Democrats are fighting for you

Democrats are fighting for you on many issues you care about.

• Strong public education.

In Texas, one of our guiding principles is that every boy and girl should have the best opportunity to achieve his or her potential. In fact, a provision of “public free schools” is the first sentence in Article 7 of the Texas Constitution. Serving this commitment means properly funding public education.

So-called “voucher” programs siphon off funds from public education to send to private schools and are ruinous to rural school districts and the communities they serve. Vouchers are also given to private schools with little to no accountability on how the money is spent or what is taught.

Strong public education perpetuates the promise of Texas and provides the best hope for our future.

If you’re ready to invest in Texas and put people over politics, talk to your local Democrats. We share your values.

• Improved infrastructure.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed in November without a single Republican vote, includes $35 billion for Texas projects over five years, according to estimates from the White House. These funds include over $27 billion for highways and bridges, $400 million to expand the electric vehicle charging network, $100 million to improve broadband access, $53 million to improve wildfire protection, $2.9 billion to improve water infrastructure, and more.

The bill also includes funds for a “national investment in weatherization,” which will help our beleaguered electrical grid.

So if you’d like to see continued improvements in our roads, bridges, and power grid, talk to your local Democrats – we share your values.

• Coverage of pre-existing conditions.

For a long time, adequate health insurance with coverage for pre-existing conditions was beyond the reach of many families. That all changed with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA made effective pre-existing condition coverage more affordable and attainable for those who need it.

Democrats passed the ACA over Republican objections.

If you value having affordable health insurance and coverage for pre-existing conditions, talk to your local Democrats – we share your values.

• Medicaid.

According to the Texas Organization of Rural and Community Hospitals (TORCH), “26 Texas rural hospital closures (permanently or temporarily) have occurred in 22 communities since the beginning of 2010.”

While we’re fortunate here in Kendall to have a local hospital (and another one on the way), many rural communities aren’t so lucky. According to TORCH, many of these closures are a result of the decision by the Texas Legislature to decline to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. That means millions of Texas tax dollars are going to other states, and over a million Texans who could be covered – are not.

We’re missing out on millions in economic growth and hundreds of thousands of good jobs that these hospitals provide. We need to expand Medicaid.

If you’re ready to invest in Texas and put people over politics, talk to your local Democrats – we share your values.

• Guns.

A whole bunch of Texas Democrats grew up in our state’s gun culture. Many of us don’t remember a time we didn’t want a gun and barely remember a time we didn’t have one. We don’t want to take away anybody’s guns, and we’re pretty darn committed to our own.

But we also believe in common sense. We need universal background checks. If we really “back the blue,” we need to get Teflon and armor-piercing ammo off the streets. And it’s time to get the long guns out of the public square – concealed carry offers protection without intimidation

If you believe we can have a strong 2nd Amendment and common-sense gun laws that protect our communities, talk to your local Democrats – we share your values.

In short, Democrats share your values and are fighting for you. Early voting for the Democratic (and Republican) primary starts Monday. We need all local Democrats to vote in the Democratic primary so we can field the strongest slate of candidates for the November mid-term election.

We also need Democrats to run for local positions in the May 7 election; the filing deadline is February 18.

For more information on voting or elections, call our office at 830-331- 1243 or visit www.kcdems.us.

Laura Bray is chair of the Kendall County Democratic Party.