The letter of recommendation handed out to Precinct 3213 voters

See below the letter of introduction and recommendation I left on doors and handed out to voters as I bicycled my precinct.

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Hello, I am Joel Downs, the Precinct Chairman for Precinct 3213. If you are reading this letter you live in Precinct 3213.  As Precinct Chairman I am trying to get acquainted with the Republicans in the precinct who vote in the primaries.  I've looked at the voting records and identified you as one of these people.  Hope you don't mind.

The events of the past three years have caused me great concern.  Concern about the future of our country.  For the first time in my life, I am beginning to doubt that the USA will remain a free country.  The American culture seems to be changing to one of unrealistic  entitlement, and complete self absorption.  A significant proportion of college graduates actually expect to be given a job at the highest rate, no matter their real qualifications, just because they have a college degree.  I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.

Anyway, I hope to become acquainted with you, and if you want to become politically active, I will help you in any way I can.  Because the only way, I believe, this country can be saved, is by vigorous, conservative action from the Grassroots.  It begins here with people like you and me, we must begin this task.                                    

In this sack you will find a flyer listing all of the early voting locations in the county.  I am doing this to encourage you to vote early because it is so much easier than voting on election day.  It is also more convenient.  Some of these locations are probably on your way home from work.  The only downside is that you have to vote electronically.  If you prefer paper ballots, you will have to wait till election day.

The candidates in positions listed below are the ones that I will be voting for in the Republican primary.  I have listed only a small part of the reasons I'm voting for them.  I'm not telling you who to vote for, just letting you know who I'm for and hope you agree.

If you want to put a Republican candidate's sign in your yard, I can get it for you. Thanks, Joel Downs, 817-308-9878

Kenny Marchant, Congressional Representative District 24. Marchant is a respected member of the House of Representatives with a good rapport and influence.  I think he should remain in place.

Ted Cruz, Congressional Senator or from Texas. I have seen Cruz speak, and I know his record.  Ted Cruz is a principled conservative, and well spoken.  He will be a positive conservative influence in the Senate.  Cruz also has the best chance of any of the candidates of knocking off David Dewhurst.  The troubling thing about Dewhurst is that he called for a constitutional convention and doesn't appear to realize the mistake he was making.  The last time a constitutional convention was called, the entire Constitution was rewritten.  Granted, Dewhurst called for the convention in order to add a balanced budget amendment, but you don't go to these extreme measures, risk the disruption of the Constitution just to balance the budget.  If the Constitution is to be changed, let's do it by amendment.  I am amazed that Dewhurst is this ignorant of history.  He should not be serving in the United States Senate.

Kelly Hancock, State Senate District 9.   Hancock is the more conservative of the candidates running for this office.  He is not as well spoken as Todd Smith, but remember Todd makes his living by speaking, he is a lawyer. As Senator, Kelly Hancock will author, sponsor, and to pass more conservative legislation.  He will make decisions that are more founded in conservatism.

Jonathan Stickland, State Representative District 92.  Stickland is a movement conservative, not interested in allowing a slow slide into socialism.  He will continue the trend towards more conservative legislation coming out the Texas Legislature.

Gary Fickes, Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 3.  Fickes has been a Commissioner for several terms, he has performed well, and knows a lot about the job, especially the roads.  The commissioners court is a big influence on how many, where, and how large the state roads built in Tarrant County will be.  Fickes has a huge amount of institutional knowledge about this subject, and he makes good decisions.  The commissioners court appoints the board members of the Tarrant County health system.  Gary Fickes, in concert with other commissioners has always made sure that the board members enact policies that are sound, and do not give away the store to illegal aliens, unlike other large Texas counties.  For this reason, the Tarrant County health system budget has always been balanced, and some years has had a surplus. Gary Fickes should be reelected.

Jennifer Hall, County Chair, Tarrant County Republican Party.  Hall was elected temporary County chair when Stephanie Klick resigned to run for higher office.  She hit the ground running and has performed very well in that position, raising thousands of dollars in donations, and presiding over the court induced chaos that has been the 2012 primary season.  Jennifer Hall has had no previous experience as a County chair, but she has performed remarkably well and will be a huge asset in the years to come.

Jason McCaffity, Constable Precinct 3.  McCaffity has been a Texas peace officer for 14 years, he has a Masters degree in Business Administration, a Bachelors degree in Law Enforcement Administration, a Masters Peace Officer Certification, and is a graduate of the Police Management College.  As Constable, he will continue to improve the Precinct 3 Constable department.

Kevin Carey, Judge 153rd District Court, .  A County District Judge is on the first level of the people we select to make and/or enforce the rules for us.  Kevin Carey is a lifelong Republican and conservative with 22 years experience as a litigator.  He will make wise, fair and conservative decisions in his court.  He understands the danger of frivolous lawsuits and will make decisions accordingly.

The Candidates I recommended to Precinct 3213

The following are pics of the recommendations I left on doors and handed out to voters in precinct 3213.

David Dewhurst and the Depth of Dumb, why I voted for Ted Cruz

I made a departure when choosing Ted Cruz to be the US Senator from Texas in that I voted more against another candidate, than I did for Ted.  Ted Cruz is a conservative and he is smart.  I think he will make a good senator, but the larger reason I chose him is because I believe he has the best chance of knocking David Dewhurst out of the race.  I don't trust Dewhurst, I believe he is reckless and ignorant of history. Here's why.

In 2010, David Dewhurst called for a constitutional convention that would suspend the amendment process and rewrite the Constitution to include a provision for a balanced-budget.  Balancing the budget is a laudable goal, but does he realize what happened the last time a constitutional convention was successfully called?

In 1787, the 13 states convened a constitutional convention.  When it was over the Constitution had been completely rewritten, for the better it turned out.  But do you think this would happen today?  Do you think that a constitutional convention would keep our Constitution intact and only make improvements that we want?  Once a convention is called, there is no way to control the agenda or excluding anyone.  And those of us who have observed the way the Left has operated politically in the last 50 years are completely terrorized by this prospect of them getting their hands on the Constitution.

But not David Dewhurst. He continued to push for a constitutional convention, even after being apprised of the historical consequences of such a move.  He disregarded the voices that were telling him that this was a wrong thing to do.  He argued for a constitutional convention, and argued that he could control it, long past the time that a less determined person would've given up.

Calling for a constitutional convention because the amendment process is too slow and too difficult, can be likened to stepping out on a concrete driveway with your baby in one hand and the pair of diapers in the other, then throwing the baby and the diapers up in the air, and the expecting them to come back down fully assembled, with the new diapers wrapped around the baby's freshly powdered and wiped little butt.  Think something like this is going to happen?  David Dewhurst would.

He would throw that baby up in the air, throw those diapers up in the air then expect the baby to NOT splash like a watermelon on the concrete driveway, the fresh diaper to NOT be snagged by a passing hawk and he would also expect the dirty diaper, the one full of poo, to NOT come down and hit him right in the face.

David Dewhurst is a man of historical ignorance and recklessness.  He shouldn't be allowed to serve in the United States Senate.

Vote For Ted Cruz

Hancock-Smith, SD9 Senate, How I voted and why.

I voted early in the Republican primary.  In the Texas Senate District 9 race I voted for Kelly Hancock.

Both candidates are decent, principled conservatives.  However, Kelly is the more conservative of the two. He is an instinctive conservative.  He will author, sponsor, and work for conservative legislation.

Todd Smith is a reliable vote for any conservative legislation that comes across his desk. the operative phrase here is "comes across his desk", Todd cannot be relied on to initiate conservative legislation.

Todd's brand of conservatism has lost and will continue to lose ground to the Left.  The Left, the people who think collective solutions from the government are the end-all and be-all of fixing things, solving our problems.  The Left, the ones who think that communism just may be a good idea.  The Left, the ones who fervently believe that socialism is a good idea.  The Left, the ones who are so ignorant of history they don't realize that collective solutions to society's problems -socialism, communism, Leftism in general- have been responsible for more misery, and more deaths of innocent people than any other ideology in the last hundred twenty years.

If conservatism was likened to a thermometer, Kelly would be at 98°, and Todd would be at 72°.  Both temperatures are preferable to the Left's temperature of 30°, but Kelly's is higher than Todd's.  This is why I voted for him.

If you want to see the temperature of conservative legislation coming out of the state capital go up, then vote for Kelly Hancock.