Texas Insider

10:59 am CST - October 27, 2009

Rebuttal Submitted to the San Antonio Express-News

Ken Mercer, Texas State Board of Education

Your Oct. 16 editorial stated that Tim Tuggey is a “lawyer-lobbyist”; he has contributed to “some Democrats”; and he intends to file as a Republican for the Texas State Board of Education.

Republican voters have told me that a registered lawyer-lobbyist should never run for public office, especially if the person has made sizeable contributions to both parties.

According to the Federal Elections Commission, as recently as June 30, 2009, Tuggey wrote two personal checks: $2,400 to Democrat Congressman Chet Edwards and $1,500 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Perhaps Tuggey forgot that in Texas our two Senators, Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, are both Republicans.

Why did Tuggey give his personal contributions to Democrats two months before he decided to run a race as a Republican?

Tuggey, a lawyer-lobbyist, stated that he has never practiced before the SBOE. Is this a true statement? The newspaper needs to ask Tuggey how many textbook publishers his firm has represented.

I wonder if the “educators” supporting Tuggey’s are the same lobbyists and vendors who so rudely “booed” concerned parents and students at the SBOE public hearings because they dared to testify before my Committee on the need for back-to-basics math, true phonics, grammar, usage, and spelling?

Finally on the issue of the new Social Studies standards that are presently being drafted for consideration by the State Board of Education, my disagreement is with the left-wing writing team members who wanted to delete the biographies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln from kindergarten and first grade Social Studies standards.

These same writing team members with whom I took exception actually deleted Veterans’ Day and Independence Day from the list of important holidays that elementary children should learn.

At every grade level and at every reference, the liberal writers changed the words “American citizen” to “Global citizen” or “citizen of the world.”

Conservative Republicans want to make sure that our public school children are taught about our American heritage and that textbooks present this heritage without bias, prejudice, and revision.

I do appreciate the San Antonio newspaper making it clear that I am the conservative in this race.

I made my political name as a Conservative “David” who has had the backbone and the guts to stand up against the liberal “Goliaths” of the far left. I have never, never seen a moderate stand up to the far left.

7 Comments

CWJensen
12:45 pm CST
October 27, 2009

Good defense……………………………………..I wish more of those that call themselves CONSERVATIVES would elaborate.
Newt’s boy Michael Williams in Houston scares the hell out of me………………………………..NO SUBSTANCE but calls himself a CONSERVATIVE. I have challenged him to elaborate on his CONSERVATIVE values and accomplishments here but all I have seen are two articles on powering vehicles with propane.
CONSERVATIVE means something here is an example of what we need in TEXAS:
http://www.marcorubio.com/marco-101/

Independent
2:38 pm CST
October 27, 2009

Mercer thinks “conservative” and “partisan” are synonyms. Chet Edwards is the best friend military men and veterans have in Congress. Mercer ought to try and locate Bell County and pay a visit some time.

LukeMac
4:09 pm CST
October 27, 2009

I agree that Chet Edwards is a friend to the military……but how do you explain the National Democrat Senatorial Committee? Thanks for posting this article!

John S
11:27 pm CST
October 27, 2009

It is wonderful to see true conservatives in positions of influence in our nation especially in being able to affect the guidance of our children the future leaders of this country. It is a shame though when for there great service men like Ken are slandered and liberals calling themeselves republicans like Kens opponent try to unseat this powerful voice for truth and integrity in the SBOE. Check out Kens website here http://votekenmercer.com/ and be sure to support and vote for this true conservative!!

David
9:49 am CST
October 27, 2009

What about Tuggey?

Rita
11:17 am CST
October 27, 2009

I’m thrilled to see Mr. Mercer’s excellent rebuttal published by “The Insider”! So many of us are disgusted with the San Antonio Express-News and their refusal to even attempt fair and balanced editorial coverage.

With years of experience as a teacher at the secondary and college levels, I have also prepared testimony for and attended Texas State Board of Education meetings. Two pertinent observations here:

(1) In press conferences before the crucial meetings on science standards, the Liberals (led by Texas Freedom Network and the atheists flown in from California) chose not to deal with facts or substantive arguments. Instead, they simply held up posters with photos of Conservative Board members (Mr. Mercer and Dr. McLeroy) and sneered at them like schoolyard bullies.

(2) I have observed Mr. Mercer’s faithfulness to Conservative principles– particularly fiscal responsibility of the Board, freedom of speech and inquiry for classroom teachers and students, freedom of Constitutional exercise of religious liberties, strong standards of reading and math instruction, historically accurate / non-revisionist American history standards.

Mr. Tuggey’s credentials and principles do not so far pass any litmus tests for Conservative voters, whereas the incumbent Mr. Mercer has proven himself consistently and reliably. This honest, unapologetic champion of the Constitution and family values deserves our support!

Bill Young
1:20 pm CST
October 27, 2009

Mr. Mercer wrote: At every grade level and at every reference, the liberal writers changed the words “American citizen” to “Global citizen” or “citizen of the world.” That’s just an
out-and-out lie. There was no such change even suggested. Whatever your politics,
we should hold elected officials to accountability. If Mr. Mercer lies about this fact
that can be easily checked, what else is he lying about?