GOP Gubernatorial Hopeful Danny Harrison Makes A Plea To Texas Voters Ahead Of Primaries

DALLAS, TEXAS, USA, February 5, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As Texas voters ready themselves to head to the polls for early voting one candidate is making a plea to them regarding the future of the state. Republican Danny Harrison released the following statement on Saturday morning:

"Ahead of early voting and this critical primary election for the state of Texas I want to talk with Texans about the economic security of our state and of our country. I want to talk to you about what the real situation is and what I think we need to do about it. You already the truth because you are feeling it every single day. You are feeling it at the pump and at the cash register. You are feeling it every time you pay a bill or when you have to make a decision on if whether you can afford healthcare or medications. You already know the truth and you don't like it--I don't either.

As of August 31, 2021 Texas had a total of $63.21 billion in state debt outstanding. Some say that is good thing, but I don't think it is. That number is only going up and even though we have money in coffers to cover it--we cannot continue wasteful spending and a government that is running out of control while spending without regard.

Between 2020 and 2021 Texas experienced an average inflation rate of 4.79% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $20 in Dallas in the year 2020 would cost $20.96 in 2021 for an equivalent purchase. Now, let's you and I look at the time that Governor Greg Abbott has been in office between 2015 and 2021. Texas experienced an average inflation rate of 2.39% per year. This rate of change indicates significant inflation. In other words, $20 in Texas in the year 2015 would cost $23.05 in 2021 for an equivalent purchase. Compared to the overall inflation rate of 2.26% during this same period, inflation in Texas was higher.

Governor Abbott would have you to believe that this is totally to blame on the federal government. Well, that is only partly true. Reality is that he and his way of administration has driven up the cost of living in Texas. In fact, Governor Abbott enjoyed a strong federal economy under President Trump. From an economic standpoint things were looking pretty good under President Trump--but in Texas the cost of getting by only increased. Why? Because of bad management and bad government.

If you pay rent in Texas you are paying far more than you were in 2015. Texas apartment rent has jumped by more than 20% in the last year. If you are homeowner in Texas the state is charging you more to live in it. In 2010, local governments in Texas collected $40.2 billion in property taxes. By 2019, the latest year for which data is available, that number had risen to $67.2 billion. You get the picture--Texas has a larger debt and the cost of living is going up under Greg Abbott's leadership as Governor.

You and I both know that we cannot afford this nor can we keep this pace up. Texas needs to come up with a may to find new revenue and pump that money back into the pockets of people like you and I. Texas needs a change in political philosophy in order to keep our government in check. The Texas government needs to remember one important thing: Government does not exist for for to depend on it, Government exists to depend on us. It only has as much power and control as we, the people give it.

Now, I understand that many of my opponents have laid out complicated plans that supposedly lower taxes over eight years. Well, it sounds good but there is a lot of "blue sky" in that plan and there is very little, if any, hope of such a plan making it through the Texas legislature. Other candidates in my race have said that Texas does not need new revenue and that we have all of the money that we need. I could not disagree more. They claim that we have enough oil and gas money to float us into the future. They claim that we already have enough industry to keep moving forward. I don't think so. Those candidates don't seem to get it and they are not presenting a real alternative to the same old bad government.

What I propose is different. I am laying my plan out to the Texas people clearly. For some Republicans this will be a hard pill to swallow but it is a new way to move our state forward and create good paying jobs, eliminate property taxes, and improve the lives of millions of Texans.

First, I propose letting Texans decide for themselves if they want to move my plan forward. I want the people to vote on it and have their say-so. Then, if they do, we enact it--and it won't take long for it to happen. We need the expansion of gaming laws in Texas. Texas has some of the strictest gaming laws in the country and it is time we tap into the world of in-person gaming and internet based gambling. The state can tax operators, eliminate and control illegally operated game rooms, and pump billions of dollars back into local economies around the state. That money can be used for education, teacher retirement, healthcare and the elimination of property taxes. We must also free millions of Texans from being treated as criminals using marijuana. We must stop forcing Texans to defend themselves in court, stop paying for the prosecution of offense and incarcerations. Again, this is another way to end property taxes and improve our way of life and lower our cost of living in Texas. These are practical and logical solutions for our path ahead.

As Texans head to the polls I am asking for your vote and confidence in my plan. "

Matt Pierce
Danny Harrison For Texas
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