Candidate Forgets Eleventh Commandment of Ronald Reagan and Tramples on Eighth Commandment of the Bible in the Process

Usually, political ads go straight into the trash. However, today I received one which caught my eye. I live in House District 47, where the primary runoff features contractor Paul Workman vs. lawyer Holly Turner. Ms. Turner is young, photogenic and touts her Hill Country Values and conservatism. However, the ad which I received today makes some pretty outrageous claims about her Republican primary opponent.

In bold letters, it proclaims:

TEXAS IS Now America's Magnet for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

While conservatives in other states have passed tough laws to stop illegal immigration by requiring companies to verify the immigration status of their workers, construction company owner Paul Workman has been fighting reform here in Texas. Texas is now the "go-to" state in the country for illegal immigrants looking for a job. Paul Workman wants to keep it that way.

Illegal immigration costs Texas taxpayers $4.7 billion per year.

Paul Workman is making the problem even worse . . .

Illegal immigration is bankrupting Texas. An estimated one million people are here illegally with more on the way. Paul Workman has joined the liberals and is fighting reform. He has funded the campaigns of politicians and PACs that oppose making it harder for illegal immigrants to find jobs in Texas. Workman even funded liberal pro-abortion Democrats in races to defeat Republicans to "benefit [his] business" he said. Workman has made millions off government construction contracts. And he has openly admitted that he does not verify the immigration status of his own construction company workers. It's time for taxpayers to take a stand against people like Paul Workman who have been taking advantage of us.

The mailer makes four claims about Paul Workman.

1. Paul Workman wants to keep Texas as the "go-to" state for illegal immigrants looking for a job.
2. Paul Workman is fighting reform.
3. Paul Workman does not verify the immigration status of his own workers.
4. Paul Workman has been "taking advantage of us."

Ronald Reagan used to say that the Eleventh Commandment was "Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill of a Fellow Republican." However, another commandment which comes to mind is the Eighth Commandment which says "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor."

According to Luther's Small Catechism, this means:

We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbour, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him,and explain everything in the kindest way.

So how do Ms. Turner's statements hold up to this standard? Her mailer cites the following sources for her statements:

1. Southwest Republican Club, February 3, 2010.
2. American Federation on Immigration Reform, April 2005.
3. Texas Ethics Commission records reveal Workman campaign contributions to Democrats Kirk Watson, Dawna Dukes, Johyn Sharp, Patrick Rose.
4. February 26, 2010 Candidate Forum at Veritas Academy.

The "sourcing" gives the attacks an air of authenticity. However, what do they really show? The sourcing doesn't really say much. However, going behind the sources shows two facts:

1. According to the Texas Ethics Commission, Paul Workman made 70 political contributions in the past ten years, ranging from $5.00 to $1,000.00. Of these 70 contributions, seven were made to Democrats, including:

a. John Sharp $200.00
b. Mina Brees $100.00
c. Dawna Dukes $100.00
d. Kirk Watson $600.00 (three contributions)
e. Patrick Rose $250.00

He also made contributions to Rick Perry, Susan Combs, Jerry Patterson, Terry Keel, Todd Baxter and many pro-business PACs.

So, over ten years, Paul Workman contributed $1,250.00 to a handful of Democrats, while making many more contributions to Republicans. It is hard to see how these few contributions translate to opposing immigration reform.

2. At a candidate forum, Paul Workman said, "I'm not in the documents business" when asked if he checks the citizenship of his workers. See Arnold Garcia, "In politics we may not get substance, but we can always count on a show," Austin American Statesman, April 2, 2010. This statement is a bit ambiguous, but hardly shows that he admittedly does not check the immigration status of his employees. In fact, according to the same American Statesman article, his companies require two forms of identification and check them for signs of fraud.

Is there any truth to this alarming mailer? It's hard to see it. The funny thing about all this is that Holly Turner has condemned Paul Workman for making far-fetched claims about her (including calling her a carpetbagger and suggesting that she doesn't really live in the district). The lesson she seems to have learned is the best response to mudslinging is hyper-mudslinging. I may be out of touch, but I believe that honesty is a conservative value. Under this standard, the mailer was not very conservative at all. I rate Holly Turner as liberal with the truth.

Obamacare Is A Big Deal, But What Is It?

When President Obama signed the new health care bill, Vice-President Biden was overheard saying, "This is a big f***ing deal." It may be a big deal, but after all of the drama, I still don't know much about what is in it or how it would help someone like me. As a middle-class taxpayer who pays over $1,000 per month for health care, I would certainly like some relief from the cost. However, I don't think it's going to happen.

For a bill which is thousands of pages long, it is hard to get any definite information on what is in it. Here is a link to one of the better summaries I was able to find on the bill. Based on this summary and others I have seen, I have been able to piece together a few specifics on what the bill does and most of them are not that exciting.

1. Everyone will be required to have health insurance. This doesn't affect me directly since I already have health insurance. However, the notion that we are going to achieve full coverage by requiring people who don't want to be insured to buy insurance strikes me as a bit cynical. Presumably the thought is that young healthy people will buy insurance they won't use, which will subsidize the cost for everyone else. On the other hand, if people are forced to buy insurance, they may actually use it. More demand for a product usually leads to higher prices. Therefore, I see this as either a neutral factor or a negative.

2. Insurance companies cannot deny coverage for pre-existing conditions starting in 2014. This strikes me as fair. However, it does mean that the added cost will be passed on to everyone else. That means that my health care costs will go up.

3. More people will be eligible for medicaid. This is one way to get more people covered. However, any increase in government benefits will have to be paid for from increased taxes. The bill taxes really rich people and people with really good coverage. I don't fall into either category so this shouldn't concern me. However, I do have some concern that rich people won't want to be taxed and will find ways around the tax increase, so that the cost will ultimately be passed on to the middle class.

4. The government will spend $940 billion for something. While the price tag of the bill is well known, what it will be spent on is less clear. Is this all for the increase in medicaid? What are we getting for nearly a trillion dollars?

5. There will not be a public option, but there will be state insurance exchanges. There will also be subsidies for lower income tax payers. Also, government may be able to block some increases in rates by insurance companies (not sure if this made it into the final bill). These provisions could help me. While my employer provides me with insurance, I have to pay for insurance for the family. That cost has increased by 50% over the past few years. Thus, getting a more affordable plan for my family would be welcome. However, since many of the features of the bill don't kick in until 2014, it's hard to know when or if this will help.

6. At one point, there was talk about limiting the amount you can put into a flex plan to $2,500 per year. I have no idea whether this made it into the final bill. If it did, this means that I will pay more in taxes, since I currently contribute more than $2,500 into my flex plan.

Joe Biden may be right. The health care bill may be a "big f***ing deal." But it won't be for me or my family. We will continue to pay too much for health care for the foreseeable future.