Nov. 20, 2025

From Stay-At-Home Dad To State Representative

From Stay-At-Home Dad To State Representative

Have a question or comment for Pastor Plek or one of his guests. Send it here. 375: What happens when a stay-at-home dad with a decade of youth outreach experience decides to run for the Texas House? We sit down with District 50 candidate John Hash to map the road from everyday life to the state Capitol, translating committee-speak, ballot rules, and campaign realities into plain English. If you’ve ever wondered how bills are crafted, why fundraising expands staff power, or what a representat...

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Season 4

Have a question or comment for Pastor Plek or one of his guests. Send it here.

375: What happens when a stay-at-home dad with a decade of youth outreach experience decides to run for the Texas House? We sit down with District 50 candidate John Hash to map the road from everyday life to the state Capitol, translating committee-speak, ballot rules, and campaign realities into plain English. If you’ve ever wondered how bills are crafted, why fundraising expands staff power, or what a representative can actually change for local schools, this conversation gives you a clear window into the process.

If you care about Texas politics, public education, and the moral foundations behind policy, this episode will challenge and equip you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves local civics, and leave a review with the one change you’d make for Texas schools. Your feedback shapes what we tackle next.

Text your questions to us at 737-231-0605 or visit pastorplek.com. We talk faith, culture, and everything in between.

Like, share, and subscribe! We love seeing and responding to your reviews and comments.

Support the show: https://wbcc.churchcenter.com/giving

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00:05 - Meet John Hash And The Race

00:38 - What A Texas State Rep Does

03:04 - District 50 Map And Makeup

05:24 - Election Timeline And Open Seat

07:37 - John’s Story, Faith, And Scouts

12:18 - Early Career In Advising And Outreach

18:08 - Stay-At-Home Dad And Returning To Church

20:59 - Ballot Rules, Fees, And Signatures

24:31 - Campaign Staffing And Lawmaking Mechanics

28:06 - Why Run Now And How He Prepared

31:56 - Evaluating Talarico’s Record

35:05 - Abortion, Travel, And Moral Grounds

44:02 - Church, Community, And Public Support

50:36 - Education Focus And State Levers

55:12 - Failing Schools, Funding, And Turnarounds

01:01:34 - Safety, Cameras, And Teacher Retention

01:07:14 - Testing, Curriculum, And Faith In Schools

01:14:20 - Costs, Small Towns, And Migration

01:20:20 - Closing Priorities: Feed Kids, Build Safety

WEBVTT

00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:07.360
And welcome back to Pastor Plex Podcast.

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I'm your host, Pastor Plex, along with none other than Pastor Holland.

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How are you doing?

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Hello.

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Doing great.

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And we have today a very, very, very, very special guest, John Hash.

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Uh, and I want you to introduce yourself with like tell us what you're uh trying to run for and uh and kind of like where you're going with your career right now.

00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:27.039
Okay, yeah.

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Well, first off, thanks for having me here.

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Um, my name is John Hash, and I'm running for Texas State Representative of District 50.

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District 50.

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So yeah, first I'm gonna break that down.

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State representatives, what do we do?

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Who are they?

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All that stuff.

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And then we're gonna go.

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Yeah, are you going to are you going to DC?

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Not exactly.

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Nope.

00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:46.799
I'm going to the DC of Texas.

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Nice.

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So that's here down the road.

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Kind of works out, right?

00:00:50.079 --> 00:00:50.399
Works out for you.

00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:52.159
I don't have to go very far.

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A lot of the other state representatives who come from Panhandle or you know out west, they they have to travel in, spend a few days, go back.

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Uh, that's a little bit more strain on family.

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So fortunately, we're very close.

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But a state representative, uh, similar to how we view our federal government that has uh an executive, a legislative, and a judicial branch, we have that here in Texas on the state level.

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So it is we have our executive with the governor, lieutenant governor, we have our uh legislative, we have our own house and our senate, and we also have you know a Texas Supreme Court judicial system.

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So we are just mimicking on a what I would say slightly smaller scale.

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Yeah.

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So state representatives, they are elected uh based upon the district that they live in.

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Uh, I believe we have 150 uh state representatives uh broken up across the state of Texas.

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Uh and when we talk about how do uh how do we just the other day we had several uh proposed constitutional amendments.

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Yeah.

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Those were the state.

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To the state.

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Right.

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Yeah, state constitutional amendments.

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Uh those were written by representatives and senators here at the state level.

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Okay.

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They will discuss policy, they will then work with lawyers to write a bill.

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That bill gets put forth into a subcommittee.

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Uh, could be on education, could be on healthcare, could be on veteran affairs, it gets discussed there.

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It then gets put to a vote.

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If it makes it out of the subcommittee, it makes it to the state house floor, which has uh all the members of the house can then discuss uh that particular bill.

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From there, it can go several ways, get kicked back to committee for reevaluation.

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If it doesn't pass, it can be passed and then sent on to in this case, uh, we're talking about from Senate or from House to the Senate.

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Uh, and they have to be able to pass the same bill.

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So if the Senate looks at it and they make revisions, then that gets passed back to confirmation for the House to make sure that we're all on the same page.

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Uh so state reps, they represent uh certain areas.

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In Austin, we have about a dozen or so districts uh because dense population and it all is population-based.

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Yeah.

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Uh so the district 50 does incorporate uh where we are sitting today here in the Wells Branch neighborhood.

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Yeah.

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Uh we're kind of what I would say is the northwest corner of that district.

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So where where does that district cover?

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Like what's all the areas?

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Yeah, so uh here we're the northwest corner, it does cross I-35 to the east and it covers a portion of southern Flugerville.

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Okay.

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Uh the defining line there is Pecan uh Road, Pecan Drive.

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Yeah, like where the Pecan, West Pecan coffee shop is, right?

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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So if you live on the north side of that street, I'm not your representative.

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Or what if if elected, I would not be your representative representative.

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You live on the southern side of that street, then yeah, you're part of District 50.

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So um how far west do you go?

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Uh that one goes all the way till it hits 130.

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Um I mean, oh, so yeah.

00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:52.719
Oh, sorry, how far okay, how far west?

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East all the way 130.

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East all the way to 130 east, it goes to Mopak.

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Okay.

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Uh, we and we have a little north kind of up toward 45.

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Uh, it follows Mopak down.

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It takes like two little hop across Mopak, um, which I believe those are apartment complexes that it encapsulates.

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So there's like two apartment complexes that it goes whoop, swings right around them.

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Uh, then it comes back.

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It goes along Breaker Boulevard.

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Yeah.

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Uh southern boundary or kind of.

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Yeah.

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That's the south uh uh west portion.

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South.

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Okay.

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Uh it then goes to Lamar.

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Yep.

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And then it goes south on Lamar.

00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:29.279
Oh, wow.

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And then from South Lamar goes to about 290.

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Yeah.

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Oh wow, that's pretty far down there.

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Then we're gonna stretch around 290 and we're gonna make our way back up almost all the way to 130.

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Uh, but since 130, you have a big chunk of Austin.

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It's a big chunk of Austin, yeah.

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All within Travis County.

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It incorporates uh three school districts because part of it here up here we're in Round Rock IST does have part of Flugerville IST and Austin ISD.

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So there's three districts uh that are part of it.

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Um yeah, so flugerville, it does again.

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You're working with the city of Flugerville, uh, Chamber of Commerce of Flugerville, also Austin here.

00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:07.199
Uh so that is where it is.

00:05:07.279 --> 00:05:15.839
And and again, it's a Austin being a denser population versus some that are it's a smaller geography, but a greater population, if if that makes sense.

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They all tried to keep the populations roughly similar.

00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:18.480
Right.

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Uh, but again, yeah, small geography because of the density.

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Smaller geography, yeah.

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Okay.

00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:30.399
So uh so you're running for so you know it's not like you just got elected uh in on November 4th.

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You're looking for next November, correct for the midterms, if you if it's what they call them, right?

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Yes, yeah, so correct.

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That is right.

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The the last one was just uh amendments or propositions.

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There were a few if you're in Flugerville or if you're in other states listening to this podcast, yeah.

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You might have had your governor uh election or things like that.

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Um flugerville just had their mayor, but uh what I would be first up is actually gonna be primaries, those are first obstacle uh when it comes to running.

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And the reason why the a uh it's the district fifty is open is James Tallerico is um I don't want resigning is the right word, or he's like, or he's going to run for he's running, yeah, he's running for Senate.

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Um you can't run for two positions at the same time.

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That makes sense.

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So he made his choice to run for U.S.

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Senate.

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So now we're now for a discussion about James, he's taken uh I would say a big step up going from state to U.S.

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Yeah.

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Uh and going from a place like District 50, uh, which has a little over a hundred and something thousand uh people within it, yeah, to now the state of Texas, right?

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Which is um because the Senate, we have two senators uh in the state, uh, that is over thirty thirty million.

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We we tipped that uh in 2024, 30 million people.

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So being uh Do you know who he's gonna run?

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Is it Ted Cruz or Chancellor?

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So uh well all of those are actually gonna come to fruition uh in March.

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Oh, right primaries the primaries first.

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Yeah, we're gonna do the primaries first.

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So it's James Talerico and um Colin Allred are uh Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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He played football.

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Yeah, Baylor.

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Yeah, and then for the Cowboys, I believe.

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Played for a little bit.

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Yeah, yeah, sure.

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Uh so Colin Allred, and then we have uh John Cornyn, who is the current incumbent uh senator here in Texas, uh and um former, not former, but current um attorney general Ken Paxton has also put in Oh, is he running against Cruz or Cornyn?

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Cornyn.

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So Cruz was last night.

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So yeah, Cornyn and so Cruz is already Cruz is in, he'll be in for another uh uh four more years uh after these midterms.

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Um so yeah, so that is and those are gonna be state level elections.

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They're they're very big, very expensive.

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Oh my gosh.

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Yeah.

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Okay, so all right, let's talk about you just for a second, like your history, and then like you know, I'd love if you can clue that like your faith background and all that, it'd be really cool.

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Yeah, so um I wasn't born in Texas.

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I know if that's a shocking, sounds good.

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That is the same.

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I I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could.

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Truthfully, though, I didn't have a say.

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My dad worked for the military, so we moved around a lot.

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Uh I was I was born in California, but we moved Texas, California, Texas, California, Texas, California, I think about a half dozen times between the two states.

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Yeah.

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Uh before he decided he was going to retire.

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Oh so uh having like a home base, we really don't have it.

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But when I was young, we did have a little bit of a home base with the church that we were going to in Waco for a few years.

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Um it was a Catholic church there, St.

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Albans.

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Uh, and then we were at a Presbyterian church in uh Sacramento, Granite Bay area, which is where we're living in in California.

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Yeah.

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Um, but that was up until I was about seven.

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Yeah.

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So a lot of it for me was Sunday school.

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It was very uh, you know, the I like to think of it as like it was it was the happy days of, you know, when you hear about stories, uh, biblical stories, we're talking about very, very positive, very reaffirming at that time.

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And then my dad retired and we stopped going to church.

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We he retired, we moved to uh uh South Lake Tahoe, uh, and he tried we tried out a few, and and it was more of like he wasn't feeling them, and so we didn't stay involved in any of them.

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But what we did do was Boy Scouts.

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Oh, nice.

00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:25.919
And so my brother and I became very involved in Boy Scouts, which kind of kept a little bit of faith for both of us uh because there is a religious background, I mean, within Boy Scouts.

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What values?

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Yeah, so that's the you know, I can still recite to you today the the scout oath and the scout law because that was just something that we did all the time.

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And sounds cool.

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We we we made effort very much at a young age to try and be a part of it and live it.

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And even now today, I know my brother and I, when we think about it, uh there are certain things maybe we're not living up to as much as we should, but we both think about it.

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We're both Eagle Scouts, uh, so it makes a big impact on our lives.

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Um, so growing up with scouts was very important to our family.

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It was, you know, it was our small community.

00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:10.159
Um, I know a lot of uh people when they have a church, they have a community there, and so that kind of became our community uh with with scouts.

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Um so that was like our pillar of you know, we were very much taught uh do a good turn daily.

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So as often as you could do something good for someone else.

00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:23.200
Nice.

00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:28.799
Uh and I don't know if you know the the his the history of of Boy Scouts, how it kind of got brought to the United States.

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Um so there was this journalist, his name was Bryce Boyce Boy Boyce, last name was Boyce.

00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:37.679
Anyways, he was lost in London.

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The the story goes that he was lost in the London fog and couldn't find his way back to like a hotel, and a young man approached him and said, Sir, can I help you?

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Uh the young boy helped him back to his hotel.

00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:54.320
Um, and he boyce went to offer him like a little tip saying, Thank you very much.

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And he replied, Sorry, I'm a scout.

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We don't accept uh rewards for doing what's right.

00:10:59.120 --> 00:10:59.840
Oh, that's awesome.

00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:01.519
And that's what like caught off.

00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:06.879
According there, according to history or you know, weather logical reports are like there was no fog on that day.

00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:10.559
It's it's just, but the truth is, yeah, a young man helped him find his hotel.

00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:11.360
He was lost in the world.

00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:14.159
He needed it to be a foggy day, so he didn't look like a complete imbecile.

00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:20.240
Yeah, he needed a foggy day to for there to be a reason why he was lost um as a as a as a grown man in London.

00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:21.759
But that is that is true.

00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:30.240
So uh Scouts was very much instilled in us that we are uh doing what is right and we are not doing it with expectation of reward.

00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:33.360
This is not what was instilled in us at a young age.

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So it kind of skept through.

00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:34.879
All right.

00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:38.480
So then, like, did you you know you graduated from high school, you were an Eagle Scout.

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What did you do next?

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College.

00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:51.759
Uh, but uh I was beneficial to have a family that one have both parents in my home each night, and my dad went to college, so he's like, Hey, your next step, you know, you're going to college.

00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:52.159
Yeah.

00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:56.399
And uh when we moved for our final time, we moved back to Texas in San Antonio.

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So I ended up graduating in San Antonio.

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UTSA.

00:11:59.360 --> 00:11:59.919
Uh yeah.

00:12:00.159 --> 00:12:01.679
Well, I uh for for uh high school.

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Oh, high school.

00:12:02.480 --> 00:12:03.759
We moved back to in the middle of high school.

00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:05.600
My dad picked us up and moved us back to Texas.

00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:06.720
Yeah, wasn't it fun?

00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:08.080
Right, yeah, that's brutal.

00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:14.320
But uh a couple of things about having to move so many times as a young kid, you learn to just make friends everywhere you go.

00:12:14.559 --> 00:12:17.600
So that's that's a great that was a positive thing about that.

00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:25.840
But moved to high school uh in San Antonio and then graduated, ended up doing one year at UTSA before I transferred to the University of Texas at Austin.

00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:28.240
So that's what that's what brought me to Austin the first.

00:12:28.879 --> 00:12:35.919
Um, and also my brother, uh who is immensely smart, got accepted as an out-of-state student to Austin, UT Austin from California.

00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:37.759
He's he's a couple years earlier.

00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:41.679
He's just super smart guy, bright.

00:12:41.919 --> 00:12:49.039
Um, and that's what uh kind of brought my family back to Texas uh because my mom did not want to be too far from him.

00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:49.440
Right.

00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:53.200
Like we can be an hour and a half, but not three, four states away.

00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:53.600
Nice.

00:12:53.679 --> 00:13:01.600
So when when did you kind of get reconnected to church at that, you know, if you kind of drifted away from it, Boy Scouts, and then when did re-engaging in church?

00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:05.200
Reengaging in church came in college uh through a few means.

00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:07.759
I had a friend who just like you just gotta go with me.

00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:08.879
And I was like, okay, I'll go.

00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:09.200
Nice.

00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:17.840
I I went a couple times, but uh, and I'm not gonna knock on it, I'm not gonna mention, but it was just overwhelming the first two times I went with him.

00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:20.879
I said, Whoa, dude, there's like a thousand people here.

00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:21.840
Like, what is this?

00:13:21.919 --> 00:13:31.519
It it wasn't what I was used to or what I had memories of, and so I was like, I was like, oh no, I'm I'm I kind of was a bit scared about it because it was it was overwhelming.

00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:32.720
There were so many people.

00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:33.200
Huh.

00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:37.919
Um was it a church or was it it was it was uh uh what's it called?

00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:38.879
Uh student ministry.

00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:40.559
No, no, no.

00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:51.120
He he we went to uh this was when I was at UTSA and we went to uh the first uh San Antonio Baptist downtown there and like it was packed packed, yeah.

00:13:51.440 --> 00:13:52.559
Oh wow, that's kind of fun.

00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:54.240
Okay, so then you came to UT.

00:13:54.480 --> 00:14:03.039
Came to UT and um I think what really happened was meeting a few people that said, Hey, come out and check uh the Austin Stone.

00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:03.440
Yeah, yeah.

00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:09.919
We went and did that for the downtown uh uh the the like campus one uh that's on Austin High.

00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:11.279
Yeah, Austin High School, yeah.

00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:11.440
Great.

00:14:11.600 --> 00:14:13.039
So yeah, that's where I kind of started, okay.

00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:14.960
I'm kind of let's get back into it a little bit.

00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:16.320
Let's try and refill the stuff.

00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:17.840
That is that wasn't a small crowd.

00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:22.000
That wasn't a small crowd either, but uh having more people there that I knew.

00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:23.440
Okay, that was very helpful.

00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:31.519
Yeah, that was helpful because yes, I you know, I love this guy, Sam, who's the one that took me to the San Antonio Baptist, but it was just he and I, and I was like, we know nobody here, dude.

00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:32.720
You're from Amarillo.

00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:39.600
I'm brand new to the like reintroducing into the church, like we know nobody, and so that was a little intimidating for me at the time.

00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:40.720
Okay, yeah, that makes sense.

00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:46.399
Okay, so then you go to the stone, yeah, and uh uh meet your wife there.

00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:47.679
Or well, how did that happen?

00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:54.720
So actually, I met my wife and she had heard from a friend about the stone, yeah, but we didn't meet at the Austin Stone.

00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:57.919
We met um prior, we met in an organization on campus.

00:14:58.000 --> 00:14:59.200
It was about sports.

00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:03.120
Uh we both love playing sports, watching sports, all kinds of stuff.

00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:08.559
And so we met uh there, and then we had a mutual friend that said, Hey, you know, let's check out the stone.

00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:09.039
I want to go.

00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:10.639
He wanted to go, he was from Houston.

00:15:10.720 --> 00:15:11.679
I think that was like a thing.

00:15:11.759 --> 00:15:14.080
A lot of college kids were trying to find a place, yeah.

00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:17.120
Uh a church community that they could go to that they felt comfortable.

00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:20.720
So that's where we we attended the stone and and we did for a while.

00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:25.679
Um, and then I graduated.

00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:26.080
Yep.

00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:29.679
And I had to go back to San Antonio, not like uh not in a bad way.

00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:32.240
Um like well, you had to go to San Antonio.

00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:38.480
And this was uh, yeah, so I had to go to San Antonio uh for my first job, and it was as a college advisor.

00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:44.000
Um, and I was a college advisor at a high school at Roosevelt High School, uh down there, Go Rough Riders.

00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:44.559
Okay.

00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:53.200
Uh but um it was a program built for uh near peer uh assistance with high school students on their next steps.

00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:53.519
Okay.

00:15:53.679 --> 00:16:00.240
So Advise Texas, you were like the college advisor, but we did more as much as we could, more than just advising them for college.

00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:05.679
It was do you want an apprenticeship program or a certain certification program that we can get you in touch with?

00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:08.960
Do you want uh are you thinking about military?

00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:13.279
And I'll help you take your ASVAB, uh, I'll get you signed up for it.

00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:21.039
But uh I I will tell you, Chris, I always I always did say, can you do one semester of community college and make sure college is not fit for you?

00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:26.240
Because it's it's six months, and if you don't like it, hey, then let's get you into the military.

00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:26.480
Yeah.

00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:31.679
But if if you go into the army and you realize if you don't like it, like there's no quitting.

00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:32.399
There's no quitting.

00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:35.039
That is a four or five year commitment sometimes, what you're signing for.

00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:35.919
I said, okay, so let's make sure.

00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:40.480
Especially when they get a bonus to you and you're like, oh, ten thousand dollars for just two or three more years.

00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:41.360
Yeah, I'm in.

00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:44.000
So I did encourage kids, I was like, hey, just try college.

00:16:44.080 --> 00:16:52.639
Maybe it's maybe it's high school that that's really not your thing, and not necessarily learning at a university or or at a community college.

00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:58.879
Uh, but depending upon what school the the program placed people, uh recent college grads all over the state.

00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:02.720
El Paso, Dallas, Houston, the Valley, Austin, San Antonio.

00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:08.720
Yeah, and some were small schools that had like 200 people and some were giant schools.

00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:11.519
We had a little over 2,000 students at Roosevelt High School.

00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:11.920
Oh, wow.

00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:15.759
Uh, about almost 600 were seniors that year.

00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:18.240
And uh, so it was one of my responsibilities.

00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:22.559
And it was to help alleviate a lot of the pressure on uh guidance counselors.

00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:23.039
Sure.

00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:28.480
Um, and many of the guidance counselors hadn't been in college for a decade or so or more.

00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:32.240
Um, and having just been there, I was able to answer questions for kids.

00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:34.400
Okay, so it was like that was your first gig out of college.

00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:46.000
That was my first gig out of college, and uh what got me into it was realizing um, you know, again, I was fortunate to have a dad that went to college, both parents in my home that were very supportive of whatever we're gonna do.

00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:53.359
Yeah, but then realizing even on my mom's side of my family, there was a few that didn't graduate, cousins uh who didn't graduate high school.

00:17:53.440 --> 00:17:54.640
They dropped out of high school.

00:17:54.799 --> 00:18:01.759
We had out of 16 of us, uh four of us went to college, uh, three of us graduated.

00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:04.799
So I wanted to try to make a difference there.

00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:11.119
I wanted I wanted to again come back and think about how am I gonna help those that that need it.

00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:12.400
Right as they need it.

00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:15.440
So that's that's really kind of where that base is stuck.

00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:21.440
Uh and then they were like, okay, you can either do one more year of this advising, but two years max.

00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:21.759
Right.

00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:23.200
Because they want near peer.

00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:30.559
They want somebody who's just in college, who's just done scholarship applications and and financial aid talks and that experience.

00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:32.960
They want to kind of keep that fresh.

00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:40.400
Uh so I said, okay, and I found another outreach program through the University of Texas uh that I had met before.

00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:48.079
And actually, my girlfriend, who is my wife now girlfriend at the time, she she was a student who had participated in their program.

00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:49.920
And so I met all of them.

00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:54.960
Uh, even before I applied, I I knew them, uh, knew the the team.

00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:59.759
Uh it was called GeoForce, and it was a science-based, geoscience-based outreach program.

00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:00.559
Oh, nice.

00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:10.319
Uh, and we worked with primarily students in southwest Texas, so Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Uvalde, yeah, and all the tiny towns that are around, which is where my wife's from.

00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:15.839
She's from Catula, Texas, which is about a halfway between San Antonio and Laredo.

00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:16.559
Oh, fun.

00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:18.000
Uh, tiny town.

00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:20.240
But that was one of their regions.

00:19:20.319 --> 00:19:22.079
Uh, and then Houston was the other region.

00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:25.039
So worked a lot with with GeoForce in Houston.

00:19:25.119 --> 00:19:38.720
And then again, this was another program taking kids from these schools that maybe don't have science teachers, or science is not a big uh proponent for their schools, uh, and allowing them to experience hands-on.

00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:46.400
We're we're going outside the classroom, we're gonna learn about geoscience, we're gonna take you to it and we're gonna look at it directly.

00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:47.920
We're not gonna look at a picture of it.

00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:58.160
We're gonna bring in uh a teacher, we're gonna bring in a professor, we're gonna have you know activities outside where we don't want you to just be stuck in a room all day with us.

00:19:58.720 --> 00:20:01.039
Um so that's what we did.

00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:02.640
I was I was a coordinator for that program.

00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:14.640
I would lead 45 students and 10 staff to various regions, sometimes outside of the state, um Oregon, Washington, or Arizona to take them to where the geology is.

00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:15.119
Yeah.

00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:17.599
Uh and we did I did that for a little over a decade.

00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:18.880
Oh, wow, that was like your thing.

00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:20.160
I was that became my thing.

00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:29.599
Uh I kind of rose through the ranks as the coordinator to slowly be the one that uh led out outside of our director, I was leading the other coordinators, training them.

00:20:29.680 --> 00:20:38.559
Oh, it's uh for for uh again, it's about that one was really based in logistical planning and safety.

00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:41.279
How can we make sure our summer programs are safe?

00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:41.680
Right.

00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:46.079
Uh, but then also what are we doing for these kids beyond just a summer program?

00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:48.000
How are we building it out for them?

00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:55.359
Uh the last thing we want to do is to say, hey, here's us for a couple of summers, and then boom, you're you're gone out the door, and we never see you again.

00:20:55.599 --> 00:21:08.559
We we we wanted to build relationships with these kids and know that if they had questions, they can still come back to us uh about again college life when they're trying to make these big decisions in their lives.

00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:09.920
What am I gonna do for the rest of my life?

00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:10.960
What am I gonna study?

00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:15.039
Uh, and those kinds of things it's okay.

00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:17.200
She didn't do that.

00:21:17.519 --> 00:21:26.799
Um so so yeah, that was kind of like the premise behind it was just trying to make sure that we uh are really taking care of these kids that we interact with.

00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:28.559
Uh so that's that's where it was.

00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:30.799
And I was there until I became a dad.

00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:31.359
Okay.

00:21:31.680 --> 00:21:35.039
And when my daughter was born, uh, my wife and I had a deal.

00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:46.079
We said, hey, whoever is kind of making more money, doing really better, they need to be the one that stays in that job, and the other will step aside home and be a stay-at-home parent.

00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:46.400
Okay.

00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:56.000
Uh my wife, who was uh working uh in the healthcare field, yeah, left during COVID and started uh with a a tech company, tech company.

00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:56.720
Oh, nice.

00:21:56.960 --> 00:22:05.920
So she just took off from there, did super awesome with that company, and I was like, you do you, and I will take a little change of pace.

00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:08.160
I will I'll be a stay-at-home dad.

00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:19.680
Um, which I'm actually just so thankful for uh these first two years spending with my daughter uh have been really impactful for me.

00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:32.319
Um and and actually this last year has been okay, how do we want to uh think about our time together and then our time as a family and going to church too?

00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:37.440
So we we made like a an effort this year to to start going back to stone during COVID.

00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:40.079
We had slowed down again and stopped.

00:22:40.319 --> 00:22:44.240
Uh you know, we were trying to do some online uh listen super hard.

00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:45.759
It was very difficult, very difficult.

00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:46.480
So hard.

00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:49.519
Uh but after that, we then okay, well let's let's make an effort.

00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:54.720
Like I I probably need to do more effort on my part uh for that.

00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:58.400
So we we started back up again, uh going to the Austin Stone North Campus.

00:22:58.720 --> 00:22:59.119
North campus?

00:22:59.279 --> 00:22:59.440
Yeah.

00:22:59.599 --> 00:22:59.759
Okay.

00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:01.519
So um oh that's awesome.

00:23:01.599 --> 00:23:02.799
So how long have you been going there now?

00:23:03.039 --> 00:23:04.640
Uh we we just started at the beginning of the year.

00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:07.279
So I guess we're in November now, so it's about 10 months.

00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:11.279
Minus minus, you know, if we're out of town and sure, sure, sure.

00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:12.079
Uh that's awesome.

00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:12.799
I got a question.

00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:15.119
Um, kind of related, you're sharing stuff about your education.

00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:21.920
And so in uh Texas State Representative, you're in the legislative kind of um focus, right?

00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:23.599
So you're lawmaking and stuff like that.

00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:28.240
Do you have uh like what are the requirements education-wise for this position?

00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:29.759
Great question.

00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:31.119
Oh my gosh, Holland.

00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:36.559
I didn't know until I was I when when James made that decision to step up to U.S.

00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:37.200
Senate.

00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:42.960
Uh, and I had been thinking about wanting to run, but then I said, okay, well, I'm gonna jump in with two feet.

00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:43.599
What do I need?

00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:44.799
What do I need to make sure I have?

00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:51.359
You need to be like 18 and a resident of the district in which you are uh running.

00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:56.160
And uh to get on to the ballot, it's$750.

00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:57.680
$750.

00:23:58.079 --> 00:23:58.559
$750.

00:24:00.400 --> 00:24:01.359
You don't need a law degree.

00:24:01.440 --> 00:24:02.799
You don't need a law degree.

00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:22.319
And actually, like I can we can we like jump back a little bit because um being a representative, that actually in in my opinion, it's okay to have a law degree, but you are also not always if you have just if all your representatives are all lawyers, they're not truthfully representative of the community.

00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:30.799
You need a mix of people, you need educators, you need people in healthcare, people in the service industry to to want to step up to those roles a lot.

00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:35.039
Because you have lawyers who are gonna make all your stuff for you, they're gonna help you write it.

00:24:35.200 --> 00:24:36.240
They're gonna help you write this.

00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:37.119
Because you have a staff.

00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:40.240
I assume like James Tallerico, for example, has a some sort of a staff.

00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:42.880
Yeah, you'll have a small staff that'll help you with the policymaking.

00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:47.200
They'll you're like a chief of staff and maybe you know, one to two, depending upon also.

00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:49.599
Okay, I told you all like money makes a difference.

00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:49.920
Yeah.

00:24:50.160 --> 00:25:03.200
If if you can use campaign funds, so if I raised a ton of money, I can hire more people throughout the year to be part of my staff because I can use campaign funds to pay for uh full-time staff if elected.

00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:03.920
Oh, wow.

00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:12.079
So the people who fundraise more can utilize those funds to say, Oh, I need a new analyst for this.

00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:26.240
I have, you know, 40K, I can hire somebody out uh part-time and and and get somebody else on board, which there is an allotment from the state on on staffing, but if you want to increase that, it comes from your campaign.

00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:27.119
Oh, that makes sense.

00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:32.880
And so the the big the big fundraisers can really staff themselves out more.

00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:40.319
Uh, but there always is law servicing, uh, you know, lawyers that are there at the Capitol that will help you.

00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:44.079
You come to them with your policy and you say, okay, we need to write policy about this.

00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:45.920
Uh so yeah, you don't need to be a lawyer.

00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:49.680
You don't need to uh like I could run if I want to run now.

00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:53.599
Listen, if I get if I can round up 750 bucks, then I could run.

00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:57.920
Actually, you can you can round up 750 bucks, or you can also round up signatures.

00:25:58.160 --> 00:25:58.400
Okay.

00:25:58.559 --> 00:25:59.039
Oh, really?

00:25:59.279 --> 00:25:59.440
Yes.

00:25:59.680 --> 00:26:03.119
So instead of paying, you could get like 750 signatures or something.

00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:18.720
Uh yeah, it's it's uh 500 signatures, but you always got to shoot for double because what they do is the state then audits those signatures to make sure they have to be the people in your district, they have to be registered to vote, they have to and and even if somebody like puts their wrong address or like writes ineligible.

00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:19.920
Wow, who go who checks that?

00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:20.640
All right, that's wild.

00:26:20.960 --> 00:26:26.400
There are people they go through and they check them, and and I'll give you a quick story about why it's very important to check that.

00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:37.200
Yeah, there was a gentleman who was running for state house in Illinois that the incumbent said that they weren't going to run, but then at the last minute decided to.

00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:39.680
Now, Illinois has a slightly different regulation.

00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:42.079
You have to do a small fee and signatures.

00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:43.680
Texas, it's an either or.

00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:51.759
But so the incumbent who, you know, an incumbent is the the percentages of winning if you're an incumbent are skyrocketed high.

00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:52.160
Yeah.

00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:57.119
Uh but this incumbent did not get all the signatures they needed.

00:26:57.279 --> 00:26:57.759
Oh, wow.

00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:00.319
Because they decided so they they turned around so late.

00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:04.240
They didn't get all the signatures and they got audited and they were kicked back.

00:27:04.640 --> 00:27:11.279
Well, the person who uh decided they were gonna run and started on their political career was Barack Obama.

00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:12.160
Oh, interesting.

00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:19.200
He got into that because the incumbent for that state house seat did not get all of their signatures.

00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:19.839
Wow.

00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:20.960
That's a good story.

00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:21.759
It's a good story.

00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:24.160
And that started him on his trajectory.

00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:31.039
And and um so yeah, it you can, but also$750.

00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:32.720
Which which route did you go?

00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:35.599
500 signatures or so I'm still in the process of the signatures.

00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:38.160
Oh, you know, I'm but I'm I'm I have Hilarious.

00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:39.359
But you're going the signature route.

00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:45.440
I am going the signature route, but I definitely have the a little bit of seed money that started my campaign to say, like, hey, I've set this aside.

00:27:45.599 --> 00:27:52.400
I'm not spending this$750 because I know if I don't hit my numbers, then I am going to make sure I'm on that ballot.

00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:56.640
I'm not gonna do any kind of uh uh uh second guessing.

00:27:57.200 --> 00:28:00.799
So how so how does this affect your uh decision to be a stay-at-home dad?

00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:12.000
Like, because being a stay-at-home dad, and then also being a Texas representative is kind of like that might put a little does that like shift the plans now is she's gonna stay at home?

00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:18.640
Uh or it it does put a little uh little hinder uh into into our plans.

00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:19.119
Yeah, yeah.

00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:23.119
Uh, but we are trying to develop, okay, we have option A, option B, option C.

00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:27.839
Uh because truthfully, March uh primaries, that's my first hurdle to overcome.

00:28:27.920 --> 00:28:28.319
Yeah, right.

00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:31.440
If I don't make it past that hurdle, well I'll still stay at home, Dad.

00:28:31.599 --> 00:28:32.160
It was a good run.

00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:32.880
It was a good run.

00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:36.799
And but that's not gonna stop me from now becoming just more involved in certain areas.

00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:47.599
Uh and then once it comes to actual election day, it it will actually be January 2027 by the time I actually go into office.

00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:50.319
That would be the first few days that I go in.

00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:51.680
It's January 2027.

00:28:51.920 --> 00:28:56.720
And then once you're in office, is this like uh Monday through Friday, nine to five kind of deal?

00:28:56.880 --> 00:28:58.640
Or is it like I know you have like a session.

00:28:58.799 --> 00:29:04.640
Yeah, it's a session where you're like working crazy hours and the rest of the year, like what's your work schedule like a slave flesh session, right?

00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:07.200
The session starts in January and it goes until May.

00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:08.880
Um crazy busy during that.

00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:11.200
Crazy busy during those like five months.

00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:15.680
So that's like when you first get elected from January to May, you're doing all the stuff.

00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:16.720
Is that right?

00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:18.000
And then Yeah.

00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:19.759
So uh um sorry, I cut you off.

00:29:20.400 --> 00:29:24.000
I was just like, um because you you only do you do session every other year.

00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:24.960
Yeah.

00:29:25.200 --> 00:29:27.440
So like you get one year to uh wait to go.

00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:32.799
You get one year to um uh to run for election and then one year to do the work.

00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:34.480
Is then is that would that be a good way to put that?

00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:43.680
That's kind of a good way to put it because and again, when you're the incumbent and you have that that campaign funds when I talked about you can hold on to, you know, be employing your staff.

00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:50.559
You can be doing the work to writing those bills that you want so that when you come in day one, right, you are submitting a bill.

00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:52.319
Day two, I got another bill.

00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:59.519
Day three, I got another bill so that we can be efficient in our work during this five month session.

00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:01.200
So So um sense.

00:30:01.599 --> 00:30:09.039
Yes, right now my time leading up until election is going to be campaigning, make sure that I have the people to get those votes so that I'm I'm there.

00:30:09.279 --> 00:30:11.599
But then also preparing any bills that you'd want to submit.

00:30:11.680 --> 00:30:12.240
Like are you doing?

00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:19.359
So actually what I'm doing is looking at bills that did not pass and reevaluate and say, okay, like, does this seem like a good bill?

00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:20.400
Why didn't it pass?

00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:28.319
Okay, let's revamp it maybe and think about how we can change it so we can come to an agreement from each side.

00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:33.200
And I think that's one of the easier ways to do that of like what bills didn't pass, why didn't they pass?

00:30:33.599 --> 00:30:34.559
And let's take a look at it.

00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:35.200
Oh, nice.

00:30:35.279 --> 00:30:47.200
Uh and I think that's uh sorry, I think that's just a way for me right now to utilize my time wisely rather than again diving into data sets, trying to develop policy off of that.

00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:54.480
I'm gonna try and take, okay, they've done the work and let's see what needs to be done further to help bring that together so we can pass it.

00:30:54.720 --> 00:30:55.440
Okay, yeah.

00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:59.839
So, like, what was the thing like that you're like, oh, I am called.

00:30:59.920 --> 00:31:00.880
I don't know if that's the right word.

00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:01.839
I want to.

00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:04.559
Like, what was it like the conversation with your wife?

00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:06.480
You're said that you're at church one day.

00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:11.119
What what was the thing that was like, I'm gonna go run uh for office?

00:31:11.519 --> 00:31:16.880
Well, it actually started with I want to volunteer more, I want to volunteer more.

00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:20.640
Um, I want to volunteer with you know campaigns that I feel passionate about.

00:31:20.799 --> 00:31:21.920
And that's how it kind of started.

00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:32.960
And then I so I was telling my wife, um, now that I'm feeling more comfortable as a stay-at-home dad, that first year, uh a little little like worried about keeping a baby alive and all of that.

00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:39.599
I'm just gonna be honest, it was very, I was very focused on on that and and and her um for my daughter.

00:31:39.759 --> 00:31:43.279
After that, now I'm like, okay, I I have a little bit more comfort.

00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:45.119
I feel like now we can get more involved.

00:31:45.279 --> 00:31:52.079
I feel you know better if I need to say, hey, I'm gonna go out and do this for three hours if somebody can babysit, you know, more comfortable.

00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:56.319
Uh and so I told my wife, I said, I want to start volunteering more.

00:31:56.400 --> 00:32:01.119
I want to, you know, so I started looking out for uh things that I could become a part of.

00:32:01.200 --> 00:32:03.039
And you know, James is our representative here.

00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:11.039
I was like, okay, well, you know, if I want to learn it, his campaign to re-elect, okay, I'll jump in and I'll I'll learn what it's like to be in a campaign.

00:32:11.359 --> 00:32:13.279
Um, you know, what are the ins and outs?

00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:20.240
And then when when he decided, I was like, well, he's not running for House District 50 anymore.

00:32:20.559 --> 00:32:23.759
And I told my wife, I was like, somebody needs to do something about that.

00:32:23.920 --> 00:32:29.680
Like we can't uh you know, something needs to be done.

00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:34.640
So she looked at me and she was like, You've been talking about wanting to become more involved.

00:32:34.799 --> 00:32:38.799
Uh, you know, I have my my degrees in history and politics, you know, political science.

00:32:38.880 --> 00:32:46.559
So you know it wasn't this isn't like a super far jump for me to say, right, you know, going from one to another, you know, politics has always kind of been in my background.

00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:49.839
Anytime there's news, usually my wife's like, Hey, what's the news?

00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:54.400
And I'll fill her in because that's that's what I'll try to absorb throughout the day.

00:32:54.960 --> 00:33:06.480
Um, and even so, being uh being a stay-at-home dad, uh, I I took that opportunity as uh if I have let me let me rephrase this.

00:33:06.960 --> 00:33:13.440
Again, going back to being a scout, there's a there's a portion in that that uh scout oath that talks about keeping yourself mentally awake.

00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:23.039
When uh my daughter and we were I was taking my dog for walks each day, and I realized like here is an hour to two hours that nothing is going on.

00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:24.799
What can I do to fill this time?

00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:26.160
At first, I was like, Oh, put some music.

00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:27.920
I don't know, music isn't doing it for me.

00:33:28.079 --> 00:33:31.119
Music is, yeah, it's kind of like I'm wasting a little bit of time.

00:33:31.599 --> 00:33:39.920
So then I put on like NPR and I was like, okay, NPR is good for like 20 minutes and then it reruns, and then you can listen to NPR, it's really boring.

00:33:40.079 --> 00:33:41.599
And so I was like, I can do NPR.

00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:43.200
So then I started listening to books.

00:33:43.359 --> 00:33:43.599
Nice.

00:33:43.759 --> 00:33:51.440
I started doing audio books as much as I could, and my goal was to have books that are from both sides.

00:33:51.920 --> 00:34:08.239
I picked books that were on uh poverty or or uh memoirs of people, you know, like John McCain, Obama, uh Liz Cheney, uh book on, you know, uh from Desmond Howard on poverty.

00:34:08.320 --> 00:34:12.639
So I tried to keep myself not just in one compartment.

00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:23.280
I want to say I wanted to hear from everybody so that I can understand, you know, if somebody has a different opinion of me, hopefully I'm doing my best to understand where they're coming from.

00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:30.559
So I took that, I took that time to really start diving into some of these things, and they were all very pol politically based.

00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:31.039
Sure.

00:34:31.280 --> 00:34:38.559
Um, so then again, talking to my wife a lot about like I would give her updates on my book that I'm reading this week.

00:34:38.719 --> 00:34:42.800
And then it kind of came to the point where again, James decided to run for US Senate.

00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:44.559
She's like, You've been talking about this.

00:34:44.719 --> 00:34:45.039
Right.

00:34:45.280 --> 00:34:46.800
What is holding you up?

00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:54.639
So it was it was a a push from my wife to say, like, this is your what you've kind of dreamt about a little bit.

00:34:54.719 --> 00:34:55.119
Yeah, yeah.

00:34:55.280 --> 00:34:56.159
So let's go for it.

00:34:56.320 --> 00:35:02.079
So like James Tallerico is like one of those guys that's been very like he was on Joe Rogan's podcast.

00:35:02.239 --> 00:35:10.239
Uh yeah, and you know, he he is a guy that kind of works across the aisle more than more than most, but is very left.

00:35:10.400 --> 00:35:17.280
I mean, if if I is where I would say like as a he's a you know, die in the old progressive democrat.

00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:21.119
And so for us, we're like, that's kind of opposite of the spectrum from where we're at.

00:35:21.280 --> 00:35:34.159
But would love to kind of hear like what are the things that you thought were like, man, he killed it on like man, this is like Talo Rico crushed it on this issue, and I really want to follow that.

00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:34.719
Okay.

00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:38.400
So yeah, Chris, Holland, you're probably gonna find me a little bit left too.

00:35:38.559 --> 00:35:38.719
All right.

00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:39.599
It's fine, it's fine.

00:35:39.679 --> 00:35:39.840
Okay.

00:35:40.159 --> 00:35:46.719
Um, but there are a few things, and I I was like, okay, remember when I was talking about diving into some of these bills that you know didn't get passed or whatever.

00:35:46.800 --> 00:35:48.159
So it also led me into like looking.

00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:52.880
How many times have y'all looked to see what your state representative has actually filed?

00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:54.400
Zero.

00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:54.880
Zero.

00:35:56.079 --> 00:35:56.960
It's all on the website.

00:35:57.039 --> 00:35:59.440
It's very actually easy to look up if you want to see.

00:35:59.519 --> 00:36:00.960
Man, what does my rep even do?

00:36:01.199 --> 00:36:02.320
Yeah, I've looked at stuff.

00:36:02.400 --> 00:36:10.159
I've followed him like on social media and see, but in order to find actual bills, um, like a list of them, I didn't even know you could do that.

00:36:10.239 --> 00:36:13.760
So I'm familiar with stuff from social media, but to know, you know, tell us more.

00:36:14.000 --> 00:36:14.159
Yeah.

00:36:14.239 --> 00:36:16.639
So I started with social media with James too.

00:36:16.719 --> 00:36:21.679
And so um really this the state holds on to it all and it'll give you a list.

00:36:21.840 --> 00:36:25.840
It'll tell you how many they authored, co-authored, andor sponsored.

00:36:26.079 --> 00:36:26.960
So where do you find that?

00:36:27.119 --> 00:36:28.480
It's on the the state website.

00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:30.559
Uh the Texas.gov something.

00:36:30.719 --> 00:36:35.039
Uh uh, it's the Secretary of States who will hold a lot of that information.

00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:42.320
Um, and actually, I think the best way to go about it is just Texas House representatives and it'll take you to the Texas House website.

00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:45.440
And then you there you can look up who your representative is.

00:36:45.760 --> 00:36:56.800
So especially if you don't live in District 50, whoever's listening here, if you're outside of that, look up your representative and you can see what have they authored uh for each legislative session that they are part of.

00:36:56.960 --> 00:37:02.880
So it does take a little bit of footwork because it'll tell it'll show you right now the 89th legislative session.

00:37:03.039 --> 00:37:08.320
So that's that was this last uh uh last last 20, well, 2025.

00:37:08.480 --> 00:37:08.880
Right.

00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:09.840
Yeah, that's that, yeah.

00:37:09.920 --> 00:37:11.599
It was January to May of 2025.

00:37:12.719 --> 00:37:13.519
It really just happened.

00:37:13.599 --> 00:37:13.760
Right.

00:37:13.840 --> 00:37:16.400
Uh so it'll go through all what they submitted there.

00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:26.079
And then you can look up each bill that they wrote or authored and co-authored, and you can then click on that bill, it'll show you the text and it'll show you how did it progress.

00:37:26.239 --> 00:37:26.559
Yeah, yeah.

00:37:26.719 --> 00:37:29.920
It was presented to the floor, it was sent to a committee.

00:37:30.079 --> 00:37:31.280
Did it make it out of the committee?

00:37:31.440 --> 00:37:32.239
Did it go for a vote?

00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:44.239
It'll it'll give you a little timeline, a little timeline of it, and then it'll also show you what the original text was, PDF versions, original text, and if it was updated or or changed, so you can you can really look at some of those.

00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:51.280
So I did, I have been looking at some of those, and uh some that I wanted to like highlight and that I thought was like, okay.

00:37:52.320 --> 00:38:02.320
Um one that definitely that that made it across was um creation of a commission on marriage and family.

00:38:02.480 --> 00:38:02.719
Yeah.

00:38:02.960 --> 00:38:14.559
So he co-authored a bill that created a commission that did pass, and it is to investigate Texas families and what is happening to them.

00:38:14.800 --> 00:38:16.239
Why is divorce rate high?

00:38:16.320 --> 00:38:18.880
Are they taking classes before they're getting married?

00:38:19.199 --> 00:38:21.440
Who is authorizing marriages?

00:38:21.599 --> 00:38:30.480
Uh in when there's families, when there are children involved, you know, what kind of classes uh are they taking before there's a break in the family?

00:38:30.559 --> 00:38:30.719
Yeah.

00:38:30.880 --> 00:38:38.880
Uh so it's supposed to investigate to try and build stronger um support for families here in Texas.

00:38:38.960 --> 00:38:42.559
Uh and their report's gonna come out at the, I think it's like the end of 2026.

00:38:42.880 --> 00:38:50.639
So essentially at the end of that, it'll say, like, oh, okay, the reason why people are getting divorced uh is they went to Vegas and then came back and or whatever.

00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:51.199
Yeah, yeah.

00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:51.920
It's gonna come back.

00:38:52.239 --> 00:39:03.599
Hey, we have uh this many people that that got married that did not take any kind of premarital classes, uh, so they didn't have any kind of preparation for what marriage is like because marriage is a big step in our life.

00:39:04.239 --> 00:39:11.119
Yeah, I mean I'm very thankful for the the premarital class that I got through the Austin Stone, who's you know, kept me uh in touch with a lot of people.

00:39:11.360 --> 00:39:13.519
Um, but yeah, so that's what it's gonna do.

00:39:13.599 --> 00:39:27.760
It's gonna try to evaluate why we have the divorce rate that we do here in Texas, uh, why we have uh families that have just single uh single parent uh families, uh, and say, what can we recommend to try and mend this situation?

00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:34.719
Because, you know, um again, I'm super thankful that I grew up with both parents in the household.

00:39:34.880 --> 00:39:36.239
I'm I'm so thankful for that.

00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:43.840
And when we experience or, you know, when kids experience that, it is beneficial for them when they have the two parents in the household.

00:39:44.000 --> 00:39:44.079
Right.

00:39:44.480 --> 00:39:53.840
And it it and and having experien having worked with high school students of all varying economic backgrounds in their family, it definitely made a difference.

00:39:53.920 --> 00:40:05.840
You could you could see when both parents were involved very eager to assist, or what was benefit beneficial for their kid versus parents that were late picking their kid up who had been gone for a week.

00:40:06.079 --> 00:40:12.800
Like you know, there were times where I'd be waiting at an airport with a kid for an hour and a half, two hours, and we had been gone for a week.

00:40:12.880 --> 00:40:18.159
It was like, hey, everything was scheduled to be picked up, but parents were on their own time.

00:40:18.719 --> 00:40:19.599
So that's hard.

00:40:19.760 --> 00:40:20.719
It yeah.

00:40:21.199 --> 00:40:23.280
Uh okay, so that like that.

00:40:23.599 --> 00:40:32.000
What about things like um like what other did what what did uh Talerico author that you're like because he author he authored that bill.

00:40:32.159 --> 00:40:32.800
He was a co-author.

00:40:33.039 --> 00:40:35.280
Or it's a res is it a resolution that he or what was that?

00:40:35.440 --> 00:40:36.239
That was a house bill.

00:40:36.480 --> 00:40:38.880
So a house bill was like, hey, we commissioned this study.

00:40:39.039 --> 00:40:39.360
Yeah.

00:40:39.519 --> 00:40:39.760
Okay.

00:40:39.920 --> 00:40:47.599
And then what what other uh bills did he do that you um there was one that didn't make it out that I thought was actually pretty interesting for uh healthcare?

00:40:47.760 --> 00:41:00.639
It was called a prescription drug purchasing pool that would help employers pull and insurance plans pull prescription prescription drug purchases to help alleviate costs of prescription drugs.

00:41:00.719 --> 00:41:01.039
Yeah.

00:41:01.280 --> 00:41:04.480
Um and that one didn't make it out of committee.

00:41:06.800 --> 00:41:07.360
I don't know why.

00:41:07.519 --> 00:41:12.079
So, but um there are uh when we dive further, I haven't I you know more diving to do.

00:41:12.159 --> 00:41:14.800
You can go in and see that they have notes on it.

00:41:14.960 --> 00:41:16.559
Um yeah, I got it pulled up here.

00:41:16.639 --> 00:41:27.119
I found it for I'm I'm uh 51, but uh I just pulled up his on 50, and he's got 68 bills submitted, and yeah, you can see them on just a list.

00:41:27.280 --> 00:41:27.599
That's wild.

00:41:28.400 --> 00:41:28.800
Okay, yeah.

00:41:28.960 --> 00:41:32.079
And there's a little, you know, each one has a topic line to show you.

00:41:32.159 --> 00:41:34.880
So if it's like, oh, this seems interesting, let me look more into it.

00:41:34.960 --> 00:41:44.639
Uh others are kind of basic, and you're like, okay, this is maybe a a correction of literature or correction of wording in a particular bill, so there can be an amendments in there.

00:41:44.800 --> 00:41:54.000
And that's the thing about why it's important to, you know, when the lawyers are making this, because words that are used are very important.

00:41:54.400 --> 00:41:54.719
Yeah.

00:41:55.039 --> 00:41:58.880
And um, I always like to when I tell people why that's so important.

00:41:58.960 --> 00:42:04.159
Um, I give this quick little story uh that I was in um jury duty.

00:42:04.239 --> 00:42:10.320
I didn't get selected because the case involved kids and having worked with kids, they didn't want me to part as a jury.

00:42:10.719 --> 00:42:18.960
But the judge sat us down for about an hour and um he he really talked to us about the use of words and why it's so important.

00:42:19.280 --> 00:42:22.480
Because um, well, let me just kind of give you all this test.

00:42:22.559 --> 00:42:29.599
If I were to say, finish this quote or sentence, uh, you are innocent until proven guilty, until proven guilty.

00:42:29.679 --> 00:42:31.679
And that's what everybody says, but it is wrong.

00:42:32.480 --> 00:42:40.480
That's what we hear in the movies and in TV shows, and it's that word until because until means it will eventually come to fruition.

00:42:40.559 --> 00:42:47.119
Like this person is innocent until we prove them guilty, and until carries that context that it will happen.

00:42:47.199 --> 00:42:51.840
And so he hammered into us it is unless unless.

00:42:52.239 --> 00:43:08.079
And so he said, but the problem is TVs and movies, they carry this, and this word until always, but even though it doesn't seem like it at first, here when we sit in the courtrooms, like that carries a little bit into everybody's mind until like, well, he's innocent until we prove him guilty.

00:43:08.400 --> 00:43:08.559
Okay.

00:43:08.880 --> 00:43:29.519
So that's why it's super important to make sure when these lawyers and policymakers are writing laws, why words matter, sometimes it's super vague, and that actually can kill um a bill if it's just too vague because uh policymakers want a little bit of flexibility about it.

00:43:29.679 --> 00:43:34.480
But so they say, okay, well, let's make it a little bit more vague and not so specific.

00:43:34.719 --> 00:43:40.800
And there are pros and cons to that, um, because it allows for interpretation for future generations.

00:43:40.960 --> 00:43:50.239
So, like um the Texas Constitution, we have quite a few amendments, and that's because we were pretty specific in our original writing of the Texas Constitution.

00:43:50.320 --> 00:44:01.039
So we have to kind of come back and say, well, you know, things should not, if if there's a problem between people, it shouldn't be, you know, if it's more than five dollars, you know, which was a lot of money back in 1836, right?

00:44:01.199 --> 00:44:02.639
Versus now it's five dollars.

00:44:02.800 --> 00:44:08.880
Does that go to a criminal court with a uh, you know, a different jury, or should that be handled in civil and and lower?

00:44:09.199 --> 00:44:16.400
So uh use the proper use of words, very specific, very um meaningful when writing these laws.

00:44:16.480 --> 00:44:17.679
And so it makes a difference.

00:44:17.920 --> 00:44:23.039
Yeah, uh one of the things like I'm just kind of looking through his uh things he proposed.

00:44:23.199 --> 00:44:28.960
Uh did you have any were you just on the campaign, or were you actually part of any like sort of like volunteer staff role or like no?

00:44:29.039 --> 00:44:35.280
I just I just did a little bit of oh, sorry, I sorry, I just did a little bit of uh discussion with people in the neighborhood about him.

00:44:35.360 --> 00:44:46.000
But to be honest with you, uh everybody in the Wells Branch neighborhood knows James knows of him or knows him because that's this is where he, you know, his dad goes to church right down the street at St.

00:44:46.079 --> 00:44:47.599
Andrews from Round Rock, right?

00:44:47.760 --> 00:44:50.239
Uh yeah, he went to Round Rock high.

00:44:50.400 --> 00:44:51.920
I think he grew up in Wells Branch.

00:44:52.000 --> 00:44:52.079
Okay.

00:44:52.320 --> 00:44:54.480
Yeah, well his his yeah, his family lives here now.

00:44:54.800 --> 00:44:56.800
So it's everybody who's like, Oh yeah, I know James.

00:44:56.960 --> 00:45:02.480
I'm like, I don't really need to ex, you know, explain to you what his positions are on a lot of things because he's you know, you you know him.

00:45:02.639 --> 00:45:03.039
Yeah, yeah.

00:45:03.199 --> 00:45:05.599
So one of the things that he put out there, I'd love to hear your thought on this.

00:45:05.760 --> 00:45:13.840
I obviously I know you didn't write the bill, but he put uh reproductive health access protects out of state abortion travel, expands contraception coverage under state insurance.

00:45:14.079 --> 00:45:18.239
So obviously it did it got blocked in the Senate, but like that was his plan.

00:45:18.320 --> 00:45:22.079
It was like, hey, I know Texas has banned abortion.

00:45:22.320 --> 00:45:26.800
Um like I want to send this thing to uh other states.

00:45:26.960 --> 00:45:28.559
What was your what are your thoughts on that?

00:45:28.800 --> 00:45:40.480
So yeah, um, first I always want to kind of any discussion about abortion, I want to emphasize I am a man and I will not have that decision ever placed upon me, really.

00:45:40.639 --> 00:45:46.159
Like um so talking to my wife a lot about this.

00:45:46.239 --> 00:45:50.639
That's that's kind of like one of the cornerstones that I use is like, okay, talk to me about it.

00:45:50.800 --> 00:45:53.760
Um and she said, Well, you're never gonna experience it being pregnant.

00:45:53.920 --> 00:45:54.639
I'm a guy.

00:45:55.440 --> 00:45:59.840
So want you to listen to you know what I have to say.

00:46:00.079 --> 00:46:05.280
Um, so when he went through with that, I said, Okay, uh when well when Roe v.

00:46:05.360 --> 00:46:12.559
Wade uh was overturned uh several years ago, uh that kind of was like, well, it it it took it back to the states.

00:46:12.719 --> 00:46:15.199
That's what it didn't it didn't necessarily ban abortion, right?

00:46:15.280 --> 00:46:15.679
Roe v.

00:46:15.760 --> 00:46:21.519
Wade uh overturning with the Dobbs Jackson, like that didn't uh outlaw it, it it returned that decision back to the states.

00:46:21.599 --> 00:46:21.760
Right.

00:46:21.920 --> 00:46:28.480
So the state of Texas had already a bill on hand that if it ever got overturned, it would enact uh very quickly.

00:46:28.639 --> 00:46:38.960
Uh and when we returned things to the states, but then we started saying, well, you can't go to a different state to do it, even if that other state does allow it.

00:46:39.280 --> 00:46:47.119
Missouri was trying to enact some uh that made it uh illegal to travel between state lines to receive that abortion.

00:46:47.360 --> 00:46:53.039
And I think that was a little overstepping for a state to say you can't travel between state lines if you want to do that.

00:46:53.519 --> 00:46:57.360
Now the state again, it's it's deciding what can be done within state boundaries.

00:46:57.679 --> 00:47:06.239
Now, if if if you're traveling outside of the state, again, that is your they're right.

00:47:06.320 --> 00:47:14.719
If that other state allows it, if if a state like California, New Mexico, if they allow it and you want to go there for that, then that is your right.

00:47:16.639 --> 00:47:24.000
Yeah, I guess my my hardest part with that is like as Christians, we look at, you know, that it is such a super tough conversation.

00:47:24.320 --> 00:47:25.519
You know, it's murder, right?

00:47:25.679 --> 00:47:38.639
So any whether it's in a woman's body or my body, like I think the reason why it becomes such a valuable thing, it's like human dignity, and you get to a place where now all of a sudden you're ending someone's life before it even started.

00:47:38.800 --> 00:47:41.840
And man, that's that's a dangerous place to go.

00:47:42.079 --> 00:47:47.119
And I understand people are in hard situations, and um, as a man, I'm not gonna be in those.

00:47:47.199 --> 00:48:10.719
However, as a man, I can say, like, I don't want evil to like when we start dehumanizing people to that extent, and that's why I'm like as a state of Texas, now granted it didn't get passed, but to say, like, hey, I want to make sure I fund the ability for this pregnant mother to go to a different state where it's legal there to kind of get around the state laws that we have.

00:48:10.880 --> 00:48:20.559
It just to me, that's that that to me is like, wow, that's so hard that we would, you know, we'd say, hey, we don't want to murder here in Texas, but you can do that outside of Texas.

00:48:20.719 --> 00:48:24.800
And and I know, granted, that that's such a hard word, but I think that's really what it is.

00:48:24.960 --> 00:48:27.679
Um, unless you're like, you know, life begins when.

00:48:27.840 --> 00:48:28.719
I think that's the problem.

00:48:29.039 --> 00:48:36.880
Okay, that's a great thing to to have that conversation about because there are actually really uh no federal laws on when life begins.

00:48:37.280 --> 00:48:38.719
It it it is up to the states.

00:48:38.880 --> 00:48:41.280
The states have the ones that have have made those distinctions.

00:48:41.360 --> 00:48:41.599
Yeah.

00:48:41.760 --> 00:48:44.880
So uh federal law, there is no when life begins.

00:48:44.960 --> 00:48:54.079
And that's where a lot of conversation where people have, well, it's you know, upon conception, or is it upon first breath uh that is taken like when does life begin?

00:48:54.159 --> 00:48:55.599
Is it upon viability?

00:48:55.760 --> 00:48:56.079
Yeah.

00:48:56.239 --> 00:49:08.880
Uh and so and again, um to me, I I I look at that and it's like here's a like we save like baby dolphins in the womb or like baby elephants in the womb.

00:49:08.960 --> 00:49:10.639
Like it's illegal to kill them.

00:49:10.880 --> 00:49:20.000
And so if we we we give animals more rights than humans, that's the part where I just go, ugh, that's that's a hard thing for me to to take in.

00:49:20.079 --> 00:49:29.280
Cause I'm like, we've just elevated animals over human beings out of like a sense of we feel bad for the the mother that doesn't have a hu a lot of support.

00:49:29.519 --> 00:49:33.760
But granted, there's a gazillion number of people that are trying to adopt kids right now.

00:49:33.840 --> 00:49:42.480
And so that that that to me is like personally, it makes me like, oh, wounded, hurt for um just life that's not given a chance.

00:49:42.639 --> 00:49:51.119
That that's that's where I feel like as Christians, we we we need to kind of like echo that because the law, like I like what you said, like there is no law.

00:49:51.440 --> 00:50:00.400
And so what happens is you know, we have God's word, and you know, we are given our rights not by the law, but as a constitution by our creator.

00:50:00.559 --> 00:50:08.400
And I think that's the part where if we give up on the creator, if we give up on God and say, like, hey, what do we all think about this?

00:50:08.559 --> 00:50:16.719
Then you're inevitably gonna kind of get to a place of um it's not gonna be God's word, it's gonna be our public opinion.

00:50:16.880 --> 00:50:18.559
And that can get just to be a dangerous spot.

00:50:18.719 --> 00:50:29.519
So that's where I feel like you end up marginalizing people and you end up like that's how stuff like uh the darkness can kind of creep in when you when you talk about like when we think about planned parenthood and how it was started.

00:50:29.599 --> 00:50:34.639
It was like a new eugenic worldview of I want to eliminate African Americans.

00:50:34.719 --> 00:50:43.199
So I'm gonna go and put planned parenthoods or uh you know abortion clinics in all these low-income neighborhoods to make sure that they kill themselves off.

00:50:43.360 --> 00:50:49.760
And I think that part is just kind of hard for me as a as a Christian to kind of lean into that and go, whoa gosh, what is what's happening?

00:50:49.920 --> 00:51:03.679
So I know that I know that I don't know where your stance is on that, but I think that's well, as I was looking at at what Talerico put out, that's where I would push back on him and be like, Hey, I appreciate some of the other things that that you're that you're doing, but man, that's that's hard for me to handle.

00:51:03.920 --> 00:51:04.159
It is.

00:51:04.320 --> 00:51:06.719
I want to take one step back for that plant parenthood.

00:51:06.880 --> 00:51:11.440
Planned parenthood original back like 1890, it was for contraceptive.

00:51:12.000 --> 00:51:13.679
You know, that's what women wanted.

00:51:13.760 --> 00:51:16.559
They wanted to be able to have the decision of when they could.

00:51:17.119 --> 00:51:30.880
Then it was is something that it's thought of like it's a good start, but then the use of it became you're right, putting it into low-income areas where they knew people said, if I have a decision, am I going to have another baby that's going to put a financial burden on me?

00:51:31.199 --> 00:51:33.920
Or am I going to uh uh opt out?

00:51:34.159 --> 00:51:42.960
And and and that did actually affect a lot of communities, you know, but that origin of it started with the attention of like family planning.

00:51:43.119 --> 00:51:43.519
Sure.

00:51:43.679 --> 00:51:48.400
Uh and you know, women are they have that right to decide when they want to have a child.

00:51:48.559 --> 00:52:01.519
And at that point in time, uh there was you know certain certain state laws or certain local ordinances against like handing out contraceptives to to women to say, hey, if you're not ready to be pregnant but you're married, you know, here's a condom.

00:52:01.599 --> 00:52:03.760
And then they were like, Oh, can't do that.

00:52:04.000 --> 00:52:04.320
Yeah.

00:52:04.559 --> 00:52:05.519
But you're right.

00:52:05.599 --> 00:52:08.719
It it it is a very difficult subject.

00:52:08.960 --> 00:52:14.239
And I think what makes it hard is it's not like they said, Hey, let's go to the white neighborhoods and hang and hand these out.

00:52:14.400 --> 00:52:19.039
Let's go to the poorer, more minority neighborhoods to hand this out because we don't want more of them born.

00:52:19.280 --> 00:52:21.119
I uh that's kind of where I look at that.

00:52:21.280 --> 00:52:25.360
The the racial intent of that kind of gets me off sort of fired up.

00:52:25.519 --> 00:52:32.960
Um, and so I I get it that um there's a you kind of look at oh, it's we know we don't want to put too much on families because they can't afford it and all that.

00:52:33.039 --> 00:52:38.480
But I'm like, the intent was let's limit birth because we don't want those people here.

00:52:38.639 --> 00:52:44.639
And so that's where as a Christian I go, man, that that's a dignity of human humanity.

00:52:44.800 --> 00:52:46.000
That's a that's one of those issues.

00:52:46.159 --> 00:52:48.880
And so, and granted, that that was what 1916 or something.

00:52:49.519 --> 00:52:50.320
Yeah, 50s, 60s.

00:52:50.480 --> 00:52:57.599
Well, 1916 is when I think Planned Parenthood thing started with the first birth control clinic, and then it eventually kind of went from there.

00:52:57.760 --> 00:53:04.880
But and so, you know, Margaret Sanger from 1916 probably had a way different worldview uh than we do today.

00:53:05.039 --> 00:53:09.039
However, I think it was a I want to eliminate those people.

00:53:09.199 --> 00:53:13.599
It wasn't I want to uh see the flourishing of that community.

00:53:13.840 --> 00:53:15.760
And and I think that's where I sort of struggle.

00:53:16.000 --> 00:53:19.039
Like we want to see the flourishing of a culture.

00:53:19.280 --> 00:53:23.760
And so anyway, when death becomes a part of it, which eventually it kind of I'll give it to you.

00:53:23.840 --> 00:53:30.880
Like it was like at first we just want to limit the amount of births that were going on, uh, although it was minority births they wanted to limit.

00:53:30.960 --> 00:53:33.360
Uh, I would say it got to a point of death.

00:53:33.519 --> 00:53:44.800
And that's where when you start advocating for death and like um affirming it, now we're in this dangerous place where we're like millions of kids or babies were terminated.

00:53:44.880 --> 00:53:48.239
And that just as a as a Christian, that breaks my heart.

00:53:48.320 --> 00:53:59.519
Uh not because I'm like one that, you know, championing uh abortion or you know, pro-life, but because like that that's not God's desire and heart for uh humanity to see it flourish.

00:53:59.760 --> 00:54:00.000
I don't know.

00:54:00.480 --> 00:54:07.119
I think it's an important conversation because we're you're talking about you know being in a position of legislation, legislating.

00:54:07.199 --> 00:54:10.239
You're making laws, all laws have some kind of moral foundation.

00:54:10.400 --> 00:54:12.559
And the question is gonna be which morals are they?

00:54:12.880 --> 00:54:16.239
So as a Christian, you go, okay, we gotta get our morals from God's word.

00:54:16.480 --> 00:54:23.840
There may not be currently a federal law about this, or there may but as Christians, we gotta legislate off of what God's word says is true.

00:54:24.000 --> 00:54:33.440
That's what Scripture says a civil magistrate, you know, a public governing ruler, um, public official, you know, has a responsibility before God.

00:54:33.840 --> 00:54:42.159
And so the what's what why this is you know really good is like our job as pastors is not to write bills, you know, unless we are also to become a representative.

00:54:43.199 --> 00:54:49.679
But and and in the same way, your job as a state representative would not be to, you know, administer communion on a Sunday.

00:54:49.760 --> 00:54:55.440
So there's a separation and different spheres of um work, but the conversation is important.

00:54:56.480 --> 00:55:10.159
Um, because you know, the church's role is to speak to the civil magistrate, you know, speak to um political officials um and say, hey, we need to have laws that reflect the truth and justice and morality of scripture.

00:55:10.320 --> 00:55:11.039
Does that make sense?

00:55:11.280 --> 00:55:14.880
Yeah, and you're talking about conversation, and that definitely needs to be done.

00:55:15.039 --> 00:55:15.280
Yeah.

00:55:15.519 --> 00:55:19.840
And also listening on on our part, listening from the people, listening from communities.

00:55:20.000 --> 00:55:20.159
Yeah.

00:55:20.400 --> 00:55:22.320
Because what are their desires?

00:55:22.480 --> 00:55:31.679
And again, if we come to the point where it's like the the the uh church community is saying, here is what we want, then that should be my role as a representative.

00:55:31.760 --> 00:55:32.000
Yeah, yeah.

00:55:32.159 --> 00:55:37.599
Whether it's it might be even against what I want, but if that is what that conversation is.

00:55:38.159 --> 00:55:40.320
I mean, unless it goes against God's law, right?

00:55:40.559 --> 00:55:44.000
Unless you're talking about if it is something that's immoral, ultimately acceptable to God first.

00:55:44.239 --> 00:55:49.119
Yeah, if it's an immoral act that everybody's saying we need to do this, okay, whoa, then let's pump the brakes on that.

00:55:49.360 --> 00:55:49.440
Right.

00:55:49.599 --> 00:55:49.920
Slavery.

00:55:50.079 --> 00:55:56.000
Like we would go, okay, let's when someone comes up talking like that craziness, we're like, no problem.

00:55:56.159 --> 00:55:57.840
Like, we need to stop, shut that down.

00:55:58.000 --> 00:55:58.960
We're not gonna do that.

00:55:59.119 --> 00:56:22.400
I think that's the the problem I think for a lot of us that we face is that we can look at maybe uh an a cultural era where one sin was like prioritized and like sort of advocated for, and then uh it took the church then having influence on the rest of the culture for that to be shut down and the true the inhumane treatment of people like that to be stopped.

00:56:22.559 --> 00:56:34.559
Um, which was obviously that's the role of the church to speak prophetically into the culture and and to uh to the state, uh as you know, government has the power of the sword to enforce law and to do all that.

00:56:34.639 --> 00:56:48.800
And the church has the you know the prophetic voice to say, hey, here's the things that we need to see, justice and righteousness and and that, and then to take care of the poor and to kind of love on people and then guide them spiritually, and then the family ultimately is where you know people are raised up.

00:56:48.960 --> 00:57:03.280
So I I just bring that up as like I know you didn't have anything to do with writing it, yeah, but I but I do feel like it's important to kind of what Holland was saying, is like where where do the where do people's rights come from?

00:57:03.920 --> 00:57:06.000
And I think that's that one question.

00:57:06.639 --> 00:57:08.559
Oh, she is such a sweetie.

00:57:08.960 --> 00:57:10.559
She is so cute.

00:57:10.800 --> 00:57:33.920
Uh I I think like what what people would be interested to hear, you know, for you as a representative, or what I'm interested to hear, you know, is are you going to, you know, when you get your bills ready, you know, to present them, is the moral foundation of those things going to be the teaching of scripture and the the morality uh of uh what you know the Christian faith says is true?

00:57:34.239 --> 00:57:38.800
Or are you going to be looking more to you know some other direction or source for that?

00:57:39.199 --> 00:57:44.719
That's a good question because again, we talked about how I grew up uh not having church all the time.

00:57:44.880 --> 00:57:51.760
Yeah, but the the pillars that were there, like I said, scouts and scouts does still have that faith-based in that, you know.

00:57:51.920 --> 00:57:57.679
And y'all look up the scout law and look up the scout oath, and those are the things that we try to again adhere to, and I try to adhere to.

00:57:57.840 --> 00:58:06.719
And you're gonna see in there, it's on my honor, I'll do my best to do my do my duty to God and my country, obey the scout law, keep myself physically fit, mentally awake, and morally straight.

00:58:06.880 --> 00:58:07.199
Love it.

00:58:07.280 --> 00:58:10.960
And so, and again, that last part morally straight, you know, mentally awake.

00:58:11.039 --> 00:58:12.000
We've talked a little bit about that.

00:58:12.079 --> 00:58:18.800
So those are the areas where I'm coming from, and they do have a bit of basis within scripture because that's where Scouts was based in.

00:58:19.360 --> 00:58:31.679
Um, but beyond that, to also talk about uh this abortion conversation, it also it also needs to include what support there is for that mother.

00:58:32.239 --> 00:58:32.480
Sure.

00:58:33.199 --> 00:58:37.599
It can't just be like a hey, don't do this, like you can't get abortion, and then that's the end of the conversation.

00:58:37.760 --> 00:58:55.199
It also needs to say, here's support, here's you know, one, our our state of Texas, we don't have uh maternity leave for women who are working, they either and if they don't have support, they either need to take vacation time, take FMLA, which is an unpaid, we don't have support for them.

00:58:55.280 --> 00:59:05.119
So we also need to have that conversation of like, okay, if we are going to make sure that we are having uh women bring babies into this world, we need to take care of them as well.

00:59:05.280 --> 00:59:07.679
Because that is a transition that's good.

00:59:07.920 --> 00:59:31.760
Those first few weeks, which of the, you know, the the sleepless nights uh and those kinds of things, if that person is then expected to say, take care of a baby, drop them off at daycare, go to work for eight hours, come back, pick them up from daycare, spend the night with them, even though you're only getting a few hours of sleep, and just keep keep repeating that, that also is in a sense not taking care of people.

00:59:32.079 --> 00:59:32.239
Right.

00:59:32.400 --> 00:59:36.800
We have a lot of teen moms here, uh, and so we're very familiar with this.

00:59:36.880 --> 00:59:43.119
And it'd be like it's one of those things where it's like, I want, you know, if you're like, hey, what's the plan?

00:59:43.280 --> 01:00:04.079
Hey, local church, hey, community of faith, rally around this person because then you have the life support, and then people who are what happens when you start off with uh you know giving people money in some way, even if it's just Family leave, then there's an expectation the government's going to solve that problem.

01:00:04.239 --> 01:00:12.559
And man, then you take the the ability and the the personal touch away from the community to wrap their arms around a person and help them grow.

01:00:12.719 --> 01:00:19.599
And I think that it's like where the one it's a in what in some ways, it's what a blessing when the government's gonna step in and kind of provide money here.

01:00:19.760 --> 01:00:26.719
But the negative consequence of that is it prevents the community to come together because oh, you're the government has taken care of.

01:00:26.880 --> 01:00:27.599
Does that make sense?

01:00:28.159 --> 01:00:30.559
That's the part that I sort of I kind of get.

01:00:30.639 --> 01:00:36.159
I not that I'm like anti-helping people, but it I want I would love to see the personal touch.

01:00:36.239 --> 01:00:42.719
Like I just talked to a woman who just had a uh a single mom who's 20, uh and she chose not to have an abortion.

01:00:42.800 --> 01:00:43.920
And I was like, hey, way to go.

01:00:44.000 --> 01:00:44.719
I'm so proud of you.

01:00:44.880 --> 01:00:45.519
What do you need?

01:00:45.760 --> 01:00:48.239
And we're gonna provide a family took her in.

01:00:48.400 --> 01:01:00.480
Like those are the kind of cool things that I feel like would be really special to give the church a chance, give the community of faith a chance to really invest in people's lives.

01:01:00.639 --> 01:01:04.320
And and again, this comes from a maybe this is not overly idealistic perspective.

01:01:04.400 --> 01:01:08.400
Um, but I really feel like the church would love to step into that realm.

01:01:08.719 --> 01:01:08.960
Okay.

01:01:09.119 --> 01:01:10.639
That would be a wonderful thing, right?

01:01:10.719 --> 01:01:16.159
If you have that communities, but not everybody does have a church community, not everybody goes to church.

01:01:16.239 --> 01:01:22.000
And and so when they're faced with that situation, a lot of time it is a very um independent situation.

01:01:22.079 --> 01:01:24.960
They're very, you know, by themselves if they don't have that church community.

01:01:25.119 --> 01:01:35.440
And then so then So I guess that's my my my point is then they they let's say we gave them money, it would prolong their independence and lack of community.

01:01:35.679 --> 01:01:55.039
And I and I know we all want everyone to have like they get to choose whatever community that is that they want, but at some point when someone loves you really, really well and they are they're involved in your life for your your benefit at their expense, that blessing is so powerful.

01:01:55.199 --> 01:02:01.039
So in my head, why not send some of that money to the community of faith and go, like, hey, are you guys gonna take care of these people?

01:02:01.119 --> 01:02:03.920
I want to see the record of you guys stepping into people's lives.

01:02:04.079 --> 01:02:14.880
And then all of a sudden, now you have uh the ability for the church to really kind of support the system and infrastructure because we already have the system of support for people uh that are in need.

01:02:15.039 --> 01:02:29.679
You know, our our little church, we give away about a hundred and hundred and thirty, hundred and forty thousand dollars away to help people pay rent, to help people uh, you know, when their transmission goes out, uh, you know, all the different things of of when their lives fall apart.

01:02:29.840 --> 01:02:31.920
We're involved in their lives.

01:02:32.079 --> 01:02:35.280
And and I think that's it's a beautiful, sweet thing.

01:02:35.440 --> 01:02:48.400
Uh, but sometimes like if people are just looking for the the check, what what's really great about this, you have the the personal aspect of people invest in their life as opposed to a check that comes from the government and then go figure it out.

01:02:48.559 --> 01:02:53.519
So that's and I know they're social workers, yeah, but it feels like the social worker is working the nine to five.

01:02:53.599 --> 01:02:55.679
And if you don't get in my hours, then I'm sorry.

01:02:55.840 --> 01:03:00.320
Whereas church people, they're up all hours of the night serving, loving, caring for people.

01:03:00.480 --> 01:03:01.519
It's kind of what we do.

01:03:01.679 --> 01:03:12.239
And we're built for it because we have this mission, this great mission that comes from God to love, serve, care for the poor, to love, care, and serve for those who are in need.

01:03:12.400 --> 01:03:21.039
And I'm not saying that anyone's intentionally robbing the church of doing that, but when you can get money independent of any person, you're gonna take it.

01:03:21.199 --> 01:03:24.880
And so I think that's the that almost robs them of the community they desperately need.

01:03:24.960 --> 01:03:26.320
And that's my opinion on that.

01:03:26.480 --> 01:03:27.840
And you can take it for what it's worth.

01:03:28.000 --> 01:03:30.000
No, I think one community is a great thing.

01:03:30.159 --> 01:03:35.679
When people don't have community, I I that is a tough road to go down if you don't have community, whatever that community is.

01:03:35.840 --> 01:03:36.000
Sure.

01:03:36.079 --> 01:03:37.840
And and churches provide a wonderful community.

01:03:38.079 --> 01:03:43.280
Like I said, Scouts, that was a community for us, especially as a kid growing up, you know, that you had that group there.

01:03:43.360 --> 01:03:45.360
Yeah, it is important to have them.

01:03:45.519 --> 01:03:52.960
Uh, you know, my my dad, having retired, kind of fell into that role of, well, what does the community here need?

01:03:53.119 --> 01:03:53.360
Right.

01:03:53.519 --> 01:03:56.719
And he he helped he retired so he crushed it of that stuff.

01:03:57.280 --> 01:04:04.559
You know, and he was great about just saying, All right, well, if we need this, if we need somebody to go and fundraise for this, if we need that, if this community needs it.

01:04:04.719 --> 01:04:11.679
And there'd be times where you know he volunteered so much and he got to take me along to a few things like and it still sticks with me today.

01:04:11.920 --> 01:04:18.960
I was in like seventh grade that his local Kwanas club did a Christmas thing for for a few kids.

01:04:19.039 --> 01:04:19.360
Yeah.

01:04:19.519 --> 01:04:25.119
And I got to be the one that helped out, pick out some of those gifts and take them to the family, these families.

01:04:25.280 --> 01:04:25.440
Yeah.

01:04:25.519 --> 01:04:25.920
So good.

01:04:26.000 --> 01:04:31.360
And it still impacts me to the day, seeing expression of gratitude that these families are supported by a community.

01:04:31.519 --> 01:04:35.119
So again, you're talking about communities, and and the church is a wonderful community.

01:04:35.280 --> 01:04:38.159
You know, that's why I mean one Wells Branch Community Church.

01:04:38.239 --> 01:04:38.880
You know, it's not okay.

01:04:39.119 --> 01:04:39.360
Yeah.

01:04:39.679 --> 01:04:48.960
So um that is important, but you did kind of step into here with, you know, if if that money could flow from the government out to the churches, and that's that's the thing that's going to be stopped right there.

01:04:49.119 --> 01:05:08.480
Um, I think it I I we had a conversation a little bit about that, and I looked up, um, I think it's I wrote it down, I think it's the Lemon versus Kurtzman Supreme Court that put the end of, I think certain uh states were trying to use tax money to then fund teacher salaries at private schools.

01:05:08.960 --> 01:05:12.000
And that was where the Supreme Court came in.

01:05:12.079 --> 01:05:13.440
Uh, this is in the 70s.

01:05:13.679 --> 01:05:14.559
Yeah, I think 71.

01:05:14.719 --> 01:05:14.880
Yeah.

01:05:15.039 --> 01:05:20.400
So they came in and they said, okay, nope, this is we're putting up a block here because we're not gonna allow that.

01:05:20.559 --> 01:05:23.360
So when that conversation is gonna be a very tough one to try to run.

01:05:25.280 --> 01:05:26.719
Yeah, now you're going against the Supreme Court.

01:05:26.800 --> 01:05:30.320
Uh, but the the message should still be there.

01:05:30.480 --> 01:05:37.280
The message of saying because the government does give money to NGOs of all sorts that are helping people do all sorts of things.

01:05:37.440 --> 01:05:37.679
Yeah.

01:05:37.840 --> 01:05:42.639
Uh but I do feel like Austin, even the city of Austin, and maybe this is a city of Austin, might be different.

01:05:42.719 --> 01:05:45.280
Like, because they really help support community first, I think.

01:05:45.440 --> 01:05:47.199
Like with uh what's the guy's name at Community First?

01:05:47.440 --> 01:05:48.719
Oh, the mobile loads and fishes?

01:05:48.960 --> 01:05:49.760
Yeah, Chris Chris.

01:05:49.840 --> 01:05:50.800
Uh is it Chris?

01:05:50.880 --> 01:05:52.159
Or is it was it?

01:05:52.239 --> 01:05:52.880
Yeah, I can't remember.

01:05:52.960 --> 01:05:53.840
It's right behind my house.

01:05:54.000 --> 01:05:54.480
Yeah.

01:05:54.800 --> 01:05:58.000
Um Alan.

01:05:58.239 --> 01:05:59.440
Alan, Alan Graham, yeah.

01:06:00.000 --> 01:06:00.320
Oh, okay.

01:06:00.400 --> 01:06:01.039
Yeah.

01:06:01.840 --> 01:06:02.880
Um yeah.

01:06:03.280 --> 01:06:11.599
So I cause I think they receive public funding of some sort, but yeah, they're not a church, they're just uh faith-based anyway, but they're but they are that kind of thing.

01:06:11.679 --> 01:06:14.079
And it's I mean, what they got going over there is awesome.

01:06:14.320 --> 01:06:15.519
Yeah, I love community first.

01:06:15.760 --> 01:06:17.199
Uh I went this last year.

01:06:17.280 --> 01:06:19.599
We took this little one to go see the lights that they have there.

01:06:19.920 --> 01:06:22.159
Um, you know, my wife and I have donated.

01:06:22.320 --> 01:06:22.639
Thanks.

01:06:22.800 --> 01:06:25.840
Thank you to uh that was uh PBS to introduce us to that.

01:06:25.920 --> 01:06:28.239
They did a special on them uh one year.

01:06:28.320 --> 01:06:30.159
I'm like, whoa, that's right down the road.

01:06:30.320 --> 01:06:30.960
That's right over there.

01:06:31.039 --> 01:06:33.199
I had I had zero clue about it.

01:06:33.360 --> 01:06:42.559
Um, but then we started getting into a conversation about like, well, the here's an organization that's definitely helping out unhouse people and their their their method is effective.

01:06:42.719 --> 01:06:45.599
It's it's not, I mean, in right, yeah.

01:06:45.840 --> 01:06:48.239
Everything is effective up until a point.

01:06:48.320 --> 01:06:48.480
Yeah.

01:06:48.559 --> 01:06:53.440
Uh and also, you know, scale-wise, it's it's it's something you can't scale super huge.

01:06:53.519 --> 01:06:59.039
It does have to, it's impacting a smaller bit of that community, but it is impacting them and it is effective in certain ways.

01:06:59.119 --> 01:07:00.480
So yeah, I got to preach there.

01:07:00.559 --> 01:07:04.079
I mean, like they, you know, invited me out and I come came and preached there, and it was wonderful.

01:07:04.159 --> 01:07:07.519
I I truly was blessed by uh everybody at committee first.

01:07:07.679 --> 01:07:11.920
But I do feel like they they are have some at least some public support there.

01:07:12.320 --> 01:07:17.679
I know, I and I don't want to get into it more because you're like, yeah, you're well, hey, I'd love to do that, but Supreme Court, you can't do that.

01:07:18.000 --> 01:07:18.800
It would make it difficult.

01:07:18.960 --> 01:07:19.599
It would make it difficult.

01:07:19.840 --> 01:07:20.480
Can I add one thing?

01:07:20.559 --> 01:07:21.920
Yeah, just kind of just going back.

01:07:22.000 --> 01:07:29.119
Um, just to, you know, we're here, you're running for um this office, you know, it's public office, we're pastors.

01:07:29.280 --> 01:07:36.000
Uh I would just you made a comment earlier about I would never understand the abortion, you know, situation as a man, right?

01:07:36.159 --> 01:07:38.800
And I would just I I think obviously true.

01:07:38.880 --> 01:07:43.280
You know, we we there's a limit of a limit, a limit to how much I can understand.

01:07:43.360 --> 01:07:43.440
Yeah.

01:07:43.679 --> 01:07:44.880
Maybe that's a better way to phrase it.

01:07:44.960 --> 01:07:46.159
But right, right, right, right.

01:07:46.320 --> 01:07:53.440
My encouragement would just be to you when it comes to bills and legislation, stand on you know, God's word.

01:07:53.679 --> 01:08:01.199
There might be a lot of situations or issues that you go, man, me as this or as that can't fully understand.

01:08:01.360 --> 01:08:03.119
And there's sympathy there, you know.

01:08:03.199 --> 01:08:11.840
Um, but at the end of the day, when it comes to law, we got to stand if God's word says that this is wrong, then it doesn't matter, you know, if I don't understand it.

01:08:12.079 --> 01:08:14.239
Like I've got to stand on what God's word says.

01:08:14.400 --> 01:08:33.359
And I think like what at least for me personally, like what I would love to see in public officials and government in um politics is Christians stepping into these places willing to stand firmly on God's word and say, we're gonna legislate according to what God says is right and wrong.

01:08:33.520 --> 01:08:40.640
We're gonna legislate according to what scripture says is true, um, and use that as the moral foundation.

01:08:40.720 --> 01:08:44.159
Um so I would just commend that to you and encourage you in that.

01:08:44.319 --> 01:08:51.760
Let um let the scriptures really be, you know, your um uh moral foundation uh when it comes to these.

01:08:52.000 --> 01:08:54.479
The question is, what does the Bible say about when life begins?

01:08:54.640 --> 01:09:04.399
Not what the federal government says, not what, you know, it's what does scripture say about the dignity of human life as image bearers, when life begins, um, those types of things.

01:09:04.560 --> 01:09:05.199
Does that make sense?

01:09:05.520 --> 01:09:05.840
It does.

01:09:06.000 --> 01:09:10.079
And and that's gonna be a conversation had dozens and dozens of more times.

01:09:10.239 --> 01:09:10.399
Yeah.

01:09:10.640 --> 01:09:19.840
You know, and I think even within, you know, certain uh church circles on when does not church circles, but religious circles, when does life begin?

01:09:20.239 --> 01:09:28.960
They're gonna have that conversation because I I think there are even gonna be small sects of that of the Christian church that will not view it as conception.

01:09:29.199 --> 01:09:45.119
And if you go, I mean that the what's really hard is as running as a Democrat, then you're gonna have a really tough go because I think the the platform is is very much about uh you know, what is it, reproductive freedom is the way they would put that.

01:09:45.359 --> 01:09:48.399
Like, and so that would just go counter to the whole party.

01:09:48.479 --> 01:09:50.720
So just something to I don't think about.

01:09:51.039 --> 01:09:52.800
Um it's not my top thing, you know.

01:09:52.960 --> 01:09:59.119
That that's that's it's there, it's definitely something I think is needs to be considered and and talked about and and bills put to law.

01:09:59.439 --> 01:10:00.800
So schools, I think, is one of your top things.

01:10:01.039 --> 01:10:02.159
Yes, uh public education.

01:10:02.560 --> 01:10:09.199
So one of the things uh uh is Austin Austin ISD is part of your Austin ISD is part of the district, and so is Brown Rock and Flugerville.

01:10:09.520 --> 01:10:10.880
Flugerville, Round Rock.

01:10:11.119 --> 01:10:23.039
Do you do you like what kind of role do you I mean, how does the So like what would the legislative branch of the government have to do with like what would you even be able to do?

01:10:23.279 --> 01:10:30.880
Um so conversation I think is gonna be more along the lines of uh what we would then instruct certain organizations to do.

01:10:31.039 --> 01:10:44.319
It would be a bill that would put forth to instruct the Texas Education Agency uh that hey, this is what needs to be done, whether it's a commission like we talked about earlier that you know the team put together on marriage and family.

01:10:44.479 --> 01:10:51.119
Like we need uh a review of said X, Y, and Z to see what is more beneficial for our students.

01:10:51.199 --> 01:10:54.079
So that would be like the first conversations we probably have.

01:10:54.239 --> 01:11:09.600
And then based upon those, then enact something that would probably alongs again, it's probably gonna be working with the State Board of Education and the Texas Education Agency because those are the overarching um entities which oversee curriculum, testing, and and things like that.

01:11:09.760 --> 01:11:09.920
Yeah.

01:11:10.079 --> 01:11:11.039
So yeah, go ahead.

01:11:11.199 --> 01:11:23.840
Yeah, and but like funding though, the funding aspect comes from like what the legislative legislature kind of dictates the amount per student that you would receive for those that show up at second period on the day.

01:11:23.920 --> 01:11:26.000
You know, because like gosh, that's tough.

01:11:26.239 --> 01:11:28.159
That that's wild stuff, yeah.

01:11:28.399 --> 01:11:45.760
Because I think there was even uh Talerico put in a uh a bill that wanted to increase like uh teacher pay uh like for uh five thousand dollar annual but he's he's the one that kind of got five thousand dollar annual bonuses for educators in high poverty schools, which passed, which way to go.

01:11:45.920 --> 01:11:58.560
Uh and then he also put something out for he wanted to increase per student funding by 500 bucks, I guess a kid, uh, and with fair distribution to low wealth districts with ties to teacher pay raises.

01:11:58.720 --> 01:12:00.399
And that got stuck in community.

01:12:00.640 --> 01:12:05.439
So I I do appreciate like that aspect of Hib having kind of an eye on education.

01:12:05.680 --> 01:12:16.720
But the one thing I'm noticing, at least it's in the news a lot, Austin ISD schools have a lot of F ratings, um, which affects property values, which affects, you know, I'm not gonna put my kids in those schools.

01:12:16.880 --> 01:12:18.239
And it's like I'm out.

01:12:18.319 --> 01:12:25.520
Like it's a lot of like smart kid flight to the charter schools or to the private schools, or they're just gonna move.

01:12:25.840 --> 01:12:29.439
They're gonna go out to like Ean's ISD, which is just across that way.

01:12:29.760 --> 01:12:30.399
Right, right, yeah.

01:12:30.479 --> 01:12:31.760
Or like whatever, yeah, yeah.

01:12:31.920 --> 01:12:41.600
So I'm like, you know, what I don't know if this this might be beyond anyone's pay grade, but like have you have you thought through solutions on what that what could be a solution for that?

01:12:41.840 --> 01:12:43.600
Just the problem of failing schools.

01:12:43.840 --> 01:12:44.079
Yeah.

01:12:44.159 --> 01:12:47.680
So uh first, I think re-evaluating how schools are funded.

01:12:47.840 --> 01:12:51.600
It's property tax that's done majority is how school funded.

01:12:51.680 --> 01:12:51.920
Yeah, yeah.

01:12:52.079 --> 01:12:56.800
And we used to have this we implemented a while ago, a couple decades ago, the Robin Hood program.

01:12:57.039 --> 01:12:57.439
Yeah.

01:12:57.760 --> 01:13:02.720
Um my dad hated it, yeah, but under he hated it, but said, I understand it.

01:13:02.880 --> 01:13:06.079
And where we lived in San Antonio was a very wealthy area.

01:13:06.159 --> 01:13:08.239
It was the Alamo Heights independent school district.

01:13:08.319 --> 01:13:08.479
Yeah.

01:13:09.039 --> 01:13:13.600
And he would tell me all the time, gosh, you know, your school district gives away X amount of dollars.

01:13:13.760 --> 01:13:15.439
And I said, Oh, that's horrible.

01:13:15.680 --> 01:13:26.960
But having been to school there at this, the teachers that they were able to employ because they were able to provide a little bit better, they were providing uh salary that teachers could live in the district.

01:13:27.039 --> 01:13:27.279
Right.

01:13:27.439 --> 01:13:30.640
We had many teachers that had kids that were in the schools.

01:13:30.800 --> 01:13:34.960
So teachers were living in the district, teachers were staying there.

01:13:35.199 --> 01:13:38.960
There was not turnover as we see in some of these bigger districts.

01:13:39.199 --> 01:13:56.960
If you go to Austin ISD, you know, uh a teacher probably knew, let's say she she's fresh out of UT, yeah, and she gets thrashed because she's like, I and we actually had one of because we were here at Wells Branch at um Jolie Johnson Elementary, and we had a really great teacher, and she was like, I'm quitting.

01:13:57.039 --> 01:13:58.479
Like she was it was her first year.

01:13:58.560 --> 01:13:59.600
She taught her kid Kidd.

01:13:59.840 --> 01:14:00.560
She's like, I'm out, I'm out.

01:14:00.640 --> 01:14:03.359
My and my wife, who was a teacher, she's like, Don't quit.

01:14:03.520 --> 01:14:06.560
Just get out of, move to a different school, don't quit.

01:14:06.800 --> 01:14:08.399
And now she lived halfway ever after.

01:14:08.479 --> 01:14:10.000
I think she's in like Leander or something.

01:14:10.159 --> 01:14:20.800
Anyway, but so I think there's like the schools are so like the uh the conduct, the kids' attitudes, which makes the teachers like, I'm out, or like they're just in survival mode.

01:14:21.039 --> 01:14:26.640
Um, and I don't and again, this gets into like as someone's just sort of observing.

01:14:26.800 --> 01:14:35.920
I know there's F ratings that the T gives, and I know that they're they're trying to put in new curriculum, they're trying to, you know, they've taken over uh Houston ISD and just Fort Worth.

01:14:36.079 --> 01:14:37.359
Fort Worth is is taking over.

01:14:37.439 --> 01:14:41.359
And they and now Houston had the greatest, like um they've had a good turnaround.

01:14:41.520 --> 01:14:42.000
It's wild.

01:14:42.239 --> 01:14:43.199
They've had a good turnaround.

01:14:43.439 --> 01:14:44.880
They've had some issues with that though.

01:14:44.960 --> 01:14:48.079
They've had a dip in their student population.

01:14:48.239 --> 01:14:52.800
You know, they've gone from 190,000 students in 2023 when the takeover happened.

01:14:52.880 --> 01:15:03.039
They've dropped like five percent of their student population because families don't want their kids in those schools to say, like, hey, we've now lost that that community.

01:15:03.199 --> 01:15:06.800
We've decided who the school board is and what they're gonna do, and they lose that.

01:15:06.880 --> 01:15:11.359
And so what's interesting, the people that left were probably the people that could leave.

01:15:11.600 --> 01:15:20.000
And so that's where I'm like, they somehow turned it around with the lowest income kids that couldn't leave, that were stuck, and they turned it around at Houston I state.

01:15:20.239 --> 01:15:49.680
Not and my only thinking it, and this is probably way beyond what you could do as a uh a Texas state representative, but why not make like we're I know this is we're all about freedom and uh school boards, and but man, wouldn't it be great if you had like a top-down, like here's the one system, and we are here are all of our like kind of like how UT has like all its schools, you know, um you know, UT Arlington or UT uh SA, UT UTSA, it's all part of the University of Texas school system or whatever.

01:15:49.920 --> 01:15:58.560
To me, it seems like, man, what an opportunity to kind of make it a uniform standards where people could kind of move in and out, and you're kind of like it's the army.

01:15:58.800 --> 01:16:04.319
I would love for teachers to kind of like, hey, you have to serve your time just like everyone has to go to Fort Hood at some point.

01:16:04.399 --> 01:16:09.840
You know, you go serve your time there, and then you know, you kind of get moved up and you're based on your meritocracy of teaching.

01:16:10.000 --> 01:16:10.319
I don't know.

01:16:10.479 --> 01:16:11.279
That's just my thought on it.

01:16:11.359 --> 01:16:12.560
I don't know what if you have any other thoughts on it.

01:16:12.640 --> 01:16:18.479
That is, yeah, yeah, it does sound like that's an army because then you're very, very everything is the same across the board.

01:16:18.560 --> 01:16:25.600
Yeah, which is you're right, El Paso district versus somewhere down in the district and down like in the valley versus Dallas versus small school districts.

01:16:25.760 --> 01:16:28.720
You know, it all depends upon like how much money do they have at the time.

01:16:28.960 --> 01:16:40.399
What by by kind of standardizing everything, that's really gonna some people are gonna view that as like, oh, that's you know, totalitarian or whatever the distribution of the same thing for everybody.

01:16:40.560 --> 01:16:43.439
Um better school districts are gonna hate that.

01:16:43.520 --> 01:16:46.880
Yeah, the school districts like Ean's, yeah, is gonna be like, no, no, no, we're doing fine.

01:16:46.960 --> 01:16:47.520
Do not touch us.

01:16:47.760 --> 01:16:48.479
Don't touch us.

01:16:48.640 --> 01:16:57.439
Uh, whereas some other schools that are maybe struggling, they're gonna be like, well, that might be an option because then you can kind of come over and maybe we can focus on other other things to help us turn around.

01:16:57.600 --> 01:17:01.680
And there are three things I would like us to consider when like how can we improve schools?

01:17:01.840 --> 01:17:05.439
First off, um, it is it is a safe environment.

01:17:05.920 --> 01:17:12.880
So, and that can be broken down, safe from exterior entities, kind of like like uh hardening of the schools.

01:17:13.039 --> 01:17:14.079
Uh is that the right word for it?

01:17:14.159 --> 01:17:15.520
Like where you don't know, hardening.

01:17:15.600 --> 01:17:21.439
I so uh so um the program I worked for, GeoForce, I worked in Uvaldi ISD.

01:17:21.520 --> 01:17:23.119
I worked at the high school, I worked at the middle school.

01:17:23.199 --> 01:17:23.520
Oh wow.

01:17:23.600 --> 01:17:26.880
So I was one degree of separation from what happened at Rob Elementary.

01:17:27.039 --> 01:17:31.840
I knew the teachers, I didn't know anybody personally that was affected, but I I felt the community.

01:17:32.000 --> 01:17:37.039
Yeah, so we need to first talk about okay, secure schools, a safe environment from exterior, but also a safe interior.

01:17:37.199 --> 01:17:40.399
So that is you've talked about it with Jolie Johnson.

01:17:40.479 --> 01:17:41.760
Yeah, teachers need to be safe.

01:17:41.840 --> 01:17:44.159
Yeah, students need to be safe from one another.

01:17:44.399 --> 01:17:47.279
So we need to have a safe environment for our students, right?

01:17:47.439 --> 01:17:50.079
So that's something we need to work on uh for our school districts.

01:17:50.239 --> 01:17:51.119
What do you think of the policy?

01:17:52.159 --> 01:17:53.039
I literally don't know.

01:17:53.119 --> 01:17:55.279
I'm just like, what would you do to make it more safer?

01:17:55.520 --> 01:17:58.319
Like you'd almost have like a bodyguard in there for the teacher or something.

01:17:58.399 --> 01:17:58.880
I don't I don't know.

01:17:58.960 --> 01:18:00.079
I'm I'm just I have no idea.

01:18:00.319 --> 01:18:06.479
We're yeah, I feel like bodyguard kind of getting into like a George Oral 1984, really watching everybody.

01:18:06.560 --> 01:18:11.199
But but sometimes, you know, especially in schools like camera systems, simple cameras.

01:18:11.439 --> 01:18:20.000
Camera systems should be utilized to make sure that what's are they allowed to have cameras on school on classrooms in certain areas, but I don't know if all classrooms are allowed to have that.

01:18:20.079 --> 01:18:20.720
That's a great question.

01:18:20.880 --> 01:18:22.079
That's something I think we should look at.

01:18:23.439 --> 01:18:26.479
There's like a privacy thing or something about that, but there shouldn't be right.

01:18:26.560 --> 01:18:29.279
Like what a classroom should be for learning.

01:18:29.439 --> 01:18:29.600
Right.

01:18:29.760 --> 01:18:37.119
And you know, if if when when teachers have their break period, you know, if it's in the classroom and they allow students to come in, that should still be visible.

01:18:37.279 --> 01:18:41.039
Yeah, you know, we were always taught anytime you are interacting with students, it's it's a two-to-one rule.

01:18:41.119 --> 01:18:45.600
Either two students or one adult, one or two adults, one student, you know, always have that two to one rule.

01:18:45.680 --> 01:18:50.880
So, you know, and if cameras allow you to kind of make sure that that's always a thing, then why not?

01:18:51.359 --> 01:18:52.239
That's here.

01:18:52.319 --> 01:18:53.840
I feel like we're bouncing ideas.

01:18:54.159 --> 01:18:54.960
Yeah, we'll go to the two.

01:18:55.119 --> 01:18:56.399
Let's go right put the put a bill together.

01:18:56.560 --> 01:19:01.119
Um, but yeah, like first is always a safe environment, both exterior safe but interior safe.

01:19:01.199 --> 01:19:07.359
So teachers need to feel safe because anybody who works in any job, if you don't feel safe, you don't want to work there.

01:19:07.520 --> 01:19:07.680
Right.

01:19:07.840 --> 01:19:15.119
And and teachers, let's be honest, teachers go to teach because they love the that idea, that idea of teaching.

01:19:15.760 --> 01:19:25.760
Teaching is such a a difficult profession because working with whether it's elementary age students, you have to have that love of kids that are just gonna ask you why, what, you know, yeah, all the time.

01:19:25.840 --> 01:19:36.720
And and um, or if you're working with middle school students who I think are the toughest to deal with, uh in terms of like they're still learning how to uh uh communicate, how to act.

01:19:36.800 --> 01:19:40.319
Uh, and as a teacher, you're trying to control them in a room.

01:19:40.640 --> 01:19:41.600
It's a tough job.

01:19:41.680 --> 01:19:45.439
But if you want to be a teacher, like I am all for commending you for that.

01:19:45.600 --> 01:19:51.279
So you need to be safe, you need to have safety in your school because if you are not, you're not gonna want to do it long.

01:19:51.439 --> 01:19:53.199
And then again, we're talking about teacher turnover.

01:19:53.279 --> 01:19:56.239
They're they're gonna come in, not feel safe, and leave.

01:19:56.399 --> 01:19:58.960
Um so safe environment.

01:19:59.039 --> 01:20:00.880
Um, a quality education.

01:20:01.279 --> 01:20:03.359
So uh we've had a lot of shifts.

01:20:03.439 --> 01:20:08.000
So so school boards are allowed to kind of identify what type of education they're going to put forth.

01:20:08.159 --> 01:20:15.359
And again, that's where parents have that opportunity to choose, to choose their school board and where they're going with that.

01:20:15.520 --> 01:20:15.760
Right.

01:20:15.920 --> 01:20:20.159
So that should be, you know, again, if we want to talk about parents, hey, your school board matters.

01:20:20.319 --> 01:20:26.960
So if you have not voted in your school board elections in the last 10 years, then you have nobody to complain to about what your edge your child's education is about.

01:20:27.279 --> 01:20:29.680
They are the ones that can identify what they want to use.

01:20:29.840 --> 01:20:42.239
Now, you know, I'm in favor of certain, you know, educations over others because uh of what they put out there, but um, that is parents choosing that board for that.

01:20:42.399 --> 01:20:44.079
Uh so quality education.

01:20:44.159 --> 01:20:51.279
Um, I know we've talked a little bit about uh previously before this podcast, but I did mention that like I'm not a huge big person on standardized testing.

01:20:51.600 --> 01:20:53.359
But standardized testing has its merits.

01:20:53.600 --> 01:20:58.159
We've talked about okay, yeah, for for for merit, like how are they learning, how are they doing these things?

01:20:58.399 --> 01:21:08.319
But um I think we need to identify opportunities for kids that don't rely upon standardized testing because there are those that that can't.

01:21:08.720 --> 01:21:11.600
Yeah, I guess the only problem with that is how you're gonna evaluate this.

01:21:11.920 --> 01:21:12.399
That's a great question.

01:21:12.880 --> 01:21:19.520
My kid has dyslexia, and I have another kid that there I have three of my four kids have like a 504 descriptor, which means that they're assistants.

01:21:19.840 --> 01:21:21.039
They're like special ed kids.

01:21:21.199 --> 01:21:24.319
And so what that means is like each one of them needs extra help.

01:21:24.399 --> 01:21:27.760
But that I only found that out through standardized testing.

01:21:28.960 --> 01:21:34.960
What are your I was just gonna see, like, what are your thoughts on in terms of like again, another intersection of faith and policy and stuff?

01:21:35.119 --> 01:21:39.920
Um like should kids, should public schools teach about God?

01:21:40.159 --> 01:22:02.000
Should we, you know, if you look back at like the first history books that were used in America, it's very clearly like Christian God is at, you know, um the center of the history of the nation and the moral foundation again, um, things like having Ten Commandments in classrooms, teaching about God, or Bible stories, Christian values, like what how does that play into your view of education?

01:22:02.479 --> 01:22:07.199
I think you know, moral stories that are coming from the Bible, they are beneficial.

01:22:07.359 --> 01:22:10.000
I think kids at a young age do need to learn that.

01:22:10.159 --> 01:22:13.119
Now, if we're gonna use them in schools, we are again gonna come up.

01:22:13.199 --> 01:22:20.079
I think at that particular Supreme Court case is uh was that Engel versus Vitali?

01:22:20.399 --> 01:22:21.199
Also again another issue.

01:22:22.560 --> 01:22:31.119
Another issue where uh that one was providing uh time for kids to do public prayer and and a particular prayer.

01:22:31.199 --> 01:22:32.960
So that one put up the wall for there.

01:22:33.039 --> 01:22:33.439
Yeah.

01:22:33.600 --> 01:22:46.079
Um I putting putting up something like the Ten Commandments definitely needs to be done in in classrooms for like history classrooms, like that is history and and something that we should all learn about.

01:22:46.560 --> 01:22:50.880
But at the same time, like there are other parts of history that need to be taught as well.

01:22:51.119 --> 01:23:05.600
So even prior to you know, if we're gonna talk about Old Testament, you know, um there are other uh um civilizations that were around cultures that were existing.

01:23:06.880 --> 01:23:12.399
Also need to be, we have need to have that discussion where that needs to be broken down, that the family.

01:23:12.560 --> 01:23:25.760
The family does need to provide a little bit more conversation to their kids about like, hey, I know you're understanding and learning about this, but if if we are going to have this conversation about morals, we have that based on the Bible.

01:23:26.079 --> 01:23:34.880
So the T, the Texas Education Agency just put out uh blue bonnet curriculum, which is exactly that.

01:23:35.039 --> 01:23:36.479
It's wild, it's amazing.

01:23:36.560 --> 01:23:45.760
It has has pretty much the entire gamut of religion, but it's like where you where do you get all of your um semantics from, idioms from?

01:23:45.840 --> 01:23:49.600
Here's like you know, the golden rule, here's where you get this from, here's the story of the golden rule.

01:23:49.760 --> 01:23:54.399
Uh, you know, here's what uh the painting of the Last Supper, here's what the Last Supper, you know.

01:23:54.960 --> 01:24:01.199
Then it also goes into, you know, um Buddha and all the other it does give a full disclosure on that.

01:24:01.279 --> 01:24:10.399
And I think it's really exciting to see the tech the state put out something that does give a fuller picture of a historical worldview that includes scripture.

01:24:10.560 --> 01:24:16.960
Um and you know, that's what what what's really great is I think our country was founded upon biblical principles.

01:24:17.039 --> 01:24:23.279
And so I think one of the things that we need to teach his historically, like you said, is like, what were those principles that our country was founded on?

01:24:23.439 --> 01:24:25.920
And let's not uh get away from that.

01:24:26.079 --> 01:24:29.119
So anyway, that's that's my only thought on on that.

01:24:29.359 --> 01:24:30.880
Holland, would you what'd you want to add to that?

01:24:31.199 --> 01:24:32.000
I was just curious, yeah.

01:24:32.159 --> 01:24:36.720
What you're like, you know, if let I mean Supreme Court can't, you know, rulings can be overrules.

01:24:36.960 --> 01:24:37.359
Right, that's right.

01:24:37.439 --> 01:24:47.840
So you know if they can, if uh what's best, you know, if it's like this is what's best for the education of Texas children, then you know, I'm gonna try to take this all the way to the top, and because this is what kids need.

01:24:48.000 --> 01:24:51.600
Or if it's like, no, I don't think it's important, just kind of curious where you landed on that.

01:24:52.239 --> 01:24:59.119
I definitely think when we talked about this blue bonnet, if they are, I haven't looked at as much into it, and so homework for me.

01:24:59.279 --> 01:25:08.399
Um, but if they are providing this full picture, yeah, because I think that's important that that children get a full picture and are able to make choice, you know, based upon guidance again from family.

01:25:08.560 --> 01:25:11.439
What are they, you know, what are your parents helping you learn about?

01:25:11.600 --> 01:25:12.319
I think that's important.

01:25:12.479 --> 01:25:21.760
So I think we would both agree, like the family is primarily responsible, obviously, for the education, discipline, discipleship of the children.

01:25:21.840 --> 01:25:24.720
Yeah, but it's kind of like, okay, how how does school support that?

01:25:24.960 --> 01:25:25.119
Yeah.

01:25:25.199 --> 01:25:25.359
Right.

01:25:25.439 --> 01:25:27.039
I mean, you either you everybody homeschools.

01:25:27.119 --> 01:25:29.199
You either homeschool during the day or you homeschool at night.

01:25:29.359 --> 01:25:38.800
And, you know, like because everything my kid learns is because I either do their homework for them or uh I help them coach them and plead with them to actually do it.

01:25:38.960 --> 01:25:50.960
And so everybody's gonna homeschool at some point, or if they're working, they're not, and they're gonna be left to their own devices with some, you know, a teacher, God bless her or him or whoever is doing it.

01:25:51.199 --> 01:25:57.119
But that is like that is gonna leave them like with such a like you said, you had two parents at home.

01:25:57.279 --> 01:25:59.359
Yeah, a huge advantage.

01:25:59.600 --> 01:26:14.239
And so that wild advantage is gotta be like there's got that's why that's why you need community, and because I think a lot of kids are struggling uh to make it through the school system because they don't have the support to pull it off, and they need community.

01:26:14.319 --> 01:26:17.039
But that's just my I mean, how do you expect a kid to come home?

01:26:17.199 --> 01:26:23.199
Right, maybe help out with like the younger siblings, make dinner because parents are still working, maybe they're working two jobs.

01:26:23.359 --> 01:26:30.800
That is an immensely difficult thing for that kid, or even again, those younger kids that maybe they're taking care of, like super hard.

01:26:31.119 --> 01:26:34.159
This teenager is still learning themselves, yeah.

01:26:34.239 --> 01:26:36.000
Um, and now they're they're responsible.

01:26:36.079 --> 01:26:45.359
And and that's a tough situation, and that's where we kind of you get into the conversation about like, well, we're gonna go back to that that commission on marriage and family, and how can we try and better on the city?

01:26:45.520 --> 01:26:47.520
Yeah, I'm excited to hear see what that reports that comes.

01:26:47.600 --> 01:27:00.960
But then also we have that conversation of you know, if if families are having to work multiple jobs, we need to have a conversation about like you know, what is the cost of living in certain areas, you know, because if they can't afford even with you know multiple jobs, what are we gonna do about that?

01:27:01.199 --> 01:27:04.479
Is that a And is that is that the responsibility of the state?

01:27:04.640 --> 01:27:06.079
And I and I think that's what's hard, right?

01:27:06.159 --> 01:27:15.520
You gotta go at some point, it's okay if there's either we eliminate property tax, which would be awesome, or or that person's gonna move.

01:27:15.760 --> 01:27:21.439
And and although migration isn't like the the the biggest win, it is an option.

01:27:21.520 --> 01:27:29.119
And I think sometimes we kind of go, oh, we can't have anyone displaced or moved because that would be some sort of negative thing.

01:27:29.199 --> 01:27:29.520
I don't know.

01:27:29.600 --> 01:27:31.840
That's the part where I'm like, some that's just part of life.

01:27:31.920 --> 01:27:35.680
Like you guys moved a gazillion times, and you know, I moved a bunch as well.

01:27:35.840 --> 01:27:39.920
And I think sometimes we kind of make that as like the ultimate negative thing, which it might be a great thing.

01:27:40.000 --> 01:27:45.680
Why not live in a place where you're not stressed with the financial burden of the property taxes that you're around it?

01:27:45.760 --> 01:27:47.039
But get rid of property tax.

01:27:47.199 --> 01:27:47.600
There we go.

01:27:47.760 --> 01:27:52.079
Ah well, then again, you're getting rid of a lot of like income for the state that especially goes to schools.

01:27:52.239 --> 01:28:03.840
But to kind of flip this, you know, have you ever uh seen these these uh news clips from wherever that's like go to Italy because of a dying town and buy this house for like one euro, but you got to renovate it and live there.

01:28:04.079 --> 01:28:10.960
I don't know about y'all, but I I certainly love driving through some of these smaller towns in Texas and being like, man, what would it take for us to live here?

01:28:11.119 --> 01:28:11.760
Yeah, absolutely.

01:28:12.000 --> 01:28:14.399
You know, but that that question is like a farmer.

01:28:14.560 --> 01:28:14.960
Be a farmer.

01:28:15.920 --> 01:28:16.720
What is the job there?

01:28:16.800 --> 01:28:20.560
And that's the thing is some of these small towns in Texas are struggling because people are leaving them.

01:28:20.640 --> 01:28:24.960
They don't want to be farmers anymore, but and they're they're moving to cities where they're looking for employment.

01:28:25.039 --> 01:28:34.640
Like Austin, we you know, we had that surge of people, especially you know, with hope tech and with tech that are coming here and and yeah, they're driving up housing prices.

01:28:34.800 --> 01:28:37.439
So the people who originally were here, that's tough.

01:28:37.600 --> 01:28:39.840
Property tax is a tough thing to overcome.

01:28:40.159 --> 01:28:48.560
You can you can really talk about you have a case for trying to case, or like just think even if they just left it, like whatever you bought it at, that's where it's stuck at for the rest of your life.

01:28:48.880 --> 01:28:51.119
Okay, you're gonna you really get into what California does here.

01:28:51.279 --> 01:28:54.239
California has a a limitation on property tax increases.

01:28:54.479 --> 01:28:55.760
Like it's real hard.

01:28:56.000 --> 01:29:02.880
Uh um a friend who is moving to California, her father bought it in the 1960s, right?

01:29:03.039 --> 01:29:06.640
And he's had minimal increases on his property.

01:29:06.800 --> 01:29:08.560
It's it's like one percent each year.

01:29:08.720 --> 01:29:15.600
And then when it gets transferred, it's when it gets transferred, as long as it's inherited, okay, she can inherit it at the same property tax rate.

01:29:15.920 --> 01:29:16.159
Wow.

01:29:16.319 --> 01:29:19.760
So, you know, but that's that's California, that's California.

01:29:20.000 --> 01:29:21.039
That means you have to move out there.

01:29:21.119 --> 01:29:31.119
But you know, I I also think about I think about you know, these small towns in Texas, like, okay, well, if we can find ways that like employment can can come to these, we can have more affordable housing.

01:29:31.279 --> 01:29:38.239
Everybody wants to live in the big cities, and I understand that, and I'm very fortunate, again, fortunate that my off and I, we had a great jobs that we could afford to live here.

01:29:38.319 --> 01:29:40.720
Yeah, but that is a conversation that that does need to be had.

01:29:40.960 --> 01:29:42.880
You know, what is the responsibility of the government?

01:29:43.520 --> 01:29:44.800
Is it to assist?

01:29:44.960 --> 01:29:47.520
Is it to limit what is paid?

01:29:47.680 --> 01:29:56.000
Is it to say, hey, you know, maybe we need to talk to some of these small chamber of commerce uh in small towns and be like, hey, what opportunities do you have for people to move here?

01:29:56.399 --> 01:29:59.840
Um, is it, you know, if is it uh employment process?

01:30:00.159 --> 01:30:04.560
Problems, or do people not want to move there because maybe there's no community that they're associated with?

01:30:04.720 --> 01:30:06.800
You know, how can we plant a church?

01:30:06.960 --> 01:30:07.119
Yeah.

01:30:07.279 --> 01:30:07.920
Plant a church.

01:30:08.159 --> 01:30:08.720
That could be one.

01:30:09.199 --> 01:30:11.199
Um in like all that.

01:30:11.359 --> 01:30:11.920
I I agree.

01:30:12.000 --> 01:30:15.439
Like all the different all the amenities, I guess, I don't know, amenities is the right word.

01:30:15.760 --> 01:30:17.439
Kind of getting people in there.

01:30:17.600 --> 01:30:26.960
And that's where the uh as a politician, is that your role to talk to the private sector and say, hey guys, can you guys it's not it's not my role.

01:30:27.119 --> 01:30:27.359
Okay.

01:30:27.520 --> 01:30:28.560
Like like who does that?

01:30:28.640 --> 01:30:30.159
I mean, someone's gotta think of like that.

01:30:33.920 --> 01:30:39.680
Or a chamber of commerce to be like, you know, and again, that would also be a representative who is a representative of certain areas.

01:30:39.760 --> 01:30:43.520
Like, how can we increase our population in our in our neck of the woods?

01:30:43.840 --> 01:30:48.159
You know, I'm not gonna I'm not telling anybody not to move to Austin.

01:30:48.479 --> 01:30:52.800
But if you're coming here, please understand that it is a pretty expensive place to live.

01:30:52.880 --> 01:30:53.119
Right.

01:30:53.199 --> 01:30:57.439
You know, the people that I would be representing if elected, yeah, like that is a conversation we're gonna have.

01:30:57.520 --> 01:30:59.119
Like Austin is not a cheap place.

01:30:59.199 --> 01:30:59.439
Right.

01:30:59.600 --> 01:30:59.920
Okay.

01:31:00.079 --> 01:31:11.520
Now, if you're looking to come to Texas, uh there are areas that are more affordable, but they don't have everything that Austin has or everything that Dallas has or whatever the cities have.

01:31:11.600 --> 01:31:14.239
So that's you know, it's it's what are your trade-offs there?

01:31:14.479 --> 01:31:14.560
Yeah.

01:31:14.720 --> 01:31:22.319
And again, if we can have communities set up that are willing to say, hey, we need more people in this small town because we're we're a dying town.

01:31:22.479 --> 01:31:33.039
And again, maybe you buy a property for 10 bucks and you have to renovate it and live there for 10 years, and then you know, that could be a way to try and try and help get uh get those communities growing.

01:31:33.439 --> 01:31:34.159
That's good, man.

01:31:34.479 --> 01:31:36.720
So actually, I I had a conversation with my wife.

01:31:36.880 --> 01:31:49.279
I said, you know, with immigration that we have here in Texas, and we're seeing, and I and we drive, I love driving through the hill country and seeing some of these small towns um that are just look like I see abandoned houses, I see houses that haven't been, you know.

01:31:49.439 --> 01:31:52.479
What is that town doing to try and bring people back to them?

01:31:52.560 --> 01:31:54.479
You know, maybe is there a language barrier?

01:31:54.640 --> 01:31:59.920
Are they are immigrants coming to big cities because they know that there is a a language that they can speak?

01:32:00.319 --> 01:32:12.079
So could a chamber of commerce or could a church say, come here, we have uh uh classes for on learning English, and we're gonna bring you in and say, we want you to be part of our community and let's help you.

01:32:12.399 --> 01:32:18.239
And if one of the biggest barriers that you have right now is a language barrier, how can we work on that?

01:32:18.399 --> 01:32:18.720
That's good.

01:32:18.800 --> 01:32:24.319
Yeah, uh, so that was like a conversation that I was having because we were driving up past Waco to Lake Whitney.

01:32:24.399 --> 01:32:28.000
Um, and there was a small town that was like, Oh, this is a cute town, it has a little store.

01:32:28.079 --> 01:32:28.960
Oh, this is so great.

01:32:29.039 --> 01:32:32.239
But I'm like, I see an empty house here, I see an empty house there, I see an empty house here.

01:32:32.319 --> 01:32:36.880
It's like I wonder what small towns are doing to try and bring people back in.

01:32:36.960 --> 01:32:37.600
And I don't know.

01:32:37.680 --> 01:32:41.760
That's I think Tulsa at one point was paying people ten thousand dollars a pop to have people move there.

01:32:42.000 --> 01:32:45.279
There were there were some places like Arkansas really trying to increase people to come to their street.

01:32:45.680 --> 01:32:45.920
They did that.

01:32:46.000 --> 01:32:46.560
Yeah, you did.

01:32:46.640 --> 01:32:47.359
How did it turn out?

01:32:47.520 --> 01:32:49.439
Uh they love it, they're still there, found a church.

01:32:49.600 --> 01:32:50.399
Yeah, it's crazy.

01:32:50.720 --> 01:32:54.239
Hey, what are the things that you want to la we have only a couple more minutes?

01:32:54.319 --> 01:32:54.640
What else?

01:32:54.720 --> 01:32:55.840
What else you got?

01:32:56.640 --> 01:32:58.239
Um, is there anything?

01:32:58.319 --> 01:33:00.640
You know, you talked about some things that you really would like.

01:33:00.720 --> 01:33:07.760
Uh probably last question for these uh you really loved about hey, here's what James did that I, you know, I really want to keep going.

01:33:07.840 --> 01:33:10.239
Is there anything that you were like, I would do this differently?

01:33:12.479 --> 01:33:13.760
Right now, I don't have it.

01:33:13.920 --> 01:33:15.840
I'm not saying that it isn't, it doesn't exist.

01:33:16.000 --> 01:33:16.239
Okay.

01:33:16.399 --> 01:33:20.079
Um, but right now what I have been looking at are the things that I'm like, oh, I like this.

01:33:20.399 --> 01:33:23.920
And if it didn't pass, like, oh, I like this, how can we champion that?

01:33:24.000 --> 01:33:26.560
Right now, that's been my my sidestep research.

01:33:26.720 --> 01:33:33.439
So uh give me a little time and I will come back with like, hey, James, you know, if he had this proposal, I'm like, I'm not sure.

01:33:33.520 --> 01:33:34.960
I'm I 100% agree with this.

01:33:35.039 --> 01:33:39.039
I haven't really delved into those right now at the moment.

01:33:39.199 --> 01:33:40.720
But okay, that's fair.

01:33:40.960 --> 01:33:42.000
Well, I appreciate you, man.

01:33:42.079 --> 01:33:43.119
Thanks for thanks for coming on.

01:33:43.359 --> 01:33:44.560
Oh, I didn't get to say my last thing.

01:33:44.720 --> 01:33:45.439
Oh, say your last thing.

01:33:45.600 --> 01:33:46.239
Uh on education.

01:33:46.319 --> 01:33:46.800
It was three things.

01:33:47.279 --> 01:33:49.600
Like the security, we we we got into a sidebar.

01:33:49.760 --> 01:33:50.159
Don't worry.

01:33:50.239 --> 01:33:59.359
Uh, the security, so like uh uh, you know, um a safe environment, uh, the quality education, and I'm gonna be honest with y'all, I know it's gonna cost money, but I think we need to feed our students.

01:33:59.600 --> 01:34:02.079
I don't know what y'all think about kids who are hungry.

01:34:02.239 --> 01:34:02.640
Oh, yeah.

01:34:03.279 --> 01:34:07.840
They can be mean, they can be crowded, they can be destructive.

01:34:08.239 --> 01:34:14.640
And what happens during the summer So during my summer program with GeoForce, there we fed the kids.

01:34:14.720 --> 01:34:20.560
They had breakfast, lunch, dinner, and I had a I had a suitcase that was always filled with like granola bars, uh, I carried apples and oranges.

01:34:20.640 --> 01:34:21.359
We had snacks.

01:34:21.680 --> 01:34:28.640
When you when I had kids say this is the first time I've had three meals in like one day, that yeah, that that kind of breaks your heart.

01:34:28.720 --> 01:34:32.560
That that that that hits you right in right in your feels, and you're like, what do you mean?

01:34:32.720 --> 01:34:34.720
Especially as somebody who never really experienced that.

01:34:34.880 --> 01:34:35.119
Yeah, yeah.

01:34:35.279 --> 01:34:53.279
I mean that so yeah, how do I expect a kid who how do I have an expectation of a of a young, either a young adult when they're in high school, a elementary aged student, a kid, how am I expecting them to one, be attentive, uh not lash out if they are hungry.

01:34:54.479 --> 01:34:58.720
And unfortunately, again, we've talked about economic uh issues in the home.

01:34:58.880 --> 01:35:00.640
Sometimes food is not available for them.

01:35:00.720 --> 01:35:00.960
Yeah.

01:35:01.039 --> 01:35:06.319
And and if they're coming to school hungry, that is starting off on a man use the church.

01:35:06.479 --> 01:35:14.399
Like, say, church, go and be a part of feeding kids and making sure they have lunches, making sure they have especially during the summer stuff, man.

01:35:14.479 --> 01:35:15.439
That would be huge.

01:35:15.600 --> 01:35:17.039
Um, but yeah, I appreciate that.

01:35:17.119 --> 01:35:18.079
That's that's so yeah.

01:35:18.159 --> 01:35:18.960
That's the last, that's my third.

01:35:19.279 --> 01:35:19.760
No, I like it.

01:35:19.840 --> 01:35:20.079
I like it.

01:35:20.560 --> 01:35:22.079
Man, thanks for being here, John.

01:35:22.159 --> 01:35:23.920
Uh on thank you as always.

01:35:24.079 --> 01:35:25.119
Hey, thanks so much for watching.

01:35:25.199 --> 01:35:26.880
If you have any questions, we can always bring John back.

01:35:28.399 --> 01:35:31.119
Text in at 737 231 0605.

01:35:31.199 --> 01:35:32.399
We would love to hear from you.

01:35:32.640 --> 01:35:34.079
Uh hey, thanks so much for watching.

01:35:34.159 --> 01:35:36.800
And from our house to yours, have an awesome week of work.