State Convention
Thursday June 7th, Friday June 8th and Saturday June 9th at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Ft Worth, Texas. Further information on schedule of events, volunteer opportunities, exhibitor invitations, etc. will be available.

On-line applications for the Texas State Convention have closed. However, you may still submit a Nomination Application at the County/Senatorial Convention on Saturday April 21.

Collin County Republican Party Chairman Fred Moses has announced that the 2012 Collin County Republican Senatorial Conventions will be held on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at the Preston Ridge Campus of Collin College at 9700 Wade Boulevard in Frisco starting at 8:00 a.m. for those in State Senatorial District 8 and at 2:00 pm for those in State Senatorial District 30.

The Collin County Republican Senatorial Convention is held in even-numbered election years, as part of the statewide and national Republican convention process. The purposes of the convention are to choose delegates and alternates to the Republican Party of Texas (RPT) State Convention, currently scheduled for June 7-9 in Fort Worth, and to consider resolutions or statements on policy issues to send to the State Convention for eventual inclusion in the state and national Party platforms. All attendees have the right to seek to become a state delegate and to bring forth resolutions for consideration by the convention.

In past election cycles, the Collin County Senatorial District Conventions have been held two weeks after the Primary Election. Because of federal court involvement and changes to the 2012 Texas Primary Elections, a three-judge panel in San Antonio issued a court order that moved the date of the convention into April, to a date that is before the May 29th Texas Primary Election. The State Party has issued a clear set of guidelines to bring all conventions into compliance with the court order and Collin County Republicans are ready to execute these procedures.
One of the main differences in this year’s Republican convention process is that the Collin County Republican Party will not be conducting precinct conventions on the evening of the Primary Election. Since the Primary Election falls so late on the calendar, the Collin County Republican Party acted in accordance with RPT rules for the 2012 cycle in voting to forego precinct conventions and move straight to the district conventions. All attendees will be seated by precinct and will vote their precinct strength.

In making the announcement, County Chairman Fred Moses said, “Although the timing of this year’s convention schedule has changed for Collin County Republicans, we are more enthusiastic than ever about coming together for this important event and ready to get to work. On behalf of our county party, I invite all interested Collin County Republicans to join us on Saturday, April 21 at Preston Ridge to participate in important discussions and decisions that will carry forward to our State Republican Convention and beyond.”

Since the district conventions will be held before the May 29 Texas Primary Election, the Collin County Senatorial Republican Conventions will be open to any registered voter who signs an oath of affiliation with the Republican Party of Texas. A complete list of convention participants will be maintained by the County Party, and submitted to the Collin County Elections Office for their record-keeping after the convention.

For any additional questions or information, please contact Collin County Republican Headquarters at 972-540-5985 or by email at: collincountygop@sbcglobal.net. For more information you can also go to the Collin County GOP website, at collincountygop.com, or the RPT website, TexasGOP.org.

For anyone interested in attending the State Convention, Collin County State Convention Nomination Applications are now available at our GOP Headquarters. You may contact Headquarters and get the application to complete for consideration as a delegate or alternate by the Senatorial Nominating Committees for the State Convention.

Collin County GOP Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

Join our Honorary Hosts as we celebrate our wonderful Precinct Chairs and our outstanding Volunteers!

Honorary Hosts:

Congressman Ralph Hall

Congressman Sam Johnson

Congressman Pete Sessions

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Registration 11:30am
Luncheon Noon

Courtyard Marriott, Allen

$25

Event Chairs:  SREC Members Neal Katz and Candy Noble

RSVP: Collin County Headquarters,  972-540-5985 or collincountygop@sbcglobal.net

RPT Staff Analysis of H309 (Court Interim Map)

RPT Staff Analysis of C235 (Court Interim Map)

You can click on the above link to see the full analysis of the new State House districts in PDF format. This analysis shows side-by-side comparisons of the number of Republican districts under the maps used in the 2010 elections, the districts that were originally drawn by the Texas Legislature, the districts that were drawn by the three-judge panel in 2011 (and which were subsequently challenged), and the districts that the three-judge panel has issued today. The percentages are based on the average of the top 9 statewide Republican candidates in the 2010 General Election.
Our staff’s analysis leads to the conclusion that while the new State House map creates one less Republican district (defined as a district being over 50% Republican) than the map drawn by the Legislature – it is an improvement over the previous map issued by the San Antonio three-judge panel, which drew three less Republican districts. Thus, Attorney General Abbott’s appeal of the interim maps to the Supreme Court has yielded two more Republican districts than if he had not appealed. In addition, the new map creates the same number of districts as the original legislative map which are over 48% Republican, that being 102. This represents an improvement of one over the previous map drawn by the San Antonio three-judge panel. The new map also creates three more Republican districts over 55% than the previous map drawn by the San Antonio three-judge panel, although this is four districts less than the original legislative maps. However, the new map actually has three more districts over 55% than existed in 2010.
Commenting on the afternoon’s developments, RPT State Chairman Steve Munisteri stated: “While we are disappointed that the San Antonio three-judge panel did not follow completely the legislative maps in today’s new maps, we are appreciative of General Abbott’s efforts to mitigate the damage done by the federal courts by appealing this to the Supreme Court. His successful efforts to have the U.S. Supreme Court intervene has resulted in a new map which should enable the Republican Party of Texas to maintain a substantial majority of the Texas House of Representatives, and gives us a chance to obtain the second highest number of Republicans ever elected to the Texas House. The State Party’s job will now be to ensure that we elect as many Republicans as possible in November.”
Our staff has also run an analysis on the Congressional plan released today by the panel (see the above link for that document in PDF format). The analysis indicates that there will be 25 Republican seats that have a Republican average vote of over 55%. This translates into the Republican Party expecting to gain 2 of the 4 new Congressional seats. Under the original Congressional map issued by the Legislature, the Republican Party hoped to gain 3 seats. However, we may not have gained any seats under the previous map drawn by the San Antonio three-judge panel, so General Abbott’s efforts have resulted in the possibility of reclaiming two of the three lost seats.
Also, a State Senate map was issued today under which Republicans would be expected to win at least 19 of 31 State Senate seats with a chance to increase that margin to 20 if we can defeat Democrat Senator Wendy Davis.
It is important to note that these are only interim maps for the 2012 elections and still could change prior to 2014 as a result of either future court action or additional legislative redistricting in the upcoming session.

AUSTIN – On Monday afternoon, Attorney General Greg Abbott announced an agreement with some of the plaintiffs to the Texas redistricting lawsuit. In a released statement on Monday, the Attorney General indicated support from a significant number of plaintiffs’ groups, including: Texas LULAC, MALDEF, GI Forum, The Mexican American Bar Association of Texas, La Fe Policy Research and Education Center, Hispanics Organized for Political Education (HOPE), the National Organization for Mexican American Rights, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, the William C. Velasquez Institute, Southwest Workers’ Union, and other plaintiffs collectively known as the “Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force.” With respect to the U.S. Congress, the Attorney General was also able to reach an agreement with Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar.
The Attorney General has posted the proposed maps online which are agreed to by these plaintiffs. The Republican Party of Texas has been closely analyzing these proposed lines. If the court agrees to enact these interim maps, the proposal should enable the Republican Party to have an excellent chance at preserving all of the Congressional seats we won in 2010, and would also provide a very strong chance at picking up an additional couple of Congressional seats from the four Texas has gained through reapportionment. This is an improvement over the maps originally issued by the San Antonio three-judge panel. Under those maps, there was a possibility that the Republican Party would not win any of the new four seats, and Republicans also faced a possibility of losing one or two of our existing incumbents.
In regards to proposed maps for the Texas House of Representatives, the proposal preserves the ability of the Republican Party to achieve a solid majority in that body. RPT staff has analyzed the maps over the past few hours and believe that there will be 96 State House districts with an average GOP vote of 50% or better (using vote totals for the 2008 Presidential Election.) Thus, the new proposed maps represent an improvement over the court-issued maps, with fewer Republican seats at risk than the lines drawn by the San Antonio three-judge panel last year.
On the State Senate side, there is really only one district in dispute – that being SD 10 with Democratic Senator Wendy Davis. A trial is already scheduled this week on that district, so hopefully the court will be in a position to issue a ruling early next week and issue a new State Senate map in time for there to be a single unified primary in April.
While these are only proposed maps at the present time, the filing of them greatly increases the chances that there will still be a single unified primary in mid-April. It is the Republican Party of Texas’ position that even if maps are not agreed to by all parties, that the Court now has sufficient information as to the respective positions of all parties so as to allow the Court to issue final maps in time for a single unified primary in mid-April. The RPT filed an advisory this morning to this effect, a copy of which is linked here.
Republican Party of Texas Chairman Steve Munisteri issued the following statement, relative to these developments. “I believe these lines are a substantial improvement overall when compared to the maps initially released by the San Antonio three-judge panel overseeing redistricting. These proposed maps do have some substantial differences from the originally drawn legislative maps. The unanimous Supreme Court ruling in January stated that the legislative maps (prior to preclearance) and the San Antonio three-judge panel maps were both unable to be used in the 2012 Texas primary, but the Supreme Court also said that the legislative maps needed to be a starting point. As the Attorney General announced today, this agreement complies with the Supreme Court’s criteria, while at the same time preserving the opportunity for Republicans to make gains in the Congressional delegation and to preserve our solid majority in the State Legislature.”
Munisteri continued, “I am hopeful that the San Antonio three-judge panel will rule in a timely fashion on these new proposed maps, so that our candidates can have certainty and so that we can move forward with a unified primary. I am particularly hopeful that we can still have a Presidential primary prior to any candidates obtaining a majority of delegates necessary for nomination, and that Texas can still have a significant voice in the Republican Presidential primary process.
Advisory to all Republican county chairmen, precinct chairmen, and party activists – It appears as though today’s developments make it unlikely that there will be an April 3rd Primary. However, it is increasingly likely that there will be a single unified primary in mid-April. If the three-judge panel acts swiftly on these new proposed maps, it is still possible for an April unified primary to occur. Therefore, we recommend you still make preliminary preparations for a primary sometime in the second or third week of April. We still cannot definitively tell you when the primary will occur, but we expect there to be additional announcements within the next week, so please be on the lookout for additional emails and leadership advisories.

All Pictures provided by Marc Friedland Photography
Marc M. Friedland of Marc Friedland Photography is a talented, nationally-published, award-winning Dallas, Texas professional photographer whose passion exudes both in the quality of his work and his enthusiastic personality. His 33-year love affair with location and studio photography focuses on Family Wall Portraiture, Weddings, Events [Corporate or Personal], and Commercial work to include Glamour/Fashion and Business Promotion. Marc has the knack to capture just the right moments for a candid image or that creative “look”. The Marc Friedland Photography Portrait Studio is located in Far North Dallas. Marc is a Member of the Professional Photographers of America, the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, the Texas Professional Photographers Association, the Dallas Professional Photographers Association and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. He also has an extensive portfolio of Fine Art images of nature and landscape images. Marc can be reached at 469.223.7766.

www.MarcFriedlandPhoto.com

All Pictures provided by Marc Friedland Photography
Marc M. Friedland of Marc Friedland Photography is a talented, nationally-published, award-winning Dallas, Texas professional photographer whose passion exudes both in the quality of his work and his enthusiastic personality. His 33-year love affair with location and studio photography focuses on Family Wall Portraiture, Weddings, Events [Corporate or Personal], and Commercial work to include Glamour/Fashion and Business Promotion. Marc has the knack to capture just the right moments for a candid image or that creative “look”. The Marc Friedland Photography Portrait Studio is located in Far North Dallas. Marc is a Member of the Professional Photographers of America, the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, the Texas Professional Photographers Association, the Dallas Professional Photographers Association and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. He also has an extensive portfolio of Fine Art images of nature and landscape images. Marc can be reached at 469.223.7766.

www.MarcFriedlandPhoto.com

Monday, September 26, 2011

Tee It Up for 2012!
Collin County Republican Party
Golf Tournament
TPC Craig Ranch
8000 Collin McKinney Parkway

Schedule

• 11:30 AM: Check in & Driving Range Open
• 1:00 PM: Shotgun Start (Box lunch served on golf cart)
• 5:30 PM: Buffet Dinner & Awards

Contests

• Hole-in-One Contest
• Closest to the Pin
• Longest Drive
• Team Prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place

$250 Player Fee Includes:

• Green & Cart Fees
• Range Balls
• Lunch
• Goody Bag
• Award Ceremony & Buffet Dinner
• $200 Early Bid Player Fee through September 1st

Host Chair

• David Craig, Founder TPC Craig Ranch

Tournament Chairs

• Chuck O’Reilly: oreillyc3@aol.com
• Richard Dodson: dodson15@yahoo.com
• Tim McCord: collincountygop@sbcglobal.net

Register

First Name
Last Name
Street Address
City State Zip
Home Phone
Office Phone
Mobile Phone
Email
Employer
Occupation
Employer and occupation information is collected for Federal/State PAC reporting purposes only.
Number of Players

Collin County Legislative Briefing Luncheon

Legislators

• The Honorable Florence Shapiro: State Senator 8
• The Honorable Craig Estes: State Senator 30
• The Honorable Van Taylor: State Representative 66
• The Honorable Jerry Madden: State Representative 67
• The Honorable Ken Paxton: State Representative 70
• The Honorable Jodie Laubenberg: State Representative 89

Registered Voters 415353 – Cards Cast 19420 (4.68%)
Precincts 179 – Precincts Reporting 179 (100.00%)

For more details visit:  http://www.co.collin.tx.us/elections/election_results/index.jsp

While millions of Americans are more than ready to put 2009 behind them, they should know that Congress failed to reauthorize dozens of tax breaks for individuals and businesses before the Members scurried home for the Holidays. These “expiring provisions” affect every American in one way or another as individuals or businesses. By allowing them to lapse, Congress has enacted tax increases at time when these taxpayers can least afford it.

The House has passed legislation (H.R. 4213) that would have extended 63 current tax provisions, but the Senate failed to bring this bill to a vote. Thus, all of these provisions expired at midnight last night. Notable provisions as reported today by Tax Notes include:

• Deduction of state and local general sales taxes (section 164) (Personal Tax Incentives)
• Additional standard deduction, up to $500 for individuals and $1,000 for couples, for state and local property taxes (section 63) (Personal Tax Incentives)
• Research tax credit and alternative simplified credit (section 41) (General Business Tax Incentives)
• New markets tax credit (section 45D) (Community Assistance Provisions)
• Empowerment zone incentives (sections 1391 and 1202) (Community Assistance Provisions)
• Renewal community tax incentives (sections 1400E, 1400F, 1400I, and 1400J) (Community Assistance Provisions)
• District of Columbia Investment Incentives (sections 1400, 1400A, 1400B, and 1400C) (Community Assistance Provisions)
• Net disaster loss designation and $500 limit per casualty for personal casualty losses attributed to federally declared natural disasters (section 165) (General Disaster Relief Provisions)
• Expensing for qualified disaster expenses (section 198A) (General Disaster Relief Provisions)
• Biodiesel and renewable diesel incentives (section 40A) (Energy Incentives)
• Alternative motor vehicle credit for heavy hybrids (section 30B) (Energy Incentives)

Although the House has acted and passed its version of the Tax Extenders Act of 2009, the Senate failed to act on similar legislation, as a result the following additional key tax provisions will expire:

• Increased exemption levels for the individual alternative minimum tax (section 55) and personal tax credits allowed against the AMT (section 26)
• Exclusion of unemployment compensation benefits from gross income (section 85)
• Alternative fuel mixture tax credit (section 6426(e))
• Reduced estimated tax payments for small businesses (section 6654(d)(1)(D))

The Senate has had a lot on its plate this year. But it is still unacceptable that they have stalled on the chance to extend these tax provisions that affect every American. By allowing these tax provisions to expire, taxes will rise on many individuals and businesses, and for some of these groups, a punitively steep tax hike.

At the very least, we hope for a New Year’s Resolution from Congress that it acts swiftly in 2010 on passing legislation to amend and extend tax laws that assist every American individual and business which will lead to a stronger, robust economy.

Even better, would be if Congress reformed the entire tax code and brought us a tax system based on one rate, applied once to all income, and in a form every taxpayer can understand. However, that may be asking too much in one New Year’s Resolution.

Given recent comments about our state’s budget, I feel it is time to separate fact from political fiction. The fact is, in stark contrast to the U. S. Congress, the Texas Constitution requires the Legislature to balance the state budget every two years, and that would have happened with or without any federal stimulus dollars.

In 2007, I led the effort to save $7 billion to balance the revenue shortfall we anticipated this year.

So it’s simply political fiction that stimulus dollars were necessary to balance our budget.

Although we tried to use the federal stimulus dollars on one-time expenditures, in some cases the federal government made us use the money on recurring costs that actually add to the cost of state government.

While other states struggle with overwhelming deficits, Texas has created a model for the rest of the nation to follow that is based on living within its available revenue. The state cut taxes a net $4 billion per year in 2007 while fostering a predictable regulatory environment that allows business to thrive and continue to make Texas the No. 1 job creator in the U.S. over the past two years.

Although this year’s session took place in the context of significant turmoil in the global marketplace and economic upheaval in Texas and across our country, the Legislature successfully shaped a balanced state budget that meets the needs of Texans and sufficiently funds essential programs and agencies through the next two years.

Working together, we crafted and Gov. Rick Perry signed a balanced budget that has left our state prepared to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. Not only did we balance our budget without raising taxes, we cut taxes for more than 40,000 small businesses and left our Rainy Day Fund untouched so we can once again balance our budget in 2011.

The fact remains that Texas is one of only six states whose budget isn’t in the red, even though our state is among the fastest growing in the nation. The state has an unemployment rate well below the national average, it continues to attract jobs from companies that have relocated or expanded in Texas, it has one of the healthiest housing markets in the nation, and Texas cities are consistently recognized for their healthy job markets, high quality of living and resistance to the recession. Here in Texas, we live within our means and create a climate that gives individuals and businesses the opportunity to succeed.

Texas has faced and overcome tough financial situations in the past by tightening our belt, just like Texas families are doing today. In 2003, Texas encountered a $10 billion budget shortfall. Instead of raising taxes, we cut discretionary spending and implemented sound fiscal policies that helped us generate a multi-billion dollar surplus over the next six years, before the national recession hit Texas.

Unlike Washington, we balance our budget every session, control spending, keep taxes low and ensure our children and grandchildren aren’t saddled with the kind of crippling debt that our federal government has irresponsibly created.

Get Educated * Be Informed * Make a Difference

The entire course is FREE to CCCR and Firewheel Conservative members.
Non-members, $40 for entire course series, includes materials.
Non-members, $10/per session, includes materials.
½ price discount for all currently enrolled students.

• August 27, 2009: Federal, State and County Government
• September 24, 2009: Collin County Republican Party, Precinct Chairs, State Republican Executive Committee, Republican National Committee
• October 22, 2009: Texas Legislature: Structure and Responsibilities of Texas Government
• January 28, 2010: U.S. and Texas Constitutions
• February 25, 2010: National, State, Senatorial and Precinct Conventions, Resolution Writing, Party Platform and Delegates
• March 25, 2010: Grassroots Activism

Facilitators include: Collin County Judge Keith Self; State Representative Jodie Laubenberg; State Representative Ken Paxton; Collin County Republican Party Chairman Fred Moses; Collin County Republican Party Vice Chairman Diann Jones; Collin County Republican Party Executive Director Sheryl Mills; Republican National Committeewoman Cathie Adams; Collin County Conservative Republicans President Diana Dail; Texas State Republican Executive Committeewoman (SD 30) Ashlea Quinonez; Jeremy Schwab and others.

All courses convene at 7:00 p.m. at Collin County Republican Party Headquarters, 8416 Stacy Rd., McKinney, TX 75070. For more information, please contact Diana Dail at cccrpresident@yahoo.com

Collin County Conservative Republicans

Keeping Texas Strong, Free & Prosperous

www.CollinCountyConservativeRepublicans.com

Pol. Ad. Paid for by CCCR PAC, Herb Miller, Treasurer, P.O. Box 1845, McKinney, TX 75070

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Mauris leo erat, imperdiet sit amet vehicula at, aliquam vel nisi. Proin tincidunt erat et orci dapibus ultrices. Maecenas eget massa id purus consectetur sodales. Vestibulum euismod lobortis nulla et vulputate. Praesent commodo mi ut velit fermentum eleifend. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Phasellus auctor, lacus quis vestibulum hendrerit, sem mauris imperdiet purus, vitae laoreet lectus tellus nec leo. Cras eu diam in orci ultricies varius. Nulla id mauris sem, in fermentum lacus. Nullam feugiat mollis neque, dictum ornare magna bibendum nec. Nulla cursus egestas mauris, vitae consequat sapien viverra vitae. Cras dictum odio in ante porta ornare. Sed fermentum tincidunt viverra. Curabitur nec pellentesque quam. Phasellus rutrum condimentum accumsan. Nam nec scelerisque leo. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae;

Newly released data from the IRS clearly debunks the conventional Beltway rhetoric that the “rich” are not paying their fair share of taxes.

Indeed, the IRS data shows that in 2007—the most recent data available—the top 1 percent of taxpayers paid 40.4 percent of the total income taxes collected by the federal government. This is the highest percentage in modern history. By contrast, the top 1 percent paid 24.8 percent of the income tax burden in 1987, the year following the 1986 tax reform act.

Remarkably, the share of the tax burden borne by the top 1 percent now exceeds the share paid by the bottom 95 percent of taxpayers combined. In 2007, the bottom 95 percent paid 39.4 percent of the income tax burden. This is down from the 58 percent of the total income tax burden they paid twenty years ago.

To put this in perspective, the top 1 percent is comprised of just 1.4 million taxpayers and they pay a larger share of the income tax burden now than the bottom 134 million taxpayers combined.

Some in Washington say the tax system is still not progressive enough. However, the recent IRS data bolsters the findings of an OECD study released last year showing that the U.S.—not France or Sweden—has the most progressive income tax system among OECD nations. We rely more heavily on the top 10 percent of taxpayers than does any nation and our poor people have the lowest tax burden of those in any nation.

We are definitely overdue for some honesty in the debate over the progressivity of the nation’s tax burden before lawmakers enact any new taxes to pay for expanded health care.

source: http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/24944.html