Ken Legler Wins Race for State Representative
Republican businessman Ken Legler narrowly defeated Democrat mortgage broker Joel Redmond in the race for the House District 144 seat.
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Ken Legler Announces for State Representative
Ken Legler, a Pasadena native, has announced his candidacy for state representative, District 144, to fill the vacancy left by Robert Talton's planned retirement from the Texas Legislature.
While canvassing the district, knocking door to door, I learned so many things from you, listening to your concerns and talking to you about how I will get government working for you again.
Because of your help and support, I am on my way to Austin to fight for you!
I look forward to working to protect our children, reform the education system, fix health insurance, stop illegal immigration, cap government spending, lower your taxes, and protect your property rights.
When I get my district office established, I will give you the address and contact information.
See both state parties' platforms
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle June 14, 2008
Texas Republicans and Democrats have adopted their party platforms for 2008. Following are highlights on some issues expected to come before the Legislature next year.
Public education
R: End bilingual education; teach abstinence-only sex education; include "intelligent design" as a theory of origin; empower teachers to remove disruptive students
D: Provide universal pre-K; give instruction in English and one other language to all students; raise teacher pay; fund mentor program for every new teacher; have a comprehensive sex education program
School funding
R: Abolish school property tax and fund schools with existing budget resources, consumption taxes and spending cuts; tie spending to students through vouchers
D: More state funding; provide property tax relief by raising homestead exemption; oppose vouchers
Health
R: Protect health care personnel who conscientiously object to procedures or medications that conflict with their moral or religious beliefs; publicly fund adult stem cell research but oppose research involving human embryos; end indigent health care mandates on local governments without state funding
D: Create Texas universal health care plan; enforce nonprofit hospital charity care requirements; fund all types of stem cell research; negotiate state health plan for small businesses
Higher education
R: End "top 10 percent" admission rule; charge higher tuition to noncitizens; review tuition deregulation to determine whether it is improving quality
D: Rollback tuition and fees; reopen state prepaid tuition program; equitably fund historically black universities and colleges along the border
Crime
R: Make child and sex abuse and methamphetamine drug manufacturing top priorities; empower judges to assign punishment in felony cases; fully inform juries as to actual length of sentences
D: Create an "innocence commission" to identify causes of wrongful convictions; house juvenile offenders in community-based settings instead of remote prisons; establish a statewide office of public defenders for capital cases
Economy
R: Cap government spending; repeal revised business franchise tax; enact further measures to discourage frivolous lawsuits
D: Increase minimum wage; retrain laid-off workers; ease franchise tax burden on small businesses; regulate governor's economic development funds
Source: Texas Republican and Democratic parties
Education
"I believe we must fundamentally reform the public education system. We need to get more education for our dollar instead of just throwing more money at education. We must refocus our efforts and make certain we are teaching our children the basics. We can take steps to ensure that more of every tax dollar spent makes it to the classroom where the students are and the teaching is done. Finally we must expect standards to rise and hold public schools accountable for making sure they do."
"I favor keeping children safe by requiring criminal background checks for every public school employee, and requiring increased penalties for child sex offenders.
Healthcare
"Texas has doubled healthcare spending in the last decade with little result. We must institute conservative, free-market reforms to our healthcare system, and resist the efforts of liberals to institute a socialize medicine system. I believe in opening up the insurance market to competition and reducing government mandates that drive up costs. I firmly believe that your healthcare choices should be made by you and your doctor - not by an insurance company or a government bureaucrat."
Immigration
"The Federal Government has failed to create a workable immigration policy and to secure our borders, and the reforms the last Legislature implemented were only a small start in addressing the wave of illegal immigrants that are flooding into Texas. I will be your voice in the Texas Legislature for solutions that will stem the tide of illegal immigrants without waiting on the Federal government to wake up, and without compromising our strong economy."
" I support providing more resources for border securityenforcement including increased officer patrol hours, providing additional criminal investigators, adding security cameras, and sending Texas National Guardsmen and a rapid deployment team of state troopers to respond to illegal activity along the border."
"Also, elections must be safeguarded by ensuring that only qualified US citizens with the proper photo identification are allowed to vote."
Property Taxes
"Property taxes are out of control. Period. Even though we were promised a tax cut in the last two years, most of us didn't see it because of our skyrocketing appraisals. Even without a tax rate increase, the rise in appraisals can make our tax bill double in as little as 7 years. That's outrageous. I will be your voice in the Texas Legislature to lower the appraisal cap so that our tax relief doesn't disappear before our eyes."
Government Spending
"Government spends too much of your money. You know how to spend your money better than any Austin bureaucrat. Over the past decade, government growth has been spiraling upward, unchecked. That is why I will work to pass a constitutional amendment to ensure that all governments in Texas - state and local - will not be allowed to increase their spending by more than the rate of inflation and population growth. I also believe in honest government that spends money on its intended purpose, which is why I will work to abolish any fees or taxes that are not being spent on their intended purpose."
Property Rights
"Texas has always been a state of strong individual rights. The most fundamental is the right to property. The Supreme Court eroded those rights with the Kelo decision that allows government to take private property from one person and give it to another. That is unconscionable. We must build on the protections passed by the last legislature and further strengthen our private property rights to ensure our land isn't snatched by government and sold to the highest bidder."
Safeguarding Democracy
"You and I have to prove who we are to write a check at the grocery store or to board a plane - why shouldn't we have to prove who we are in order to vote at the polls? We must safeguard our democracy by ensuring only qualified United States citizens with proper photo identification are allowed to vote."
