Good morning –

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, September 10, 2019
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(Due to a technical glitch, some folks may have received a duplicate copy of yesterday’s Texas Minute. I apologize for the error.)

• State Sen. Patrick Fallon of Prosper announced last night he is exploring a challenge to U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the 2020 Republican Primary. Brandon Waltens reports the announcement came at a meeting of the influential True Texas Project in Tarrant County. Fallon went straight after Cornyn’s record: “What would happen in Texas if we could finally have a candidate that energized the right? I have an eight-year record to prove that.” Cornyn already has a primary challenge coming from East Texas businessman Dwayne Stovall.
        
• Sometimes not showing up is the best thing that can happen. Confused? Two Lubbock County commissioners opposed plans by the rest of the county leadership to raise the tax burden, so they broke the commissioners’ court quorum and thereby blocked the tax increase. Matt Stringer has the details.
     
• Lubbock County Commissioners Jason Corley and Chad Seay stood up for taxpayers by not showing up for the commissioners’ court meeting yesterday morning. They explained the issue in a video posted to the Facebook page of the Lubbock Taxpayers Coalition. It probably doesn’t make Corley or Seay popular with the county’s other elected officials, but their actions protected the taxpayers.
          
• In a new commentary, Allen taxpayer Alex Evans describes how – after buying a house – he received a “big education in the great fallacy of tax rate decreases: They don’t always correlate with tax bill decreases.”
      
• Frustrated by the heavy burdens of property taxes, Metroplex real estate agent Chandler Crouch is volunteering his company’s time and his personal talent to help taxpayers fight back. Check out Robert Montoya’s profile of this property tax warrior.
        
• “I didn’t want to become involved with politics at all, I just wanted to help solve the property tax issue.” – Chandler Couch
      
• Texas Right to Life is calling on lawmakers to abolish abortion in the Lone Star State: “The time has come for Texas and her elected leaders to boldly and prudently spearhead the American Pro-Life movement, continuing our battle to save lives while we steadfastly march toward the abolition of all abortion.”

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is not backing down from his push for Texas to enact the types of background checks favored by the Obama Administration on gun sales. Brandon Waltens reports Patrick told supporters in a weekend email that the National Rifle Association and other opponents were “just wrong” and “refusal to compromise on this issue will only hurt our long-term defense of the Second Amendment.”
     
• Teresa Beckmeyer, Texas Operations Director for Gun Owners of America responded by saying, “Nothing good will come from legislating based on polling instead of the Constitution. Texas Republican leadership needs to remember this.”
      
• Meanwhile, former State Rep. Matt Rinaldi (R-Irving) pointed out on Twitter that Gov. Abbott’s website still features a page opposing the Obama-era regulations now promoted by Patrick.