Editor’s note: Six of the eight candidates running in U.S. House District 19 agreed to submit pieces to further describe themselves to West Texas voters. Breitbart Texas reached out to all eight candidates. The responses are displayed unedited below. We placed them in alphabetical order for our readers.
America is in revolt against an unjust and self-serving government. We are wholly justified in doing so. For too long, politicians at all levels of government from the White House to the courthouse have chosen to ignore a first principle of why our nation was founded and that is to have a nation which operates by THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED.
We all remember these important words from our Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed – That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new Government. . .”.
Politicians Serve Themselves – Not our Country
The politicians in Washington and the politicians who seek to move up the local ladder and go to Washington don’t understand these words and don’t understand we are not looking to make small changes. Instead, we are looking to “. . .abolish, and to institute a new Government. . .” by throwing out the establishment, the agencies, the bureaucrats, the regulations, the lawless and abusive actions, and the stifling control by which the powers in Washington have chosen to serve THEMSELVES rather than serving in the protection of our “unalienable Rights.”
Wherever I go in the 19th Congressional District, I hear the same things. Our nation has failed to live up to its responsibilities to protect our borders and secure America against terrorist threats, drug cartels, human smugglers, and countless other criminals who wish to do harm to our citizens. Just as the government has failed in this critical responsibility, so too have they failed in protecting the very rights they have sworn to uphold in our Constitution. We are wide open for assault from those who wish to do us harm and we are constantly under assault from a government and politicians who no longer represent our interests.
I hear this from small business owners, farmers, ranchers, homemakers, and conservative activists who all understand the fight in front of us. WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH and it is time to obliterate the vast bureaucracy that stands in our way.
We will not achieve this by electing more of the same – politicians who say one thing and do another. Politicians who pour vast sums of money into spreading lies, dragging our discussion of crucial issues into the gutter, and doing so to cover up their own failures and broken promises. These kind of people are exactly what we want to get rid of.
Take a Wrecking Ball to the Federal Bureaucracy
We deserve people in elected office who are actually capable of delivering solutions that take power away from the federal beast and returning that power to its right and true place – the states and our people. We need people who don’t just talk about this but have actually done so in word and deed so we can be assured those in Congress will deliver on what we demand.
When I had the opportunity to serve as Chief of Staff at the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission (FDIC) during the presidency of George W. Bush, we had a mission to get rid of regulations and bureaucracy that stood in the way of our community banks being able to help their local communities. Over the course of four years, we did exactly what we set out to do – eliminate regulations, cut tens of millions of dollars from our budget, and terminate staff who were no longer needed. That is the kind of dedicated effort we want to see out of Congress by exercising “the power of the purse” to choke off unneeded, abusive, lawless, and un-Constitutional powers now held in Washington. I’ve done it before and I stand ready to do it again.
Whether that means abolishing entire agencies like the Department of Education or withholding funds for the Executive Branch when they usurp powers by granting blanket amnesty to illegal immigrants – we must take bold, decisive, and firm stands to get our country back in order.
Without Strong National Security – We Are Not a Nation
Instead, we want to see our government focused on their mission critical responsibilities to keep our nation safe, our borders secured, and our sovereign soil protected. That means not only making a real and sustained effort to secure our borders using walls, more man power, better equipment, and treating our present situation like the invasion it is, but it also means empowering our border patrol to do their jobs. Our border agents are shackled by absurd regulations, contradictory orders, and weak-kneed bureaucrats. This must end immediately. We want our border agents emboldened and fierce in their response to criminals coming across our border. If that results in a dead cartel member or two or a hundred, so be it. This is an invasion, we are at war, it’s time we act like it.
Similarly, we exist in a time where our national affairs could not be more thoroughly designed to weaken our future, empower our enemies, and harm our allies. Whether it is deals to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon and send billions of dollars to them so they can invest in more state-sponsored terrorism or weakness in the face of abusive tyrants like Vladimir Putin, our government has set the stage for destruction, discord, and a diminished America. Our military must be rebuilt and unleashed against our enemies so we are killing Radical Islamic terrorists before they come to our shores. And we want our military commanders to know we have their backs so they are focused on their core mission rather than wasting time trying to comply with social justice experimentation. We want and we deserve our armed forces to be the best equipped, best trained, and most highly motivated force for freedom in the world.
Food and Energy Independence for America’s Future
Equally as critical to our long-term viability and national security is ensuring America’s food and energy supplies are strong and independent of foreign nations. I have always said, food security and energy security are national security issues. The government does have a critical role to play in both these sectors.
To help us access and use the God-given energy resources with which our nation has been so richly blessed, the feds need to get out of the way and stop stifling fossil fuel exploration and production. We know energy costs won’t be depressed forever and we need to set in place now the plans necessary for stronger American energy production in the decades ahead. We’ve all see what happened to Europe when Vladimir Putin threatened to cut off natural gas supplies in winter – governments across Europe got the message, Don’t Mess with Mother Russia.
We’ve got a different saying, Don’t Mess with Texas and don’t mess with our energy development. Each new shipment of American crude or natural gas to our allies means more freedom abroad, more jobs back home, and more a more stable world for all of us. Our energy supplies are not just about strengthening our economy – they are about exporting freedom from hostile regimes and those who would use their oil money to fund Radical Islamic fanatics.
For our nation’s farmers, ranchers, food supply, and fiber producers, it’s time our government realized their long-term viability is of utmost importance to American independence. That doesn’t mean we operate like China, but it does mean we protect our folks from currency manipulation and we help ensure they have the necessary financial tools available to them so they can weather difficult years. Investing in our own American agriculture is an investment in our future. I’m honored to have been endorsed by the Texas Farm Bureau AGFUND and have their recognition as the leading candidate to ensure those who produce the food we eat, the crops we grow, and free trade for their products have voice in Washington.
The days of backroom deals, last minute all encompassing legislation that further indebts our nation, shackles our economy, and stifles our freedom must come to an end. The establishment politicians and bureaucrats don’t understand that we are fighting a just fight against them because they have become what we fought a war of Independence to get rid of. I have helped wage these fights at the federal level and delivered the conservative results we want and deserve. That’s what real leaders do. I would be honored to have the support of folks from across the 19th Congressional district so I can, once again, be a force to tearing apart the bureaucracies, regulations, and over-bearing elements of a federal government that no longer serves WE THE PEOPLE.
Of the various candidate options in the race for the Republican nominee for Texas District 19’s House of Representatives, why should you VOTE for GREG GARRETT?
MY STRENGTHS:
God-centered Christian – actually attends & participates in Church; Godly guidance is needed in our country
Strong Family – married & still married to Nancy (24 years); 2 grown children
Constitution – God blessed our founding fathers to develop a system of governance unlike any other in the world, and it is still the best
Military – the USA should have the best military in the world, ready to protect our interests locally & abroad
Border/Immigration – secure the border; follow the law; no sanctuary cities
Economics – having seen first-hand the effect of regulatory burdens, we need to implement common sense business practices
Limited government – the federal government was intended to be limited in scope; politicians are servants, not a career choice
Public Debt – absolutely no more debt
Local – raised, schooled and established business in West Texas with West Texas viewpoint & values
To distinguish myself from the other candidates:
CONSISTENCY: Unlike Glen Robertson, I have not supported the Democratic party or Barack Hussein Obama. Scripture states that a double-minded man is unstable in ALL of his ways. My values have stayed consistent and rock solid over the years.
FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE: I have always been – and will always be – fiscally conservative. I do not believe in increasing public debt – as Glen Robertson has done with the City of Lubbock – nor in spending lavishly – as Jodey Arrington did when spending over $90,000 just to remodel his office. (This is more money than most people make in a year!) Such unnecessary debt and expenses – and the mentality behind it – must be eliminated from public office.
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN: Unlike Jodey Arrington, I am not a career politician obligated to the political establishment. People who have politics as a career are a leech on society, and I pledge to not become one. I have worked diligently over the years to establish businesses that serve the public and employ people. In other words, I seek to help people increase their income, not to take their income from them.
INDEPENDENT: Unlike Bob Starr, I am not obliged to any PAC or special interest group. Mr. Starr and his primary financial supporter – a political action committee – has tried to cover up that support with secretive filings. As a successful businessman, my livelihood does not depend on catering to any such group. Rather I am free to represent the interests of the people of West Texas.
ACCOUNTABLE: I have always been careful to not allow myself to be placed in a compromising position. I believe in both integrity AND accountability. For this reason I have and will continue to seek wisdom through a multitude of counselors. I am accustomed to being open and honest in my business and personal relations.
SERVANT’S HEART: My community involvement is centered on BEING A SERVANT, not being self-serving. In all aspects of my life I have focused on helping others. I truly believe that if a person focuses on serving others, then his or her own life will be better.
SACRIFICIAL: Although I have led in the building of successful businesses, like our forefathers in the American Revolution I am willing to sacrifice for the sake of our country. Jodey Arrington has stated that he moved to West Texas to raise his family. As someone who raised his children in Lubbock, I understand that desire; but I wonder why he is now willing to move his young family to Washington.
FAMILY: Unlike Bob Starr, I have ALWAYS supported the traditional American family. History is replete with examples of the failure of societies that have ignored basic human morality. I am committed to learning from the errors taught to us in history. Unlike Mr. Starr who participated in and supported “gay pride” events, I will not compromise the future of our country for the sake of the politics of the moment.
COMMITTED: I have been married to the same woman – the love of my life – for 24 years. We have weathered the storms of life and have remained committed.
LEADERSHIP: Unlike Glen Robertson, Jodey Arrington, and Bob Starr, I have shown the ability to lead. As mayor of Lubbock, Mr. Robertson has increased debt and made decisions that has caused Lubbock to become a more dangerous place. Mr. Arrington’s positions included chief of staff at the FDIC where he missed the problems that led to a financial crisis, and an executive position to oversee the Katrina disaster wherein he contributed to the disaster instead of solving it. Mr. Starr’s latest leadership example is leading his subordinates in a run for gay rights.
In summary, you should vote for me – GREG GARRETT – because I am one of you. If you want your traditional, West Texas values to be represented in Congress, then elect me as YOUR representative!
WHY ME NOT THE OTHERS ?
My name is DR, JOHN C. KEY, a patriot ready to stand up for District 19 in Washington D.C. where our rights are being trampled. I am running to be our Congressman and represent you, not for President!!
Let me begin by saying that I have the utmost respect and admiration for each of the other seven candidates. Each has his or her own levels of expertise in specific areas, which are, primarily– Military, Medical, Business, Agriculture, and Education. Some of the candidates certainly have expertise in more than one of these areas. What sets me apart is that I HAVE THEM ALL PLUS. Someone said there is a JOB opening in Washington, D.C. for a VETERINARIAN.
Military – Colonel, Ret. United States Army Veterinary Corp
Service includes research duties at Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C., during the vietnam war, which involved briefings to congressional staffers…
Service includes 22 years as liaison officer for admissions at west point, recruiting cadets from across the West Texas area.
Medical – Doctor of Veterinary Medicine earned at Texas A&M University at age 22. Experience with a myriad of medical procedures, difficult diagnoses, surgeries involving every part of the animal from head to toe & for every reason imaginable with a high rate of success. Physically challenging due to responding to calls from panic stricken owners all hours of the night, which often resulted in all night surgeries & vigils with loving owners. My patients range from pure bred show animals to junk yard throwaways (as my wife calls them & that’s all we have personally). I brought new technology to the veterinary world in Lubbock by including laser therapy and acupuncture.
Being the controlling person in a room with a vicious dog or cat or in the pen with a raging bull takes you to a place of fearlessness which is absolutely necessary in dealing with the nuts in Washington, D.C.
Business – founded, operated, & managed key animal clinic in Lubbock, Texas. Founded small animal emergency clinic, founded & operated key racing stables, purchased & managed hart animal clinic simultaneously with other businesses.
Involvement with these business endeavors provided unique opportunities to learn virtually every aspect of doing business from a startup entrepreneur to a well-respected businessman. This included experience with providing jobs with benefits for other doctors & staff, many who are long term loyal employees, upgrading technologically, and dealing with many government regulations & rules not only for general businesses but veterinary in particular. I literally grew up in the business world and had to in order to survive.
Education – I grew up in West Texas & attended schools here. After graduating from Monterey High School. I began my college career at Texas Tech, transferring at a young age to Texas A&M , and earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at age 22. I later returned to Texas Tech, earning a master’s degree in beef cattle nutrition.
Veterinarians are responsible for ongoing continuing education & I far exceeded the requirements each year. (Being an Aggie and a red raider brings interesting experiences indeed!)
Agriculture – I’ve had a lifetime involvement with agriculture through family owned farms, personally owned farm, having many farmers as clients, and having a formal agriculture education. I was a Lone Star Farmer (FFA) and grew up as a child chopping cotton. My MS degree from Texas Tech is in beef cattle nutrition is definitely AG related!
My father helped many farmers through hard times as well as good ones as a farm loan officer. Growing up in West Texas is growing up with farmers.
Other – Experiences which set me apart from the other candidates are: Eagle Scout (early leadership); rode wild bulls (learned grit & to run fast); instructor at Purdue; charter member of Lubbock Metropolitan Rotary Club. Marsha Sharp Leadership Circle.
Positions held –
- Chairman of the Lubbock city/county health board,
- Served on advisory committees at TTU Medical School
- Serve (currently) on advisory board for sharp academy, Lubbock, TX
Personal interests – I’m passionate about education. I was involved in a reading assistance program with my rotary club which helped elementary students learn to read until due to circumstances beyond our control, it ended. I am equally passionate about my association with sharp academy, a private
school for bright children who learn differently. My daughter, Lisa Stane, is the founder and director of this unique and very successful school that has grown from 4 students to well over 70 in just 7 years. I have been a proud member of the advisory board as well as a staunch supporter. My
wife, Nita, is also a director, & with an MBA, has been involved from the beginning.
Nita, Lisa, and I are supporters of Wayland Baptist University and have served on their fund raising committee for many years.
The complete package – leadership, military, medicine, agriculture, education and business wrapped in one package. A person who knows how to work from the bottom up and would provide service to all of the constituents of District 19, not only in D.C. but at home as well. A fiscal conservative who is prolife. Libertarian enough to keep the government out of my business and your business. I am the only candidate that actively deals with all segments of our communities on a regular basis. I am the key to your voice being heard in Washington, D.C.
I am very different from the other candidates in this race.
I am a farmer, retina surgeon, and decorated Veteran. I am not a politician, as I take full responsibility for my actions and have a solid reputation of integrity.
Washington is broken. Career politicians have failed us, including many of our fellow Republicans who have not had the courage to confront Liberals.
Obama has purposely been destroying our nation.
We must act quickly to restore our national security. We must bring our nation back to God’s side, rebuild our military superiority, and secure our border.
We must keep Syrian and other Muslim refuges out of our country and house them safely and humanely near their own homelands until they can safely return home.
The battles in Washington are no longer between political ideologies. The battles are between Good and Evil. I am in the battle because I believe Good must win and our nation, our Liberty, and our Judeo-Christian values must survive.
I will focus on the important work that must be done in the House and will start fully prepared and at full energy on day one. Our Congress must act quickly to restore our national security and spend the rest of its time repealing legislation and regulations, cutting taxes, reducing the size and reach of government, and impeaching judges who legislate from the bench.
I am the only candidate in this race with a proven track record of Conservative accomplishment. I will work to restore our government to its intended role of protecting us and not harassing us. I am laser focused. I will get the job done. That is not just a promise — it is a guarantee.
We must return to God’s side and again be dependent on God. We must restore prayer, the Bible, and the Ten Commandments to our schools, our military, and our government.
I am the only candidate who has written and published Conservative political commentaries (more than 3,000) and who has regularly debated (more than 50 published debates) on national security, health care, economics, energy production, agriculture, and social issues.
I am the only candidate to regularly attend Lubbock County Republican meetings and Conventions as a delegate and to ever attend the Texas Republican Conventions as a delegate. My wife is the only candidate spouse to do so.
I was elected as the Lead Delegate form the 19th Congressional District to both the 2008 and 2012 RNC Presidential Conventions.
I am a sixth generation farmer. I have a background in energy and water production.
I understand health care finance, insurance, and management. I have been on the faculty of seven medical schools, chaired departments, taught MBA students, served as an Associate Dean, and was a visiting surgeon at six VA medical centers.
You and I believe we know the best ways to manage our lives, our families, and our work.
I will take our West Texas courage and values to Washington and continue the effort to restore our Constitution and our nation.
I have 38 years experience of building, growing, and operating several small businesses coupled with 25 years of public service. I have made payrolls, negotiated with the world’s largest Ag chemical manufactures, and have turned failing businesses around into profitable successes. I have served on two school boards, two city councils, numerous boards and commissions and I am currently serving in my second term as the Mayor of Lubbock.
As Mayor I have led the effort to reduce the City of Lubbock’s debt by 60 million dollars and have been successful in reducing base fees and hidden taxes on utility bills. Lubbock’s economic index is up 23% during the last four years I have served as Mayor. I have experience as Mayor of balancing a 735 million dollar budget and have a consistent public record of voting against unnecessary spending and tax increases. I helped lead the effort to avoid the takeover of Lubbock Power & Light, Lubbock’s publicly owned electric utility by the rich and powerful elite in Lubbock. We avoided a 1.3 Billion dollar boondoggle that would have tripled our base cost of electricity and are now well on on way to joining the ERCOT grid which should reduce our cost by over 20%.
I have lived in the real world as a small business man; “sweating payrolls”, battling over-reaching government regulations, and dealing with crippling tax policies. I fully understand the impact that bad trade policies and Obamacare has had on all small businesses. I don’t just talk about these burdens that government has imposed on small businesses, I have actually lived it. I got my first job at 13 years old, bought my first business at 19, and despite the never ending assault of government interference I have built several successful businesses and had a long career of creating jobs.
My roots to West Texas run deep. My father moved to Lubbock in 1949 as an 18 year old young man and served at Reese Air Force Base where het met and fell in love with a hometown girl. My mother taught school in Lubbock for 35 years and my father left the Air Force to begin a career in the agricultural chemical business. I was born in Lubbock and have raised my family in Lubbock, and I am now enjoying the fact that all 7 of my grandchildren are being raised in the district. I own 3 businesses in Lubbock and have spent a lifetime investing my time and money in Lubbock. You can be assured that once elected, I will not simply pack my family and move to Washington DC. I will be back in the district regularly, getting my feet back on firm ground and making sure that I never lose the principles and Christian values I was taught as a child.
When I visit with voters across our district, I gain their attention with a simple phrase, “I’m not a politician and I’ve never run for office.” And if they’re uncommitted, I gain their support with a second phrase, “I’m not going to Washington to continue a political career. I am running to make a difference.”
Both parties are letting down America. Right now, we have a chance to change our country’s leadership. If we don’t make a change, business as usual will continue, and that favors the terrorists, the drug dealers and the political class in Washington.
When I look at Washington I see a city with too many politicians and not enough leaders. The Constitution states that Congress shall provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare. Yet, our southern border remains unsecure and our nation’s veterans lack the support we promised them when they promised to protect our country. Talk is cheap.
I have spent the last 23 years defending the Constitution in the United States Air Force, and that’s exactly what I will do as your Congressman. I feel called to run because our Country, and West Texas, needs a conservative patriot who will stand up and fight for our conservative West Texas values. I recently retired as 7th Bomb Wing Commander at Dyess Air Force Base where I was responsible for more than 12,000 active duty members and civilians, a police and fire force, a retail operation, and a $100 million budget. I cut wasteful government spending every chance I had at Dyess. I flew in the first bombing raids over Afghanistan and spent a year in Baghdad during the surge.
Now that I’m retired and campaigning, I’m traveling our district and talking with voters. I believe the most important issues to most folks are national security, border security, reining in federal spending, strengthening our agricultural-based economy and standing for our shared conservative values.
National security is tied to border security. To progress toward national security, we must defeat ISIS and secure our Southern border. Securing a border was part of every military campaign I served in. I am the only candidate who has actually secured a border, and I would immediately push for three things – put a comprehensive physical security plan in place that complements a wall where needed, increase the border patrol, ban sanctuary cities, cut off the magnets like free health care, and fix our broken visa process.
On ISIS, we must keep terrorism an away game. That means rejecting Syrian refuges and those who want to enter our Country from terrorist hot spots across the world. It also means stepping up our strategic bombing raids over Syria and terrorist countries, and inserting small tactical teams to take out key targets and leaders. It also means getting rid of the Iran agreement and other executive actions that have put our country at risk.
I’m really concerned about the lack of restraint on federal spending. This is one of the biggest internal threats we face. We must pass a balanced budget amendment. We must quit caving on the debt ceiling. We must end fraud, waste and abuse. We must eliminate federal programs that no longer serve a purpose. We must require zero-based budgeting for all federal agencies. This is critical and we are not talking about it enough.
Regarding agriculture, I am blessed to have built a strong team of farmers and ranchers from across the district. We can’t wait every four years for the Farm Bill. We must fight EVERYDAY for our farmers and ranchers. There are things we should be doing right now to help our farmers and ranchers. We need to designate cottonseed as an oil seed. We must fight to keep Obama’s job-killing EPA out of Texas. We must renew efforts to repeal the death tax, and we must get crop insurance fixed once and for all.
And my belief in life and conservative values was instilled in me by God and tempered by experience. I am a firm believer in traditional marriage, as I’m also a firm believer that life is a gift from God.
When my wife and I were expecting our first son, the doctor detected a birth defect and recommended an abortion. We immediately named our son Matthew because his name means a “gift from God.” Matthew is now in college. That’s why I stand for life, marriage between a man and a woman, and conservative social values.
For the voters asking themselves which candidate deserves their vote, I’ll close with these two thoughts.
First, my former TX-19 opponent, Don Parrish, closed his campaign and endorsed me. In his words, “I think I can make a bigger impact by having my voters vote for somebody I think can make a difference in Congress. I admire him. After spending some time with him and doing my homework on him, he commands leadership anywhere he’s at.”
Second, our campaign has made more progress with fewer resources and essentially starting from ground zero. If we can accomplish this much in three months, imagine what we can do in Congress? I’d be honored to have your support and fight for our shared values.