This article is an adaptation of a speech delivered by Mark Steyn at Hillsdale College on April 9, 2009, he noted, "Conservatives often talk about "small government." Small government gives you big freedoms-and big government leaves you with very little freedom. The bailout and the stimulus and the budget and the trillion-dollar deficits are not merely massive transfers from the most dynamic and productive sector to the least dynamic and productive. When governments annex a huge chunk of the economy, they also annex a huge chunk of individual liberty."

The Institute for Justice, Castle Coalition, National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Property Rights Alliance, and Texas Conservative Coalition issue a statement in support of HJR 14 and HB 417 regarding the need for eminent domain reform.

On Monday, the League of Women Voters released a letter which spelled out non-partisan principles to improve voter turnout.  In response to the LWV principles, State Rep. Wayne Christian, president of the Texas Conservative Coalition, issued and open letter which explains the underlying reasons to support a strong photo identification requirement.  

In a letter to Senator Steve Ogden, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the Texas Conservative Coalition encourages the Chairman to make funds available to purchase learning materials such as textbooks and technological equipment that contribute to student learning, including electronic textbooks and other devices appropriate for the use of technology in the classroom.

In a letter to Representative Todd Smith, Chairman of the House Committee on Elections, members of the Texas Conservative Coalition urge the Chairman to allow HB 125, a bill requiring a valid photo ID to vote, to be heard on the house floor.  Requiring photo IDs to vote has been found constitutional and polls show strong support in favor of requiring the IDs to vote.  Elections are the bedrock of a representative democracy and elections free of fraud are imperative to maintain public trust in the integrity of our political system.

Join the Official Nationwide Tax Day Tea Party April 15 at 4:00 pm on the steps of the Texas Capitol.  Repeal the pork and cut taxes! Senator Dan Patrick will speak and a marching band will lead the party to Lady Bird Lake for a tea party re-enactment.

Today, the House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding released its preliminary mid-session report, which perpetuates the flawed philosophical underpinnings of the federal stimulus. In addition to parroting the President's false promise of government spending as the solution to the economic crisis, the Select Committee report is fundamentally flawed in several ways.

There is a conservative, limited government approach to job creation that is a proven alternative to federal (or state) "stimulus" spending. Jobs can be created and retained by reducing the tax burden on businesses, providing incentives for businesses to locate and stay in Texas, and investing in workforce development. These approaches can help Texas retain its position as the number one job creator in the nation.

In light of the unemployment data released last week, conservative state legislators announced their plan to stimulate growth in the Texas economy. Although Texas remains better off economically than the rest of the nation, the most recent unemployment figures illustrate the imperative for a targeted and responsible state-level plan to grow the economy and create jobs.

In a letter to the State Board of Education, the Texas Conservative Coalition expresses its support for the board's efforts to revise the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science. However, the TCC implores the board to retain its requirement that students analyze, review and critique scientific explanations as to their strengths and weaknesses using scientific evidence and information.