Stopping Illegal Immigration
The federal government continues to `talk the talk` without `walking the walk` on the issue of illegal immigration. Lawmakers in our nation's Capitol say they are working with the Department of Homeland Security to alter the flow of illegal immigration into our borders, but the influx continues to grow. Brian K. Walker believes that serious changes need to be made in the way that we monitor and protect our border with Mexico, not only because the I-35 corridor is a safe harbor for terrorists to migrate into the U.S., but also because “the current in-pouring of illegal immigrants puts an undue burden on law-abiding citizens who are forced to foot the bill for social services that our government institutions dish out to illegal undocumented immigrants”. If the federal government does not do something proactive and concrete on this issue, you have the commitment of Brian K. Walker that he will fight for change at the State level.
Changing the Texas Tax Climate
When Brian K. Walker was serving as Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms of the Texas Senate in 2001, the legislature was trying to reform the way the State of Texas funds public education. The attempts carried into the 2006 80th Legislature, and, although the current legislators claimed to have fixed the problem in that session, Brian believes that the “fix” only “put a band aid on the problem, and created a new margins tax on businesses that is a serious detriment to the local economy”. Brian believes that expanding franchise taxes which our current State Representative supports, and has campaigned for across the district puts a burden on businesses that discourages investment, and penalizes small business owners who’ve worked hard to build successful enterprise. Brian will work hard to get the legislature to revisit the issue, and will advocate a change in the tax system that will rely more heavily on State sales taxes. Brian believes that a consumption-based tax system to finance public schools will not only put an end to penalizing small business owners, but will serve to REALLY reduce property taxes which the new ‘Margins Tax’ did not do to a large enough degree.
Pro-Life and Strong Moral Values.
Brian K. Walker is committed to making public policy that reflects his Christian values. He is committed to promoting and authoring legislation that preserves the moral fabric of rural East Texas. Brian will work to make sure that laws such as the recent Marriage Amendment, defining marriage as a relationship only between a man and a woman, will continue to be passed by our legislature. As a pro-life conservative, Brian supports the protection of the unborn child and a ban on human cloning. While in college, Brian served as a Youth Pastor at a small church in rural central Texas. His time in the ministry, coupled with his Christian upbringing, has made Brian passionate about preserving our Christian values in Texas.
Creating Jobs
Brian K. Walker will work tirelessly to stimulate the economy of District 11. Brian believes that creating jobs should be a top priority of our State Representative in Austin. Most estimates suggest that the median income in District 11 is just over $20 thousand dollars per year and that the national median income is over $40 thousand dollars per year. There is something drastically wrong with the dynamic difference in these figures, and Brian will labor vigorously to narrow the margin and create better incomes for East Texas families. Brian will work with state and national business leaders to create new jobs and to keep the ones that we already have. Brian K. Walker will use his national network of contacts and his position as your elected State Representative to attract new business and industry, thus providing you and your children with better economic opportunity.
Encouraging Better Performance in Public Education
Current statistics show that over 40% of students that graduate from public schools in our district have to take remedial classes in reading, writing, and arithmetic once they enter institutions of higher education. Brian K. Walker believes that there is not enough evidence to determine why our schools are not performing at the high level they once did, but he will work tirelessly to find the cause and to alleviate it. According to Brian, “we have good teachers in Texas, my sister is one of them, and these teachers need to be compensated well for their sacrifices as public servants, and we also need to ensure that our tax dollars go directly into the classroom to advance better education at its core.” You have Brian's commitment that he will fight to improve the quality of public education, so that the leaders of tomorrow and our local economy will thrive in the future. Brian will labor to help our teachers in accomplishing their goals in creating better students, and he will introduce legislation that creates more transparency in how and where our tax dollars are spent at the local administrative level.
