Tea Parties and Term Limits

Earlier this week, I met with members of the Fredericksburg Tea Party. They are fed up with the political culture in Washington that leads to lavish spending and favors for special interests. They reinforced my belief that term limits are necessary to keep a fresh supply of new ideas and voices in Congress.

They don’t ask for much from our national government. They want border security and a strong national defense. They want the freedom to run their local schools.

And they want a representative who will listen to them and show a little fiscal restraint. The folks in Fredericksburg and their families don’t spend more than they earn. Why should their government?

These Texans are busy people with jobs, families and plenty of responsibilities. Yet they make the time to get to know their candidates, study up on the issues, write letters and make phone calls to their representatives, and organize forums and other events. I feel so fortunate to meet woman and men who are so engaged and excited to end the era of Big Government. It is a pleasure to get to know them, and will be an honor to represent them.

A full account of the meeting can be found here.

Think through nominations to strengthen the GOP

As I travel through our District meeting the voters, I’m hearing from so many of you who are fed up with the way Congress is running Washington. Folks know that we need to do something to shake things up, to return to fiscal sanity and create jobs.

But I’m also hearing from a few who ask if challenging the Republican incumbent, Mike Conaway, is ultimately good for the GOP. To that question I respond: There’s nothing that could be healthier for the Party.

Our country is in trouble, and we can’t just point the blame at Democrats. Many of you agree that Republicans share responsibility for the situation our Country is in. We’ve grown complacent, trusting that anyone with an “R” after his or her name will represent conservative values. But that isn’t always the case.

Republicans, including our own Congressman, Mike Conaway, brought about the $700 billion TARP bailout of the big banks. It’s not conservative to push our Country into increasing debt to reward businesses that aren’t working.

We need to ask ourselves whether we want a Congressman who will go along to get along or a Congressman who will buck the lobbyists and special interest groups and make the tough decisions necessary to watch the bottom line.

Asking the hard questions is good for Republicans. More importantly, it’s good for the Country.

Why District 11?

I spent the last week announcing my candidacy for Congressional District 11 in San Angelo, Midland and Odessa. As I traveled, I found that many of the voters were angry and frustrated by the direction our government is headed and agreed with my message. There were, however, questions focused on why I chose to run in District 11. So, I felt it important to address that question in my first blog post.

The answer to that question is very simple. My homestead is in Sunrise Beach, located in Llano County in District 11. I vote in District 11 and as such, Congressman Conaway is my Congressman. I have some issues with Congressman Conaway’s record on issues that are important to me and, from my research, that are important to other voters of District 11.

In this election, one of my greatest concerns is the uncontrolled spending in Washington and the implications the growing debt has for my children’s futures and for the future of this nation. Congressman Conaway demonstrated with his TARP vote that when push comes to shove, he will not stand up and fight to represent my fundamental belief that we simply have to stop spending. The political forces that govern Washington are a greater influence on him than the opinion of an “overwhelming majority” of his constituents – including me.

I will detail other issues I have with Congressman Conaway’s record in future posts.

I will be on the road from now until the primary on March 2 to give you an opportunity to get to know me and hear my message. Check this website regularly and contact me if you have questions or if you would like me to come meet you and your friends. If you like what you hear, then I am asking for your vote. I promise to do everything I can to make you proud for having giving it to me.

Welcome to Al Cowan for Congress

This is the official blog of the Al Cowan for Congress campaign. Please check back often for new posts and information about campaign events.

You can also visit the Campaign Website for more information about the campaign or to contribute.