Monthly Archives: July, 2022

Two life-long Democrats are now running for judicial reelection as Republicans in Texas border communities. Both women say they are fighting against the Biden administration’s open border policies that they argue are wreaking havoc in their small communities.

The single reason they switched parties, they say, is because the Biden administration's policies led to more than 2 million people coming through the southern border from over 150 countries. The costs of crime stemming from an open border – increased trafficking and smuggling of people, weapons and guns – to their communities has prompted them to say, “enough is enough” and do something about it.

Both judges were among the first to declare an invasion on July 5, citing an imminent threat to the lives of their residents.

First elected as a Democrat, Terrell County Judge Dale Carruthers is now running for reelection as a Republican.

On Tuesday, at a campaign event in Fort Stockton, Texas, she said, “I come from a Hispanic heritage, which was prominently Democrat. The chaos at the border and everything that’s been going on makes me realize that I needed to switch parties.

“I am very happy to be a Republican and to represent this great state of Texas as a judge.”

“Judge Dale Carruthers switched parties due to Biden's failed open border policies,” Gov. Greg Abbott, who attended the event, said. “She's now running for re-election as a Republican, joining a growing number of Hispanics who have walked away from the Democratic Party. Together, we'll secure the future of Texas.”

Presidio County Judge Cinderela Guevara also was a life-long Democrat until Biden came into office and her residents began grappling with record high inflation, increased crime and fear stemming from an open border. She also issued a disaster declaration and declared an invasion at the Texas-Mexico border.

“I’ve been a Democrat since 1992," Guevara said. "I’ve always ran as a Democrat and this is my first year to run as a Republican. I’m very grateful for Gov. Abbott for all he has done for Texas and continues to do for Texas, especially with our border crisis.”

On July 5, six counties and one city declared an invasion at the southern border, including Terrell and Presidio counties. They also expressed their commitment to uphold the Constitution, arguing they needed to take such an extraordinary measure to defend the lives of their residents.

When declaring the invasion, Carruthers said her county with a small population of roughly 1,000 people has been inundated with foreign nationals illegally entering through Mexico.

“We have experienced an invasion that is something of every language,” she said. “We are trying to protect the sovereignty of Texas. I am a constitutional judge and we are standing behind the constitution.”

After the counties of Kinney, Goliad, Terrell, Jeff Davis, Edwards, Presidio and the City of Uvalde declared an invasion, two additional counties declared an invasion on Monday: Parker and Atascosa.

Other Republican women running for office in Texas border communities are Monica De La Cruz and Cassie Garcia, who are both running for Congress in Districts 15 and 28, respectively. Mayra Flores, of Hidalgo County, recently won a special election to become the first Mexican-born Republican woman elected to Congress.

(The Center Square) – Police in northern Wisconsin are not recommending charges against a Wisconsin state senator following a deadly car wreck last week.

Ashland Police say Sen. Janet Bewley, D-Mason, pulled out in front of a mom who was driving along U.S. Highway 2 last Friday, causing a wreck.

“The preliminary investigation showed that the accident occurred when a vehicle driven by Janet Bewley, age 70 of Mason, WI, pulled out from the entrance of Maslowski Beach to turn east onto US Hwy 2,” the police report read. “That vehicle collided with a vehicle that was westbound on US 2 driven by Alyssa Ortman, age 27 of Clearfield, PA. That vehicle then spun across the highway and was struck by an eastbound vehicle driven by Jodi Munson, age 45 of Mason, WI.”

Police say Ortman died at a local hospital, her five-year-old daughter died at the scene.

Ashland Police say it does not appear that alcohol was a factor in the crash.

Bewley, who is the top Democrat in the Wisconsin Senate, was not injured. Her office issued a statement on Monday.

“Senator Bewley was involved in a three-vehicle accident in Ashland, Wisconsin on Friday, July 22nd. Tragically, two people lost their lives. This is a heartbreaking event for the community. Our thoughts and prayers are focused on the individuals involved, their families and their loved ones,” the statement read. “A police investigation is ongoing. Out of respect for that investigation and the privacy of all the families involved, our office will be withholding further comment at this time.”

Ashland’s police chief told the local newspaper that he has not recommended charges in the case.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s elections boss says the recent state Supreme Court decision on ballot drop boxes means only one ballot per voter.

Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe told reporters Thursday that she reads the decision in Teigen v WEC to say that voters cannot return other people’s absentee ballots.

“As of right now, the voter is the one required to mail their ballot,” Wolfe said.

But she hedged by adding that some local election clerks may feel differently.

“I would check with your local election official, as they are the ones in their communities that are responsible for administering that process and for providing their voters information about how ballots can be returned in their community.”

Elections commissioners on Tuesday were deadlocked as to whether the Commission should issue formal guidance to local clerks about how to handle voters who return more than one ballot. In the end, the Commission didn’t issue any guidance.

Wolfe said she didn’t think “it would be appropriate” for her “to opine beyond anything that’s in the court’s ruling.”

The lack of a clear, statewide rule for returning absentee ballots has lawmakers concerned.

Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, told The Center Square earlier this week that she fears communities across the state will be on their own.

“If Milwaukee and Madison do it one way, [and other communities do it differently] who determines the correct process?” Brandtjen said earlier this week.

Barbara Beckert, director of the Milwaukee office of Disability Rights Wisconsin, on Thursday said federal law allows disabled voters to have help in returning their ballots.

“The right for voters with disabilities to have assistance from a person of their choice is protected by federal law. Nothing in this decision changes federal protections for people with disabilities”, Beckert said. “Voters with disabilities who need ballot delivery assistance may want to contact their municipal clerk to ask for a disability related accommodation.”

Wolfe said the differences of opinion will likely lead to some confusion for voters as they turn out to vote in the August primary, and again in November.

Prior to heading to Saudi Arabia, the U.S. energy industry invited President Joe Biden to visit American energy sites.

The Texas Oil and Gas Association, Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association, and over 25 U.S. energy associations invited Biden and his cabinet members to visit U.S. energy facilities throughout the U.S.

The Texas groups represent high-skilled workers in a state that if it were its own country would be the world’s third largest producer of natural gas and fourth largest producer of oil. Texas producers are leading the U.S. in crude production in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale, recognizing that “energy is the cornerstone of security and prosperity,” Todd Staples, president of TXOGA, said.

Nationwide, the groups represent 11 million workers in an industry that propelled the U.S. to lead the world in crude production in 2019. Under the Trump administration, the U.S. became the largest producer of crude oil in the world, led by Texas. Under the Biden administration, within months of implementing a range of restrictive policies, gas prices reached a seven-year-high and inflation reached a 40-year high. Last month, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. surpassed $5 for this first time ever.

From cancelling federal land and offshore leasing permits, to increased regulation and proposed taxes, to depleting the Strategic Oil Reserves, to turning to foreign oil production, Biden has done everything to hamper domestic oil production, those in the industry contend.

While in Saudi Arabia, Biden is continuing his efforts to encourage members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to expand output.

Still, TIPRO President Ed Longanecker told The Center Square, "There are continued efforts to work with the Biden Administration to prioritize and support domestic oil and natural gas production to address global supply shortages, inflation and an escalating energy crisis in Europe.”

The groups wrote Biden a letter, urging him to “consider taking another look at made-in-America energy” before he left for the Middle East. They said they’d “be honored to show you how our industry is involved in every step of the energy process, from fuel pumps to critical product delivery infrastructure to production zones across our vast nation.”

But they didn’t hear back.

Instead, Biden wrote an op-ed published by The Washington Post justifying his trip. "As president, it is my job to keep our country strong and secure,” he wrote. “We have to counter Russia's aggression, put ourselves in the best possible position to outcompete China, and work for greater stability in a consequential region of the world.

"To do these things, we have to engage directly with countries that can impact those outcomes. Saudi Arabia is one of them, and when I meet with Saudi leaders on Friday, my aim will be to strengthen a strategic partnership going forward that's based on mutual interests and responsibilities, while also holding true to fundamental American values.”

But Staples told The Center Square, “American consumers suffer” when U.S. energy policies don’t “recognize and promote the long-term domestic development of oil and natural gas, indispensable commodities that are literally essential to modern life.

“Oil and natural gas produced in the United States, and largely right here in Texas, are leading the way in production and offer continued environmental progress. Oil demand is forecasted to continue growing in 2022 and into 2023, further suggesting that the Administration must provide certainty and consistent opportunities for domestic production, pipelines and processing of these products that our world depend upon.”

Instead of prioritizing domestic production, “Unfortunately, we are witnessing a concerted effort to significantly expand federal regulations that target American businesses, which will undoubtedly increase our reliance on foreign sources of energy,” Longanecker said. “Bolstering domestic oil and gas output, developed under the highest environmental standards in the world, is a key answer to addressing these challenges, enhancing America's national security and expanding U.S. competitiveness, and should be the top priority of this administration.”

OPEC announced Tuesday that it expected to increase crude output by nearly 1 million barrels a day next year. “In 2023, expectations for healthy global economic growth amidst improvements in geopolitical developments … are expected to boost consumption of oil,” it said in its monthly report released July 12.

But Ben Cahill, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Reuters “a surge in Saudi production seems unlikely.” Bloomberg News reported that OPEC producers would need to “pump crude at the fastest pace in five years in 2023 if they are to balance oil supply and demand,” which is unlikely for a number of reasons.

Longanecker adds that “global energy demand will continue to outpace supply for the foreseeable future, even with the easing of production quotas from OPEC members, many of which simply cannot increase capacity and output in the short term."

(The Center Square) – Expect to see more AirBnB and VRBO homes in Wisconsin listed with backyard pools.

The state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection earlier this month dropped a proposed rule that would have treated pools at short term rentals just like public pools after a motion adopted by the Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules.

“After receiving testimony from interest groups, Department staff, and individual property owners, JCRAR adopted a motion to suspend the phrase ‘a tourist rooming house’ in [state administrative code],” DATCP said in a jargon-laden response to lawmakers. “JCRAR also adopted a motion in support of the suspension relating to the applicability of [state law] to remove pools that are located at short-term rentals.”

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, which challenged the new pool regulations, on Thursday said DATCP’s decision is a win for individuals, and a win for common sense.

“It’s encouraging to see DATCP abandon their efforts to impose burdensome red tape on short-term rental owners with pools and hot tubs,” WILL Policy Director, Kyle Koenen, said. “Property owners will now have some well-deserved certainty that they can make a living without the heavy hand of government impeding their ability to do so.”

A number of homeowners who listed their homes on short term rental websites said they lost a season because of the confusion over the rule that now won’t be put into place.

Homeowner Kelly Smith told lawmakers back in April that she lost $30,000 because people declined to rent her house because they couldn’t use her pool.

“Renters are easily able to see our pool and are usually mystified and upset when I tell them they aren’t allowed to use it,” Smith said.

(The Center Square) – Milwaukee’s Democratic leaders put their frustrations over the end of ballot drop boxes in a resolution and may send it off to state lawmakers.

Milwaukee County Supervisors Felesia Martin, Willie Johnson Jr., Ryan Clancy, Steven Shea, and Peter Burgelis all signed on to a resolution condemning the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s decision that state law doesn’t allow for ballot drop boxes.

“Plainly stated: This ruling will severely restrict the ability of thousands of Wisconsin voters to participate in elections and fulfill their civic duty,” the supervisors said in a joining statement. “This ruling strikes at the heart of Milwaukee County’s mission to achieve race and health equity. We know that decisions that restrict access to the ballot box have a disproportionate impact on Black and Brown voters. As Milwaukee County is home to the state’s largest communities of Black and Brown residents, once again our residents will bear the brunt of an errant ruling.”

The supervisor’s resolution lays out seven points and four resolutions, all of which detail their support for ballot drop boxes, and their demand that Wisconsin lawmakers not move forward with any other election law changes.

“Milwaukee County hereby declares full confidence in Wisconsin’s current system of nonpartisan election administration led by the Wisconsin Elections Commission and calls upon certain State lawmakers to cease all attempts to undermine, disrupt, or revoke the Wisconsin Election Commission’s and municipal clerks’ authority over Wisconsin and local elections in a cynical and undemocratic usurpation of the voters’ will,” the resolution states.

The county supervisors are also taking a stance against any future plans to shift election supervision in Wisconsin away from the Wisconsin Elections Commission and shift that power to the Secretary of State.

“Milwaukee County strongly opposes any future attempts to override the will of Wisconsin’s voters and have partisan election administration in Wisconsin state and local elections transferred to a partisan entity,” the resolution adds.

The resolution is just that, a resolution. It doesn’t carry any real weight and won’t mean any changes for how elections are run in Milwaukee County.

The resolution is set for its first vote this Friday. Once it passes the full county board it will be sent to the state legislature and the governor.