DallasDave's Blog

1. The constitutional amendment providing for the continuation of the constitutional appropriation for facilities and other capital items at Angelo State University on a change in the governance of the university.

 No position aside from government meddling in education, but that isn't part of this amendment.

2. The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of $500 million in general obligation bonds to finance educational loans to students and authorizing bond enhancement agreements with respect to general obligation bonds issued for that purpose.

AGAINST: Bonds cause future tax increases. Government subsidies to students enable university bureacrats to keep raising tuitions and fees. Student debt upon graduation has skyrocketed in the past ten years, and we shouldn't encourage that trend with more tax dollars.

3. The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide that the maximum appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem taxation is limited to the lesser of the most recent market value of the residence homestead as determined by the appraisal entity or 110 percent, or a greater percentage, of the appraised value of the residence homestead for the preceding tax year.

No position, aside from it being a government theft program, but that isn't part of this amendment.

4. The constitutional amendment authorizing the issuance of up to $1 billion in bonds payable from the general revenues of the state for maintenance, improvement, repair, and construction projects and for the purchase of needed equipment.

 
AGAINST: Freedom requires less spending on state facilities, not more.

 5. The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to permit the voters of a municipality having a population of less than 10,000 to authorize the governing body of the municipality to enter into an agreement with an owner of real property in or adjacent to an area in the municipality that has been approved for funding under certain programs administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture under which the parties agree that all ad valorem taxes imposed on the owner’s property may not be increased for the first five tax years after the tax year in which the agreement is entered into.

AGAINST: This would shift the tax burden onto non-downtown property owners. Freedom opposes giving privileged status to politically popular sectors, although it strongly support reducing taxes across the board.

 6. The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation one motor vehicle owned by an individual and used in the course of the owner’s occupation or profession and also for personal activities of the owner.

No position, less taxation is always good, but this is applied in a discriminatory fashion.

 7. The constitutional amendment to allow governmental entities to sell property acquired through eminent domain back to the previous owners at the price the entities paid to acquire the property.

FOR: This would provide a small amount of protection in some cases. However, the 2007 legislature failed to pass stronger protections against eminent domain, and this is a perfect case where politicians are likely to mislead voters by claiming they support eminent domain reform more than they really do.

 8. The constitutional amendment to clarify certain provisions relating to the making of a home equity loan and use of  home equity loan proceeds.

  No position aside from government meddling in private affairs, but that isn't part of this amendment.

 9. The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt all or part of the residence homesteads of certain totally disabled veterans from ad valorem taxation and authorizing a change in the manner of determining the amount of the existing exemption from ad valorem taxation to which a disabled veteran is entitled.

No position, less taxation is always good, but this is applied in a discriminatory fashion.

10. The constitutional amendment to abolish the constitutional authority for the office of inspector of hides and animals.

FOR: Freedom supports eliminating government waste. We wish this amendment would also eliminate the State Board of Education and many other branches, which would represent a real cut in government.

11. The constitutional amendment to require that a record vote be taken by a house of the legislature on final passage of any bill, other than certain local bills, of a resolution proposing or ratifying a constitutional amendment, or of any other nonceremonial resolution, and to provide for public access on the Internet to those record votes.

FOR: This would allow voters to actually find out how their representatives voted on final passage of a bill. More accountability is good.

12. The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of general obligation bonds by the Texas Transportation Commission in an amount not to exceed $5 billion to provide funding for highway improvement projects.

AGAINST: The government already does a terrible job of spending transportation tax dollars, and we should not provide new revenue sources.

13. The constitutional amendment authorizing the denial of bail to a person who violates certain court orders or conditions of release in a felony or family violence case.

No position

14. The constitutional amendment permitting a justice or judge who reaches the mandatory retirement age while in office to serve the remainder of the justice’s or judge’s current term.

FOR: Let elderly judges work if they want to. Freedom requires that there be no forced retirement by government rendering the whole "mandatory retirement age" unconstitutional.

15. The constitutional amendment requiring the creation of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and authorizing the issuance of up to $3 billion in bonds payable from the general revenues of the state for research in Texas to find the causes of and cures for cancer.

AGAINST: Medical research is not a legitimate function of government. Funding for medical research should stay in the private sector. There is plenty of profit motive in seeking patents for drugs and medical devices, and if that weren't enough, there is also a great deal of funding provided by voluntary charitable donations.

16. The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board in an amount not to exceed $250 million to provide assistance to economically distressed areas.

AGAINST: Developers build neighborhoods without providing and paying for infrastructure like water, then want other taxpayers to pay for water and wastewater services for their developments. Wrong. Development should pay for itself without outside tax subsidies.

Early voting starts October 22 and ends November 2. Election day is Tuesday, November 6.

Adapted from a Libertarian Email.