will vote on who will be delegates to the state convention.
In a nutshell, to attend the state convention you (1) vote in the primary election, (2) attend the precinct convention, and (3) attend the SD convention.  The precinct convention and SD conventions are short.  The precinct convention is a couple of hours long.  The SD convention might be all day, 8 am to 5 pm.  The State convention is 3 days long, but you can go earlier if you want to testify at committee hearings.
Here is the home page for the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) state convention:
Here is more info on the precinct conventions
Here is more info on the SD conventions
Here is an overview of the process
Don't feel overwhelmed.  If you just show up at the precinct and SD conventions, people will help you through it.  If you do become a delegate to the state convention, I could host some zoom meetings to help you understand the state convention.
Based on past experience, there will be informative films for you. 
Here's a story of how we make a difference.  A neighbor went to the precinct convention and proposed a plank, also called a resolution.  It was rejected at the SD convention, but she went to the state convention, gave testimony, and her proposed plank was merged in with another plank so that her efforts improved our party platform.  You can make a difference.  That's what the grassroots is all about, us making a difference.
At the state convention we picked eight (8) planks to make priorities for our legislators and then we watched the legislators and nudged them to get them to listen to us.  And when they don't listen to us, then we have a reason to remove them from office.
This is what grassroots politics is all about: us making our voices heard.
Do please mark these dates on your calendar:
March 9, 2024 Saturday is when we have our precinct conventions
March 23, 2024 Saturday is when we have our SD conventions
May 23 – 25, 2024, is the Texas State Republican Convention at the
Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, located on the River Walk


Monday, March 4, 2024

Republican Primary Propositions Listed

 

Here is a rundown of the 13 propositions Republican voters in the Lone Star State can vote on: 

1) Property Tax 

“Texas should eliminate all property taxes without increasing Texans’ overall tax burden.” 

2) Manpower for Border Protection 

“Texas should create a Border Protection Unit and deploy additional state law enforcement and military forces to seal the border, to use physical force to prevent illegal entry and trafficking, and to deport illegal aliens to Mexico or to their nations of origin.” 

3) Expanding Mandatory Use of E-Verify 

“The Texas Legislature should require the use of E-Verify by all employers in Texas to protect jobs for legal workers by preventing the hiring of illegal aliens.” 

Currently, Texas law only requires that “state agencies, institutions of higher education, and sexually oriented businesses,” as well as entities looking to qualify for certain public contracts, use E-Verify to verify the legal status of employees. 

4) Taxpayer Funds for Unlawful Migrants’ Education 

“The Texas Legislature should end all subsidies and public services, including in-state college tuition and enrollment in public schools, for illegal aliens.” 

5) Cutting Pathways for Unlawful Migrants to Become Lawful 

“Texas urges the United States Congress not to grant any form of amnesty or a pathway to legalization for illegal aliens.” 

6) Texas National Guard Deployment Abroad 

“The Texas Legislature should prohibit the deployment of the Texas National Guard to a foreign conflict unless Congress first formally declares war.” 

7) Move Toward a Texas Gold-Backed Digital Currency 

“The Texas Legislature should establish authority within the Texas State Comptroller’s office to administer access to gold and silver through the Texas Bullion Depository for use as legal tender.” 

Although stalled in committee, SB 2334 was put forward this spring as a way to curb nationwide inflation by establishing a new digital currency based on deposits of gold and silver that the state would hold in trust. This proposition appears related to this initiative by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola). 

8) Curbing Mandatory Vaccination Initiatives 

“The State of Texas should ensure that Texans are free to give or to withhold consent for any vaccine without coercion.” 

9) Republican Primaries for Republicans Only 

“The Republican Party of Texas should restrict voting in the Republican primary to only registered Republicans.” 

Texas’ primaries are currently open, meaning anyone can vote in any party’s primaries regardless of their registration status. 

10) Prosecuting Election Crimes 

“The Texas Constitution should be amended to restore authority to the Texas Attorney General to prosecute election crimes.” 

11) School Choice 

“Texas parents and guardians should have the right to select schools, whether public or private, for their children, and the funding should follow the student.” 

12) No Vote Without Proof of Citizenship 

“The Texas Constitution should be amended to require proof of citizenship before any individual can be registered to vote.” 

13) Land Sale Ban 

“Texas should ban the sale of Texas land to citizens, governments, and entities from China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.” 

 

 

Voting Recommendations for the Republican Primary

 Folks, I have been under the weather, so I am posting my recommendations late. Tomorrow is Election Day, March 5, 2024.  Here are my recommendations.

Some Races are not contested.
President Donald J Trump
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz
CD3 Congress Kieth Self
CD4 Congress Don Horn
CD32 Congress Darrell Day
Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick
Texas Supreme Court, Pl 4 John Devine
Court of Criminal Appeals David J. Schenck
Court of Criminal Appeals Gina Parker
Court of Criminal Appeals Pl 8, No recommendation
State Board of Education Chad Green
State Senate, SD30 Jace Yarbrough
State Rep, HD33 Dennis London
State Rep, HD61 Keresa Richardson
State Rep, HD66 Wayne Richard
State Rep, HD67 Daren Meis
State Rep, HD70 Steve Kinard
State Rep, HD89 Abraham George
Judge, 401st District Joel Petrazio
Sheriff Jim Skinner
Tax Assessor-Collector Scott Grigg
County Commissioner, Pct 3 Darrell Hale
Constable, Pct No 1 Matt Carpenter
Constable, Pct No 4 No recommendation
County Chair Ellen Loveless

Friday, January 19, 2024

Attend the Republican State Convention

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Do please consider attending the Texas Republican State Convention in San Antonio on May 23 to 25.  You will want to attend as a delegate so you can have voting privileges.
As a delegate you can vote for:
planks to the Texas GOP party platform,
members to the State Republican Executive Committee,
the Texas delegates to the National GOP Convention,
the Texas representatives to the Republican National Committee (RNC), 
the Texas members of the Electoral College
I think I missed a few items, but you get the idea.  This is important.  We are defining the purpose and leadership of our party.  This is particularly special because it is a Presidential election year.
I will mention that I am running for a spot on the State Republican Executive Committee, running against an incumbent.  I hope to gain your vote for this position, SREC SD8 Committeeman.  You cannot vote for me unless you attend.  I'll tell you more about this in a later email.
Be patient while I explain the process of becoming a delegate. You are elected to be a delegate to the state convention at an earlier convention, an SD convention.  The Senate District (SD) conventions are held on March 23, 2024 Saturday.  Almost all of you will be in SD8, Angela Paxton's district.  A few of you might be in SD2, Bob Hall's District, or SD30, Drew Springer's district.
You are elected to be a delegate to the SD convention at an earlier convention, a precinct  convention, to be held on March 9, 2024 Saturday, after the primary election.  To attend your precinct convention you should vote in the Republican primary.  The Collin County GOP will tell you the location of the precinct conventions and the SD conventions later, but for now you know the date is March 9, which is shortly after the March 5 primary election.
You need to know your precinct number, which is on your registration card.  You just show up at the precinct convention, which is a number of people from your precinct huddled around in a circle of chairs.  You will determine who will be invited to be delegates to the SD Convention.  That is the important part of attending your precinct convention is that you get to go to the next convention as a delegate, your SD convention.
At your precinct convention you can propose planks for our party platform that will be considered at the SD convention.  Additional proposals for party planks can be made at the SD convention.   You will vote at the SD convention for which planks you want to recommend to the state convention.  Also at the SD convention you will vote on who will be delegates to the state convention.
In a nutshell, to attend the state convention you (1) vote in the primary election, (2) attend the precinct convention, and (3) attend the SD convention.  The precinct convention and SD conventions are short.  The precinct convention is a couple of hours long.  The SD convention might be all day, 8 am to 5 pm.  The State convention is 3 days long.  You can go earlier if you want to testify at committee hearings.
Here is the home page for the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) state convention:
Here is more info on the precinct conventions
Here is more info on the SD conventions
Here is an overview of the process
Don't feel overwhelmed.  If you just show up at the precinct and SD conventions, people will help you through it.  If you do become a delegate to the state convention, I could host some zoom meetings to help you understand the state convention.
Based on past experience, there will be informative films for you at the convention that you might like.  
Here's a story of how we make a difference.  A neighbor went to the precinct convention and proposed a plank, also called a resolution.  It was rejected at the SD convention, but she went to the state convention, gave testimony, and her proposed plank was merged in with another plank so that her efforts improved our party platform.  You can make a difference.  That's what the grassroots is all about, us making a difference.
At the state convention we picked eight (8) planks to make priorities for our legislators and then we watched the legislators and nudged them to get them to listen to us.  And when they don't listen to us, then we have a reason to remove them from office.
This is what grassroots politics is all about: us making our voices heard.
Do please mark these dates on your calendar:
March 9, 2024 Saturday is when we have our precinct conventions
March 23, 2024 Saturday is when we have our SD conventions
May 23 – 25, 2024, is the Texas State Republican Convention at the
Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, located on the River Walk

Robert

Friday, January 12, 2024

I recommend Scott Grigg for Tax Assessor-Collector

 Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I attended a candidate's forum Tuesday night, 1/9/24, at Collin College that was sponsored by Collin County Patriots.  The three candidates for Tax Assessor-Collector participated:
Scott Grigg
Cam McCall
Angela Powell
My conclusion is that Scott Grigg was head-and-shoulders above the other candidates both in his pertinent experience and his ability to discuss the job of Tax Assessor-Collector.
Here is a video of the entire forum.  You can fish around and find the section for the Tax Assessor race.
I will be voting for Scott Grigg.
Robert

Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Yes Illegal Aliens Can Vote in Some Cities

 I was asked about illegal aliens voting.  It is not legal yet in Texas, but it is legal in some cities across America.  

"Federal law does not prohibit non-citizens, including those who are undocumented and not authorized to legally live or work in the U.S., from voting in local or state elections."

"While no states grant undocumented immigrants the right to vote in state elections, more than a dozen municipalities nationwide allow undocumented immigrants to vote in local elections."

Source: https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/elections-verify/non-citizen-allowed-vote-local-elections-some-municipalities/536-c688a57f-ec61-4949-b8c5-1490093a5968