Sen. Kip Averitt is a RINO

We really can’t stand the Republicans In Name Only down in Austin, let alone on all levels (and right now, most of our current commissioners court are headed towards RINO status). But from a recent Dallas Morning News (Page 4A) comes word that Averitt, R-McGregor, has sponsored legislation that would require people to scan in their fingerprints to purchase beer and cigarettes. Banks already use this method in some regard, thanks to the un-patriotic USA PATRIOT Act. But Averitt, who defeated true conservative Ed Harrison, R-Ovilla, in the 2002 state senate primary, is really showing us his liberal stripes; first he authors the bill to expand Children’s Health Insurance coverage way beyond conservative measures; he’s voted for the Trans-Texas Corridor legislation, as well as being well, just another liberal Republican. We’re talking about a guy who doesn’t have a conservative report card ranking above 50% (except recently, when Heritage Alliance ranked him at 68% - and even that makes him a borderline lefty).

Averitt represents Ellis County, and we’re really wanting the redistricting committee in 2010 to put Sen. Jane Nelson back as our senator in Austin. Talk about a conservative. Averitt doesn’t represent conservatism at all. He’s a liberal. A liberal Republican. Sucks to be him.

Kip Averitt Is Anti-Taxpayer

Our state senator down in McGregor (Kip Averitt) continues to run roughshod over the Republican Party platform. First it’s expanding CHIP. Then it’s opposing appraisal caps. Then it’s something else to make grassroots conservatives irate — no wonder he carried a 34% conservative ranking when he was in the House. In 2002, Ellis County’s Ed Harrison fought a primary battle against him and lost. Unfortunately, Averitt didn’t learn then that Republican means you have to be conservative economically, as well as (somewhat) personally. See, this is why we like Houston Sen. Dan Patrick so much:

(Source: Lone Star Times blog, the electronic equivalent to DallasBlog, D Magazine’s FrontBurner and of course, The Ellis County Observer)

So, since I'm a Libertarian, why am I so fixated on Averitt's adherence to the GOP platform? Well, I'm one of Averitt's constituents, so if he isn't going to represent at least me individually, then he should at least abide by the GOP platform. He fails at both, and he fails at life in the process.

Asking Kip Averitt Real Questions

First it was Ag Commissioner Todd Staples that made a visit to the Ellis County town of Midlothian. Now it’s state Sen. Kip Averitt. Do these guys only send out news alerts to newspapers? The questions that were asked to Averitt, according to what the ultra-liberal Waxahachie Daily Light published, were amateur.

If you really want questions, someone better let me know who’s coming to town (odd, but the WDL didn’t see fit to cover a major-party presidential candidate coming to town), because I’ll ask really good questions, like for instance, Mr. Averitt:

• The expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program that you sought - and secured - will cost taxpayers a lot more; wasn’t it a good thing that the Legislature closed a shortfall a few years ago without raising taxes? Shouldn’t the purpose be to get people off of welfare, not back on it?
• You were answering questions regarding community college budgets this session (Gov. Perry vetoed a few million in funding requests), however, were you aware that our service-area community college, Navarro, has admitted publicly to breaking open meetings laws in discussions of passing a property tax on Ellis County citizens?
• Are you aware of the outrage of small business owners under the Legislature-backed new business tax that will force many to pay 10 times what they were paying under the franchise system? And what do you think of that, Mr. Compromise?

Those are just two that I can come up with now. I don’t need a script like the “audience” members were playing off of. I don’t need softball questions like the WDL submits to their reporters to ask. Damn. I’m really getting sick and tired of these politicians playing us like fools.

I guess the cool thing about a blog is that you can bitch and complain and really give readers the “other” side of things, instead of these flake-puff little softball questions and community coverage.

Ed Harrison, I hope you’re reading this. We really need you down in the Senate.

Ed Harrison Would Have Been a Conservative Senator

Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor, who replaced the more-conservative Jane Nelson in the last redistricting, scored a low 40% conservative ranking in a report card recently issued.

The Texas Eagle Forum is pretty accurate in measuring conservatives in both the House and Senate, but this should not surprise anyone at all; when Averitt, who defeated the very-conservative Ed Harrison in the 2002 state senate primary, he was a state representative; Averitt scored in the 30s and 40s in virtually all conservative report cards. This is our state senator, and it’s disgusting. Someone should battle him in the primary in four years.

Or someone should mount a serious Democratic candidacy against him and hope that population trends push a Libertarian to take away Averitt's votes. The Democrats don't run candidates against him anymore because he votes damn-near in the Royce West genre.

Kip Averitt Scores Higher in Tree-Hugger Report Than Conservative Groups

State Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor, has higher scores (57%) on a liberal environmental report card than conservative report cards (mid-30s; Heritage Alliance, Americans For Prosperity).

This is sickening.

Averitt ought to stop drinking the liberal ale in Austin and come back and wash himself in the Brazos. However, it's only fitting that one of the most common remarks from voters in re-electing this George W. Bush Liberal is that he graduated from Baylor.

If graduating from Baylor is the only requirement you need to become a state senator, redistricting should give McLennan County their own senator. Guys, we don't want Kip. Keep him down there. His votes are not reflective of our 10-county district.

Kip Averitt Should Switch Parties

At least Grand Prairie state Rep. Kirk England was honest: he was elected as a Republican but had voting records like a Democrat. And recently, he made the party change.

Perhaps the reason the Democrats didn’t run anyone against our very own Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor, last year was because he votes like a Democrat.

If Sen. Averitt were honest, he would immediately switch parties from Republican to Democrat. He’s a disgrace to his Republican Party platform (Full Disclosure: I'm a Libertarian.) For too long we’ve had candidates feel the need to defecate on the principles and values that their Republican Party is known for.

Historically, Averitt’s voting records on conservative report cards haven’t gone above 45% — that is uncalled for, and people in District 22 did not send Averitt to Austin to vote like a Democrat.

Since I'm a Libertarian, I'm extremely fiscally conservative. Averitt couldn't be fiscally conservative if he was running a lemonade stand. His expansions of CHIP funding are typical George W. Bush Liberalism.

Kip Averitt: Too Liberal for Texas' 22nd District

Let this serve as a very stern, public reminder that state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor, won't have the luxury of having "community" papers sugarcoating his votes, decisions and campaign visits. Nope, Sen. Averitt will have to answer to the New Media for his disgusting vote records. See below.

Young Conservatives of Texas
YCT is a student-run organization with chapters on all major universities in the state, but they have what many political analysts consider the most in-depth legislative analysis of all the organizations.

Averitt, in the same YCT report, scored a 41 in the 80th legislative session report and a 50 in the 79th session.
The YCT focus mainly on economic issues such as taxes and spending.

Heritage Alliance PAC
Formerly the Free PAC, Heritage Alliance is a socially conservative organization that aims to promote pro-life and pro-family policies. Longtime conservative stalwart Richard Ford started the organization several years ago.

In Heritage Alliance’s recent report card on the 80th legislative session, Averitt scored a 72. Those figures are up from the last session, when Heritage Alliance ranked him in the 60s.

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Michael Quinn Sullivan, a former congressional staffer to Rep. Ron Paul, leads the Texans for Fiscal Responsibility organization, who recently gave Averitt low marks for votes on higher taxes and spending.

Sullivan, formerly of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a free-market think tank in Austin, lumped Austin colleague state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, in to his “anti-taxpayer league” on his Web site’s blog.

Sullivan has cited Pitts’ role as budget chairman three sessions ago in which the Texas general budget increased 18 percent.

Americans for Prosperity - Texas
Peggy Venable’s Americans for Prosperity group also has a legislative report card, an analysis that tracks economic issues such as taxes, spending and taxpayer-funded lobbying.

AFP-TX scored Averitt with a D.

AFP-TX
Averitt - 41%

Young Conservatives of Texas
Averitt - 72%

HeritageAlliance.com
Averitt - 30%

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
EmpowerTexans.com
Averitt - D

Joey Dauben & Glen Jackson of The Ells County Press contributed to this report