Nathan Macias - Texas State Representative District 73

Re-Elect Nathan Macias - Heart for Service, Heart for Texas

Following are articles written by Michael Quinn Sullivan, President of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility.

Published on Texans for Fiscal Responsibility

Why Is Doug Miller Lying About Nathan Macias?
By MQSullivan Created 02/19/2008 — 6:48pm
It's probably because Doug Miller is a liberal-in-conservative clothing, and doesn't have much to offer Texas except a tired old program of higher taxes, uncontrolled government spending and bureaucratic waste. Miller was hand-picked by the grow-government crowd to challenge Nathan Macias, simply because Macias represents the no-nonsense, principled leadership Texas' taxpayers expect.

Doug Miller's campaign — recruited by an unholy alliance of big-government liberals, anti-taxpayer bureaucrats and trial lawyers — hasn't offered much in the way of a positive agenda or vision. He's simply spreading lies and innuendo about Mr. Macias.

While we don't do immigration policy at TFR or the Empower Texans PAC, it's notable that Miller has chosen that issue as a vehicle for attack. In a mail piece that hit the district today, he claims Macias voted wrong on illegal immigration legislation. Facts are rotten things, and they make Miller smell like the unprincipled liberal his campaign seems to be. First, the legislation he cites wouldn't have done what he claimed.

More importantly, Macias' vote against the bill was joined by a veritable who's who of conservatives in the Texas House. If all the conservatives were against the bill that Miller says he was for, that says a lot more about Miller than it does Mr. Macias.

Worse, Miller engages in a particularly nasty form of race-baiting with his lies. He all but says Macias cannot be trusted because of Macias' ethnicity. Disgusting. Say what you will about the immigration issue, Macias has been at the forefront of seeking real solutions.

Miller? He doesn't have a plan, he just has the money of the liberals to toss around. Think about this: Mr. Miller's chief advocate is Carter Casteel — the liberal Republican Nathan Macias beat in 2006. She's the one who hates parental choice in education, wants to impose higher taxes on gasoline, and thinks that your property taxes are too low. That's who got Doug Miller into the race — he'll be her puppet in the Legislature.

On the other hand, Nathan Macias is a decorated veteran, a respected businessman, a devoted family man, and one of the most principled legislators in Texas. He was one of only 15 lawmakers to receive our "Texas Hero" award because he stood firm on taxpayer protection and worked diligently to control costs and lower taxes.

Nathan Macias is a strong conservative for a strong Texas.

Source URL:
http://empowertexans.com/node/445

TED PAC Purposefully Lies About House Votes
PAC Mailers Completely Distort House Voting Record, Truth

AUSTIN, Texas — While Texans for Economic Development (TED) may be a front group for gambling, they're apparently drawing from a deck that is full of jokers, said the president of one of the state's largest taxpayer advocacy organizations.

"In a misleading attack mailing to Republican voters in House District 73, the TED PAC has crossed the line from twisting the truth to deliberately lying about Nathan Macias," said Michael Quinn Sullivan of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. "In their desperate attempt to expand gambling in Texas, they have been making outrageous claims about Nathan Macias' service in the Texas Legislature. But the latest smear has crossed the line by misleading the public about Macias' efforts to help reduce taxes.

In the mailing (available online for review), TED PAC claims Macias "approved spending the $14 billion state budget surplus instead of returning it to you." They cite Record Vote 1157.

There are two things wrong here.

The Legislature dedicated most of the $14 billion surplus to property tax rate relief, which was included in HB 1, the state appropriations act. By voting for HB 1, Macias voted to return the surplus to the people exactly as promised. The Legislative Budget Board specifically says that the "$14.2 billion in appropriations for property tax relief" was included in the state budget.
The record vote TED references did the exact opposite of what they claim. In that vote, conservatives — including Macias — were trying to keep HB2785 — a pledge to further reduce property tax rates — from turning into a massive spending increase.

"Nathan Macias's vote on HB 2785 (Record Vote 1157) was perhaps the best pro-taxpayer vote in the entire legislative session, and Macias was on the side of the taxpayers," said Sullivan. "TFR used that very vote in giving Nathan Macias our "Taxpayer Hero" Award because he was trying to stop TED PAC-style liberals from spending the surplus." TFR's political action committee, the Empower Texans PAC, has endorsed Nathan Macias in his re-election bid.

Sullivan said Macias, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force, is the only fiscal conservative in the House District 73 race.

"Nathan Macias was one of only 15 lawmakers to score a 90% or better on our rating of tax and spending votes. It's unconscionable that TED PAC would lie about his record. Of course, they have lied about their funding sources, their purpose, and their political intentions, so Republicans in House District 73 probably shouldn't be surprised that this left-wing group is now spreading their lies through the postal system."

See for yourself: TED's lying hit-piece