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LIV met Bob Martin late in his leadership of the Homeowner Taxpayer Association of Bexar County (HTA). A CPA by training, Bob's heart was in his activism and advocacy for seniors and modest-income people as a founding member of HTA. Bob took the helm of HTA from banjo playing, term-limits supporting taxpayer watchdog, CA Stubbs . We were delighted to work with Bob -- a staunch Republican conservative -- who kept his eyes on the prize, working across all the aisles to end taxpayer and ratepayer abuse. Bob immediately jumped on board with LIV , Alamo Sierra Club , LULAC El Concilio Zapatista 4383 , S AMBA's Stan Mitchell and more to help lead the petition drive in 2020 to place the SAWS Accountability Act before the voters. Bob wanted accountability for the 50%+ rate hikes for one project -- Vista Ridge -- that we all believed would have been rejected by voters had they been given the chance to vote on It in 2014 before it was rammed through the San Antonio City Council. Most community organizations -- of all stripes -- opposed Vista Ridge. The SAWS Act PAC needed 20,000 signatures to put the SAWS Accountability Act on the ballot. But the first wave of COVID got the best of us. Still, our volunteer petition drive collected 12,000+ signatures. This could be the makings for more cross-partisan organizing in Bexar County. We ask who will to pick up the torch where Bob and others left off? We're keeping our fingers crossed as we mourn the loss of our friend, Bob Martin. Bob's obituary and funeral details are forthcoming from HTA Board Member and friend, Janet Ahmad.

From Quorum Report's, Harvey Kronberg: With Nexstar acquiescence, Carney succeeds in making debate non-event, insists on no audience and no re-broadcast even for CSPAN" LIV suggests that you read Kronberg's review of the debate, explaining why it was Greg Abbott's consultant, Dave Carney, who really won it. Kronberg also posits that Beto O'Rourke may have done well but even that was thwarted. BUT, please read this only if you can handle the truth and nothing but the truth. Moreover, you should read it with this in mind. The fight for competitive elections goes on until this system we are stuck in fails. It is failing on its own accord. What will replace it is entirely up to us -- a cross-partisan movement of Americans who believe in civic (and civil) engagement, problem solving not problem-making, and continuing "the experiment," that is our small "d" democratic republic. Click here for the full article. Thank you, Quorum Report!

LIV does not endorse any political party. We work with members of all of them. But, like most Texans of all persuasions, we do want more electoral competition. A delegation of us will be attending the kick off convention of the new Forward Party this Saturday in Houston from 1 to 7 pm. LIV will also have a booth at this event. Give us a ring for more information on our plans. This FREE event still has some seats left. More here . +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This just released 21-minute documentary DISASTER BY DESIGN documents how a catastrophic electrical grid failure revealed a system wired for self-dealing, consumer abuse and political corruption and left 130 billion dollars in financial losses, 4.5 million people without power and hundreds dead. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In our last newsletter we mentioned that independent Linda Curtis had been sued by Republican Stan Gerdes to have her name removed from the ballot in the Texas House District 17 race. The Judge ruled immediately against Gerdes from the bench last Wednesday. Gerdes did not appeal. Congratulations to HD17 voters. You now have a genuine horse race with three options, including Democrat Madi Eden. Click on the window above to enjoy Linda's video taken at the Burleson County Fair Parade last Saturday. The Court's decision is posted here . +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We applaud the Giddings Chamber of Commerce for putting on this water forum -- Present and Future of Water in Lee County -- on September 29 in Lincoln. We hope to see you there! Click here for details .

Join us at Monday night's LIV zoom forum for the details on the following LIV News! Stan Gerdes, former Texas Governor Rick Perry's longtime employee, has filed suit against the Secretary of State of Texas to remove his opponent, Linda Curtis *, from the November ballot. Curtis is running as an independent for Texas House District 17 (Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee, and Milam counties) in a three-way race against Republican Gerdes and Democrat Madeline Eden. Gerdes has no less than three law firms working on his case, including State Representative Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park). Cain is the divide-and-conquer chairman of the Elections Committee in the Texas House. Curtis is represented by superlative election and open government attorney, Bill Aleshire. We will provide the scoop on how Rick Perry abused his veto power to block competitive elections when Stan Gerdes was still wet behind the ears. Will this now work for Perry's protege? We'll explain the legislative history on Monday night! The case will come before a Travis County Judge on Wednesday, September 14, at 2 pm in the District Court. The proceedings should be viewable on YouTube, but the details about the assigned judge and the hearing will not be available until Monday. We will also provide you with an important water update in light of the hearing held by the Texas House Natural Resources Committee on August 24 and an expected hearing on Monday, September 19, in the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs. The August 24 hearing was the first time landowners negatively affected by Vista Ridge (the San Antone Hose) were invited to testify before the Legislature. To view the August 24th hearing, click on the video link for the Natural Resources Committee here . Note: At about 3 hours and 41 minutes, you can see the deceptive testimony of SAWS (San Antonio Water System) CEO Robert Puente. The Legislature appears passionless as time is ticking on our most precious resource. If the profiteers get their way, Samsung will bring in 11 new chip plants with extraordinary property tax waivers while the aquifers in Central Texas are sucked into crisis by profiteers. Is Jackson, Mississippi teaching us anything about the privatization of our most precious resource? On Monday night, we'll give you a bird's eye view of the work to establish a new political party in Texas, the Forward Party. Members of LIV will be traveling to Houston on Saturday, September 25, to attend the founding convention. Join us! * Linda is a founder of LIV and sits on our Advisory Board.

Non-profit water defenders at the Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund and the Central Texas Water Coalition are on the move to protect our water resources in the face of increasingly difficult and even idiotic challenges. It's not smart to defy Mother Nature, but that is really what we're seeing from the Central Texas Growth Machine. They are seriously considering more massive property tax waivers to woo more high-water users -- like 11 more Samsung chip plants -- to Central Texas.* Meanwhile, SAWS is using the most expensive groundwater in Texas via the Vista Ridge Pipeline so San Antonio can keep watering their grass in a drought. Yes, this is nuts. Get a move on people! Come on out to these or get your comments in to the Natural Resources Committee before the Wednesday, August 24 hearing at 10 am. Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 23, 6:30-7:30 pm, Water Town Hall at Buchanan Dam. More here . Wednesday, August 24, 10 am at the Capitol, Texas House Hearing, Natural Resources Committee. Landowners to be heard! Lots more here . Thursday, August 25, August 24, 6:30-7:30, Water Town Hall at The Oasis. More here . We also look forward to seeing or hearing from the folks fighting the Marvin Nichols Reservoir in Northeast Texas and many more good folks seeking sane water policy from across the state. It's not smart to defy Mother Nature, but that is really what we're seeing from the Central Texas growth machine. They are seriously considering more massive property tax waivers to woo more BIG-water users to bring MORE people to Central Texas -- like 11 more Samsung chip plants!* (See Spectrum News .) Meanwhile, SAWS (San Antonio Water System) is using the most expensive groundwater in Texas via the Vista Ridge Pipeline so San Antonio can keep watering their grass in a drought.** (See San Antonio Report .) Yes, this is nuts. Join us, to send this message to the Texas Legislature: Don't California Our water! Note: No offense intended to you if you moved here from California. We can use your help to avoid another disaster -- the California Water Model to Texas. Don't miss this important Dallas Morning News Article: It's about who’s really running grid policy behind closed doors – these industry elites -- no consumer advocates need apply. They serve on a committee whose recommendations have never been seen by the public. Note that Phil Wilson, General Manager of the LCRA, and longtime Rick Perry ally, is Chairman. Open with a Chrome browser.   UPCOMING EVENTS! • TX House Natural Resources Committee Hearing, Aug. 24, 10 am, more here . We hope to see you at the Capitol. • September 12 , next LIV First Monday (moved one week due to Labor Day). Water & Subsidies: Kleptocracy on the rise! RSVP here . • TX Senate Water Hearing, Sept. 19, 9:30 am. More soon!

In this Edition: This is an incredible story developing about property tax hero, realtor Chandler Crouch. We have the luck of having Chandler speak to us at our First Monday Forum next Monday. Chandler has helped 90,000 homeowners protest skyrocketing appraisals, all pro-bono! And, for this, he is being investigated. Watch this report on NBC in DFW and sign up to join us as "seating" is limited. Join us for the Crouch Ouch, Monday, August 1, 7-8 pm -- RSVP here ! LIV is a longtime BIG fan of another 501c4 non-profit organization -- the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA) -- and its stellar leader, Judith McGeary . FARFA is co-hosting the Southern Family Farms and Food Systems Conference at Texas State University in San Marcos, Aug. 7-9. DO NOT MISS the water seminar with some of the state's most important water defenders. The seminar "Who Gets Water" is with leading water scientist Dr. Robert Mace, President of the Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District (Kendall County) Milan Michalec, and water attorney and SAWS/Vista Ridge watchdog Lauren Ice on Monday Aug. 8, 3:15 pm. Information here. You must purchase a day ticket but scholarships or reduced fees are available from LIV -- call us at 512.213.4511 or email us . "There is no way in the world that abortion is going to be abolished. It has been going on ever since man and woman lived together on this earth ,” Barry Goldwater, father of modern conservatism, Aug. 6, 1992. Linda for a Little Less Corruption explains why Attorney General Ken Paxton and 71 members of the Legislature filed a brief to ban abortion with the Texas Supreme Court, taking the Texas GOP off the cliff. Hot of the independent political press, y'all! Hit the Nail News: Lordy, help us all make it through the night! Samsung applies for 11 MORE subsidies (for over $4 billion!) for MORE water guzzling plants, therefore MORE water from already stressed aquifers. Read this Statesman article and join the water posse at LIV ! Bless West Texas Maverick Republican, Sen. Kel Seliger, who is eminently qualified to blow the whistle on the Texas oil and gas oligarchs that the GOP base knows little about. Pioneering economist says we must end growth obsession ! This one gives the political ammo to go after the municipal Dems who have us on a collision course with Mother Nature. Guess who's going to win that one.

Thanks to the Williamson County Commissioners Court, the Taylor City Council, and none other than Gov. Greg Abbot himself, Williamson County and the city of Taylor taxpayers were snookered into massive subsidies for Samsung. Oh sure, they were given the legally required 3-day notice but little to no information about what the County and City were about to pass and its implications for local taxpayers. The Governor touted the Samsung deal as "the largest foreign investment in Texas ever." Still, he gave no financial details of how the agreement benefits taxpayers -- renters and homeowners -- who are worried about the soaring cost of living in Central Texas. See KXAN Report . Williamson County granted Samsung 90% tax abatements for the first ten years and 85% for the second ten years. The City of Taylor will give Samsung the same subsidies for 30 years -- see graph below. Our attorney experts on subsidies question whether the subsidies shown here are even legal past 10 years. It was dog and pony show at the September 8th jointly held special meeting by the Williamson County Commissioners Court and the City of Taylor. The audience was full of supporters, making it seem like more of a pep rally than a meeting to bestow hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars for the next 20-30 years. Our sources tell us that the Williamson County push for Samsung subsidies came from County Judge Bill Gravell (standing just behind the Governor at the press conference) and Commissioners Boles and Long. All three are up for reelection in 2022. Does anyone, including Samsung, know that the water for the chip plant is groundwater coming from Milam County where years of controversy surround the mass mining of their aquifer by those as far away as San Antonio? We refer to the profiteers at Vista Ridge and their handmaidens at SAWS - San Antonio's desperado public water utility. Judge Gravell was in the press tickled pink the water was not coming from his county. We’re talking about 7,000 to 10,000 acre-feet of groundwater the first year and 4,000 each year, after that, for one project—Samsung’s chip plant. The water is coming from the Simsboro formation of the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer in Milam County. The Texas Water Development Board estimates the “modeled available groundwater” for the Simsboro formation, in all of Milam County, is 20,783 ac-ft/yr. Looks like Samsung, Taylor, and Williamson County will take half of the available water in Milam County to run their economic engine. Citizens in Williamson County get snookered on taxes, and Milam County is getting sucked dry! The graph below provided by Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund (SAWDF): The Simsboro aquifer formation of the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer has its protector non-profit -- SAWDF -- for a reason. The aquifer is becoming endangered by profiteering scallawags mining it to serve growth unfettered. (See LIV's Big Squeeze for more.) The respected Meadows Center released this incredibly important report, authored by former Texas Water Development Board Member Robert Mace. " Five Gallons in a Ten Gallon Hat: Groundwater Sustainability in Texas ." It's understated summary begins with this sentence: " Despite the hopes and desires of scientists, engineers, and planners, the projected future of groundwater production in Texas is unsustainable." Hold on to your 10 gallon hats, folks. If LIV has anything to say about it, corporate subsidy giveaways will be one of the front-and-center issues in the 2022 election because this is so all kind of Texas wrong. You can read the full City of Taylor agreement here . You can read the full Williamson County agreement here . We also recommend this Houston Chronicle Article about Comptroller Glenn Hegar's attempt to gut transparency related to School Board 313 Agreements, involving $1 billion taxpayer giveaways, just as a deluge is expected in 2022 before the law expires.

Do the people who submitted a proposal for $20 million in government subsidies for a solar farm to clear-cut a forest south of Elgin give a hoot about the Bastrop community where the state's most destructive fire took place? Approximately 1.5 million trees died . Chapter 313 subsidies were supposed to end this year, but the Legislature left the door open for years of abuse. S ee this chart -- is your community next? What can YOU do? 1. Click on the picture above, watch the short video and sign the petition by farmland preservation leader Skip Connett, who helped found Friends of the Land. 2. Reach out to officials on the school board or other local officials to request they help convince the school board to turn down this bad deal. Note: Friends of the Land nor LIV oppose all subsidies or solar farms. This one stinks as did the Rosanky (Bastrop County) solar farm subsidy which clear-cut 1200 wooded acres. Here's the application for this project -- Elgin ISD No. 1947, Dogwood Creek Solar LLC -- online at the Comptroller's Office. 3. Share this article across Texas. (See share buttons at the bottom of this page.) If you have a problem subsidy in your community, contact us. Read this Houston Chronicle article, " Lawmakers killed a costly corporate tax break program, but loopholes will still cost Texas billions ." Now, good people across Texas, take action or forever hug your trees and hold your wallets!

You're invited to our next LIV Forum -- this coming Monday, July 11, 7-8 pm. All are welcome to join us for a forum or two, but please know that these events are for LIV members so we can talk frankly. Please become a dues-paying member of LIV or simply donate and get involved. RSVP here Visit the LIV News blog to make sure you're up to date. We will discuss: The Southern Family Farmer's & Foods Conference in San Marcos, Aug 7 thru 9. Please note an important session on Monday afternoon about water! (See program here .) Early registration ends July 8 ! Chapter 313 Subsidies , focusing on a solar farm in Elgin and clear-cutting 2100 acres of heritage forest. Tax appraisal protests in Tarrant County, led by a realtor Chandler Crouch. Keep Bastrop Boring -- we hope for an update. What Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Company's disruption of Big Pharma has to do with independent politics.

Before we started LIV, some of our founders gave the Austin Lobby a chance to end their dog and pony shows and give our communities a chance to make growth pay for itself. They patted us on the head and went their merry marauding way to bring the world to Texas so fast we are losing Texas to those who are here only to make a big fast buck by exploiting and risking depletion and damage to our natural resources. We cannot sit idly by and watch the destruction of our local economies with massive and gamed subsidies involving billions of public dollars. We cannot sit on our hands as our aquifers -- and our communities' water futures -- are squandered. And, we cannot settle for losing more farmland each year than any other state. As a result, LIV is growing and with this growth come more demands on us to upgrade our online efforts and in-person volunteerism. For this, we ask you to become a dues paying member (for as little as $10 up to $1000 per year) or to simply make a donation. Go Now to Our Join LIV Page! The major parties are making a full-blown independent electoral revolt inevitable. It may be the only way left to be peaceful and productive citizens. Thank you ahead of time for whatever you can DO -- including you lovely volunteers!

It's Official! Former Bastrop County Judge, Ronnie McDonald , has been certified for the November ballot to run as an independent for Bastrop County Judge. McDonald served four terms as Bastrop County Judge, having been elected as a Democrat. This year, he will face Republican Gregory Klaus and Democrat Dock Jackson. See more here at Bastrop Votes. Linda Curtis received notice from the Texas Secretary of State for placement on the November ballot as an independent for Texas House District 17 -- Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Lee and Milam counties. Her opponents are Democrat Madeline Eden and Republican Stan Gerdes . See more here at Bastrop Votes . Susan Cook , independent candidate for Hays County Commissioner, Precinct 4, filed over 700 valid signatures to more than meet the 500 required for placement on the November ballot. Susan just received notice from Hays County she's on the November ballot! She will face incumbent Republican Walt Smith. See Susan on Facebook -- website coming soon. LIV has reached out to the only other independent candidate running for Texas legislature who will be on the November ballot, Alejandro Arrieta , House District 103 (Carrollton). Arrieta will face longtime Democratic incumbent Rafael Anchia . Eight out of 34 candidates that filed to run for state or federal offices were approved for the ballot by the Secretary of State. See tweet by Texas Tribune political correspondent, Patrick Svitek. LIV ratings will come out with our star-ratings in August for the November general election. If you are a candidate of any party affiliation and would like to take our survey or redo the one that you may have previously submitted, please contact us. LIV has yet to rate any candidates for federal office.

There's a billionaire in the hood in Central Texas. He moved his boring company into Bastrop County but apparently so fast, he forgot to get his permits to ensure proper waste disposal at his operation. Seriously? The richest man in the world can't take care of his doo-doo properly? Eww! His neighbor, Chap Ambrose, made this terrific video, brilliantly challenging the billionaire while giving him some slack to do the right thing. Good for Ambrose. But, do please note the reference at the very end of the video. It says the Boring Company's tunneling experiments are not but 1500 feet from the Colorado River. Here's the real problem. The Texas Legislature, in its infinite lack of wisdom, has chosen not to give local governments the tools and enough local control to deal with bad actors and their stinky -- well, you know the word starts with "sh". If the State of Texas won't protect its residents, maybe we need to. Let's all put down the guns and start working together towards an independent electoral revolt.