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State Representative Kirk England of Texas District 106.spoke to UAW 848 retirees
on January 10. He emphasized the need for new methods in state government. In
the last sessions, he said, it was "Craddick's way or the highway."
Tom Craddick is currently the Speaker of the House. He has been under fire for
autocratic rule and for interfering in elections in other districts. England
said that Craddick had already been in District 106 to seek a candidate who
would support him in the next session.
Kirk England speaks with a good deal of authority about the tactics of the ruling party in Texas, as he switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party last September. He told the retirees, "It was never about party politics for me." During the recent legislative session, he came to the conclusion that, "The leadership in Austin, and particularly Speaker Tom Craddick, had no appreciation for independent thinkers." He went on to say that the Craddick leadership had no appareciation for working class towns like Grand Prairie.
The number one financial issue for state government is the public school system, but, England pointed out, "They try to find blame with the public education system, instead of trying to find solutions. We are going to have to invest in education. We are going to have to invest in our teachers." England also expressed his concern over developments in health care for the working poor.
"Voter ID" will be a big issue in the next legislature, Kirk England told the retirees. It passed the House last time, and was only stopped in the Senate by one vote. "Voter-ID" legislation, currently the law in Indiana and under review in the Supreme Court, would require everybody to have government-issued, picture identification at the voting polls. Around 12 million seniors, disabled, and poverty-stricken American voters currently have no drivers' license, and a new identification requirement would tend to diminish their voting rights. Those who argue for "Voter-ID" laws are trying to "solve" a problem that does not exist, according to Representative England, He said that Republicans "spin" the idea that Voter ID would stop undocumented immigrants from voting, but there has never been a case of any such fraud. "There is no evidence that we have illegal immigrants voting in Texas or in the United States," England said. He went on, "It's a wedge issue that the Republican Party is spinning to try to create anxiety among the people of the United States." "The Republican Party knows that they can diminish the vote from working people in Texas."
England estimated that "Voter-ID" laws would effectively, "Disenfranchise 3 to 4 million voters in this country." Even though such a law would devastate voting rights in Texas, England said, "It is a breath away!"
Representative Kirk England commended retirees for their commitment to voting in every election. He encouraged all seniors over 65 to take advantage of the state's easy absentee voting system. "I am a huge fan of absentee ballots," England said.
Retirees re-affiliate with Texas Alliance
Representative England sat through a short business session of the Local 848 retirees. The first issue was to pay our annual affiliation fee to the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans. The second was to pass a resolution against Voter-ID and all efforts to curtail voting rights. Brother Al Blevins was recognized for having been selected to attend a Washington DC dedication of a new World War II veterans memorial.
The group, including our State Representative, enjoyed a sociable luncheon of barbecue and dishes brought from home.
WW II vets Ed Reach, Al Blevins, and Woody Dobbins enjoyed
the luncheon and Kirk England's presentation
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