Facts are Stubborn Things
Now, back to what
this website has always been about: Betty Brown and her record.
Recorded Votes: When I said, "No," I meant "Yes"
Betty has made some interesting assertions in local papers over the past couple
months. Most recently, she came out in the Athens Daily Review encouraging voters to support Proposition 11,
the amendment which makes current law requiring record votes part of the Texas Constitution. The proposition overwhelmingly
passed, and it will ensure that we have a long-lasting tool to keep politicians accountable.
However, Betty didn't always share voters' fervor for this important amendment.
In September, I attended a Republican club meeting in which Betty was asked about this very issue. She hemmed and hawed
for a while, never giving a straight answer, and she concluded her response by saying that recording votes would be "cumbersome"
and "slow down the business of the legislature." Two months later, the Review reported her
saying that "a key principle of democracy is open government and the voters’ ability to hold their elected
officials accountable." That's a radical turnaround in two months: from "cumbersome" to
"a key principle of democracy."
In
that same story, Betty said, “I have always encouraged my constituents who had a question about my votes to contact
my office." Yes, she has. You can contact her and contact her and contact her, but she does not say
she will reply. My letter dated August 17, 2007, has yet to receive a response from The Honorable Betty Brown.
But it looks more like a Participation Ribbon
Betty sent out press releases to local papers proclaiming she had recently
received an award: She was named the 2007 "Representative of the Year" by TORCH (Texas Organization for Residential
Care Homes). Sounds decent, right? That's what I thought until this week. Guess who is the primary
lobbyist for TORCH.....Jordan Berry.
Mr. Jordan
Berry began lobbying for TORCH in April 2007, earning somewhere between $10,000 and $24,999 for his contract (the Texas Ethics
Commission only requires lobbyists to give a range for the amount their contracts are worth). Below is a breakdown of
some of his and Betty's activities:
Feb.
thru Nov. 2006--Betty Brown's campaign writes checks to Mr. Berry totaling $4,233.89 (Tx Ethics Comm)
July 2006--the Athens Daily Review refers to Berry as a "consultant to Brown"
October 2006--Berry attends a political forum for Betty Brown, defending
her record on education (Athens Daily Review)
April 2007--Berry
starts lobbying for TORCH (Tx Ethics Comm)
September 2007--TORCH
declares Rep. Brown "Legislator of the Year"
November 2007--without
revealing his ties to Betty or to TORCH, Berry writes a letter attacking the author of this website, her husband, and Wade
Gent
Betty's deal with her consultant reeks
of "If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." That outlook may benefit Betty, but it is a slap
in the face to her constituents.
"I co-authored...."
Betty has recently started bragging that she co-authored HB 1034, legislation passed earlier in 2007 which added the words
"under God" to the Texas Pledge of Allegiance.
Before I go on, I want to make something very clear: I believe God has smiled upon this country. I believe
that without His grace we wouldn't have survived the Revolutionary War and many other internal and external conflicts
since. We have been blessed by God, and it is right and wise to give Him credit for our successes as a nation
and as individuals who continue to rely upon His grace.
Adding "under God" to the Texas pledge is fine; I don't have a problem with it. I do have
a problem with Betty using conveniently vague information to try to get re-elected. Betty can tell you the exact number
of times she voted last session. She can quote certain bill numbers, and she portrays herself as a thorough handler
of information. And when she writes about HB 1034, she always, always makes it a point to mention she "co-authored"
the bill.
The truth is much less glamorous
for Betty: there were a total of 96 co-authors of HB 1034. More than half of the Texas House
of Representatives co-authored that bill. Betty Brown was about as instrumental in its passage as I was for the sun
rising this morning. It would have passed with or without her. I don't expect her to rattle off the names
of the 95 people she joined, but to make it look like she was one of a select few when she was actually in the great majority
is distasteful, especially when God's name is involved. As an elected official, Betty should give us a complete
account of her political involvement, so we can make an informed decision on whether or not she is fit to continue in
office.
Conclusion
Just when you think she can't dig herself into
a hole any deeper, Betty pops up with another shovel full of dirt. Her prevarications and sleights-of-hand have
got to stop. Betty needs to start telling the truth as she should have been from the beginning, and if she won't,
then we have no choice but to vote for someone else who will.
