Good morning –

Heading into the weekend I offer a reflection on what stones would tell us if they could cry out.

But first, here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Friday, May 29, 2020
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• Many local governments are preparing to pass massive tax increases on families struggling from job losses and diminished income as a result of the Chinese coronavirus and the governor’s shutdown of the economy. Cary Cheshire explains how Democrats in local offices are considering raising tax burdens... and how the responsibility for their ability to do so rests with Gov. Greg Abbott.
      
• For example, Gov. Abbott could order a freeze on all appraisal increases yet has refused to do so – likely because it would put lawmakers on the hook for additional funding to schools when they’re already expecting a funding shortfall.
      
• Similarly, the governor and Republican lawmakers could move to substantially and meaningfully cut state spending then apply the savings to property tax relief. That’s also not happening. Gov. Abbott last week called for a 5 percent cut to some portions of state government spending even while exempting the majority of the budget from cuts. 
       
• A restaurant in Collin County is suing the State of Texas and local governments for the “taking” of his business during Gov. Greg Abbott’s shutdown of the state’s economy. The owner of EG Steak in Frisco argues the state constitution requires state government to provide compensation for ordering the closure of his business. The local NBC news affiliate in Dallas has the details. Collin County's chief administrator, Republican Chris Hill, back in March famously declared all businesses in his jurisdiction essential. Gov. Abbott later issued a statewide stay-at-home order superseding Collin County’s order.
       
• “No person's property shall be taken, damaged, or destroyed for or applied to public use without adequate compensation being made.” – Texas Constitution, Article 1, Section 17

• An agreement to implement mass contact tracing in Texas is drawing strong criticism from residents as well as state lawmakers. Matt Stringer reports on fallout from the $295 million, 27-month contract Gov. Greg Abbott rushed to put in place between the Texas Department of State Health Services and a little-known company.
   
• The term “contact tracing” refers to a process where researchers attempt to identify everyone with whom a confirmed carrier of the Chinese coronavirus may have come into contact. Those potentially exposed are then reported to public health authorities and encouraged to get tested or be quarantined. The state’s contract with New York-based MTX Group – which recently opened an office in Frisco – calls for hiring 4,500 call center agents over seven months. 
   
• “The government overreacted to this virus from the start, and now it is continuing that overreaction while spending $300 million for a program that appears to threaten the liberties of my constituents and all Texans.” – State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington)
      
• “Everyone should pay close attention because we might be giving away our right to privacy and civil liberties in the name of safety.” – State Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R-Fredericksburg)
       
• “I don’t like that a $295 million contract was signed without any collaboration with the public or the legislature.” – State Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa)
      
• Texas Scorecard has obtained a partially redacted copy of the $295 million agreement to bring contact tracing to Texas.

• If you missed yesterday’s conversation about contact tracing in Texas, you can watch the video on our website.
   
• In this week’s edition of Texas Scorecard Radio, Tony McDonald visits with Tracy Marshall of Transparency Texas about how much money is being spent by lobbyists in Austin.
   

• Even if Texas Scorecard Radio isn’t broadcast locally, you can find it as a podcast on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.

Friday Reflection

by Michael Quinn Sullivan

What we today know as Jerusalem has been settled by men for thousands of years, a community since before written history.

In the Book of Genesis we are briefly introduced to Melchizedek, the ruler and priest of what was then known as Salem. Later, when the Israelites claim the land under the leadership of Joshua, the city is described as Jebus. It was not until the time of King David that the city was finally taken and its name refashioned as Jerusalem.

Yet to find the Jerusalem that David conquered and made the governing center of his kingdom, one must look underground. Dozens of feet below the modern street level is where you find what is today known in archeological circles as the City of David.

It was once common to hear the learned express their disdain for the Bible by casually dismissing the existence of David; there was no evidence he existed. They pointed to Jerusalem, saying there were no palaces dating to that time period, that the structures they saw before them in the Middle East didn’t match the biblical accounts, and so on.

And then the digging started. Streets were found, and pools revealed. The foundations of a palace were uncovered. The walls of houses and shops came into view. Pottery, coins, and the trinkets of daily life gave insight to life under King David. History had not erased the city, but built on it.

Indeed, Jerusalem sits at the center of redemptive history.

Salem/Jebus/Jerusalem was built around the Gihon spring along the side of Mount Moriah. It was on the top of Mount Moriah, a thousand years before David’s own life, that Abraham’s faith in God was put to the ultimate test. It is where he was asked to sacrifice his own son, Isaac, who God then spared.

And so it was there David started, and his son Solomon constructed, the first temple. And it would be there that David’s descendent, and God’s own son, Jesus, would not be spared – taking on Himself the wrath for our sin.

In the final week of His life, Jesus’ disciples – convinced He was the promised Messiah – stopped before entering Jerusalem and looked out over the city and Temple. His disciples shouted praises for Jesus, which critics demanded He silence.

Jesus’ response: “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Today, those very stones in David’s city still stand. Even in their silent state, they offer a testimony for all who will listen.