I believe we must secure the border.  I believe that the uncontrolled influx of unidentified immigrant workers has placed a strain on our social services, most especially in health care and education. 

I do not believe that the answers to those two problems can be found by mass deportment of immigrant workers and jailing employers!

For better or worse, we have become dependent upon the immigrant workforce that is building our homes, businesses, hospitals, highways, and schools.  They have not stolen jobs from Americans. On the contrary, they are contributing to our economy creating more jobs for Americans and immigrants alike.

At present, we have a system that penalizes good faith employers that attempt to comply with all immigration laws and rewards employers willing to pay workers on a “cash only” basis and look the other way on taxes and proper documentation.  Strict enforcement without reform of the present system will simply push all immigrant workers into this “cash only” system and eliminate the tax revenues we currently collect from the “good faith” employers.

After securing the border, we need a system that meets the labor demands of our economy that keeps the immigrant workers already here working and creates a worker permit program that is capable of meeting future labor demands. 

Secure borders.  No amnesty.  Identify and properly tax the immigrant workers.  Keep America safe and keep the American economy strong.  This is what Texans for Sensible Immigration Policy supports.

I am a co-founder of Texans for Sensible Immigration Policy.  I am involved because I believe that a “jail ‘em and throw ‘em all out” approach to immigration reform will devastate the U.S. economy and the construction industry in particular. 

This is a project of Conservative Republicans of Texas, PAC -- is a coalition of small-business owners, community leaders and concerned citizens of Texas who oppose the Perry Business Tax and any new business tax.

This tax scheme was passed by the State Legislature during the 2006 Special Legislative Session.  When it becomes effective this tax scheme will deliver a crippling blow to Texas by imposing a disastrous tax burden upon the small- and medium-sized businesses that drive the engine of our state’s economy.

This tax will:

1. Tax small businesses which may not even be making a profit;
2. Force small- and medium-sized businesses out of existence, destroying jobs and putting thousands of Texans out of work;
3. Be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher costs for good and services;
4. Become a liberal money grab from small- and medium-sized businesses to generate new revenue for additional growth in state government;
5. Circumvent the Texas State Constitution’s prohibition against a state income tax.

The reasons I am fighting this tax should be self-evident to any principled conservative.  The problem with this tax is that I have found myself fighting against a Governor, who was elected because of his support for lower taxes.  He has claimed that this is “fairer” business tax because it eliminates “tax loopholes” in the franchise tax.

As a conservative, I see nothing wrong with engaging in legal means to avoid paying additional taxes.  Apparently, our “conservative” Governor was offended by such behavior.  In addition, this new tax taxes gross margins.  This is significant because it does not take into account whether any profit has been made.  The tax is owed regardless.  Such a tax will be a killer for small businesses and entrepreneurs.  Finally, many businesses will pay several multiples of what they had formerly paid under the franchise tax.  Do this sound like a fairer tax to you?  See for yourself!  Go here and compute your tax burden!

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse’s (CALA) simple message of “Fairness Yes, Greed No” has resounded in the courthouses in Houston.  CALA’s purpose is to educate the public on the costs of lawsuit abuse and encourage jury service in the general public.  Jury service is a part of basic citizenship.  CALA’s mission is to encourage the public to stop finding ways to get out of jury service and start helping to restore fairness and justice to our legal system.  We want everyone to serve on juries when called and be fair and reasonable when deciding the verdict.  There is no better way to stop lawsuit abuse.