Winning Now: A Playbook for Government
By Raul Torres
()
About this ebook
This is a how to book. The ideas in this book provide proven, common sense solutions to some of our most difficult challenges regardless of whether we are talking about local, state, or federal government. The ideas shared in this book are proven to work, yet they are not popular among our elected leaders.
Related to Winning Now
Related ebooks
Folks Upset by the Capital Karma: A Shock and Awe Campaign for Political Reform Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen I Am President: The President's Bible Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGetting Things Done in Washington: Lessons for Progressives from Landmark Legislation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDefining America’S Exceptionalism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDamn Good Solutions for a Better America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Tailspin: The People and Forces Behind America's Fifty-Year Fall--and Those Fighting to Reverse It Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHalftime in America: The Challenge Years: Fighting to Stop Progressive Tyranny in the United States Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Time for Truth: Reigniting the Promise of America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thinking Big: Progressive Ideas for a New Era Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thinking Big: Progressive Ideas for a New Era Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDe-Comprehensive Politics: Getting America Back to the Basics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Works: Common Sense Solutions for a Stronger America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Red State Uprising: How to Take Back America Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Reviving Our Republic: Asking God to Help Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKeep Voting, America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKeeping our Republic: Principles for a Political Reformation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSan Francisco Values: Common Ground for Getting America Back on Track Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica, Under New Management: A “Minority’S” Guide to Understanding the “Angry" Tea Party/Republicans Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPolitics Beyond Left and Right: A Guide for Creating a More Unified Nation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLeave Us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Give Us Liberty: A Tea Party Manifesto Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5America Today: From a Christian’S Point of View Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFixing Congress: Restoring Power to the People Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrump 2020 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRight Now: A 12-Step Program For Defeating The Obama Agenda Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAccountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Common Sense Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmerica: Hope for Change Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Politics For You
Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Anarchist Cookbook Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Capitalism and Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daily Stoic: A Daily Journal On Meditation, Stoicism, Wisdom and Philosophy to Improve Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Spook Who Sat by the Door, Second Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The U.S. Constitution with The Declaration of Independence and The Articles of Confederation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race: The Sunday Times Bestseller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear: Trump in the White House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma, and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Parasitic Mind: How Infectious Ideas Are Killing Common Sense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gulag Archipelago [Volume 1]: An Experiment in Literary Investigation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Republic by Plato Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Controversial Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ever Wonder Why?: and Other Controversial Essays Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The January 6th Report Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Letter to Liberals: Censorship and COVID: An Attack on Science and American Ideals Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for Winning Now
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Winning Now - Raul Torres
AuthorHouse™ LLC
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: 1-800-839-8640
© 2014 Raul Torres, CPA. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions
Raul Torres, CPA
4118 Ayers St., Corpus Christi, TX 78415
Or email raul@raultorrescpa.com
Published by AuthorHouse 02/28/2014
ISBN: 978-1-4918-6902-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4918-6903-1 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014904111
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,
and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
This book is dedicated to my mother, my step dad, my family, and all my friends, volunteers, and supporters that made our many campaigns for public office possible.
We dreamed, we worked and waged a good fight.
We did well. We did the impossible.
We did not labor in vain for in our quest of
Perfection we achieved Excellence.
And our dreams remain alive within each one of us.
May God bless all of you and may God always bless America.
Contents
Introduction
The Fight For Freedom
The Tea Party Gets Involved
Our Government Is Broken
The Problem
Some Are Noble Servants
Don’t Be Surprised
Let Me Be Clear
Understanding the Legislative Process
The Make Up of the Texas Legislature
Executive
Governor
Legislative
Texas House Of Representatives
Senate
The Process of Passing Legislation In Texas
Word of Caution
Diagram of Process For Passing A Bill In Texas Legislature
Achieving Excellence In Government Takes Work
Creating an Effective Grassroots Campaign
Defining the Elements of Efficient and Effective Government
You Must Become A Game Changer of Policy
The Power of Words
We The People Do Extraordinary Things
Rebuilding the Public Trust
People Want To Trust In America
A Brief History of America’s Trust in Government
Trust In Government Begins With
Increasing Transparency
Practical Tools To Improve Transparency
Create a Transparent Budget Website
Adopt a 72-Hour Budget review period
Require Fiscal Notes
Tools to Control Spending In Government
The Budget Process Is the Key
Adopt Priority Based Budgeting
Adopt An Affective State Spending Limit
Adding New Tools To The Budget Process
Reduce State Staffing By 10%
Reform State Pensions
New Jersey Case Study
Utah Case Study
Restructure State Retiree Health Care Plans
Reform State Medicaid Program
Proven Strategies to Create Jobs
Adopt Policies That Create Jobs
Create State Funded Economic Incentive Programs
Low Taxes Means More Jobs
Eliminate Waste And Unnecessary Regulations
Economic Growth and Regulation
Small Business and Regulation
Fair and Predictable Legal System
Case Study
The Consequences of Not Implementing Tort Reform
The Benefits of Tort Reform
Making Government Excellent
The Problems We Face in America Today
Government Must Change
Getting Big Things Done in Government
What Is Lean Six Sigma
Stunning Results
Bringing the Efficiency of Private
Enterprise to Government
Case Study of Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Case Study of Irving, Texas
Other Case Studies
Bold Leadership Is Needed
Beware Of The False Sense
Of Security Of Prosperity
The Challenges Are Real
Our Challenges Represent Great Opportunities
Achieving Excellence In Government
Big Government Is The Problem
We Must Rethink The Role Of Government
About the Author
Endnotes
Introduction
Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all-time thing. You don’t win once in a while, you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit.
—Vince Lombardi
Vince Lombardi knows a thing or two about winning. Coach Lombardi is the standard by which all other football coaches are measured because he was the most successful football coach of his time. The keys to Coach Lombardi’s success can be summarized in these simple, but powerful principles: commitment, truth, excellence, passion, mental toughness, and discipline. These simple, powerful principles created the greatest football dynasty in history. Individually, the Green Bay Packers were just regular football players, but as a team, they were World Champions.
How great where they? The Packers had nine straight winning seasons that resulted in five NFL World Championships and they were the winners of the first two Super Bowl games. Coach Lombardi proved that when people of come together with a common purpose and they commit themselves to pursue perfection then they could achieve excellence.
This is what this book, Winning Now, is all about. It’s about empowering average citizens to achieve excellence in their government. If you are willing to dedicate yourself to commitment, truth, passion, mental toughness, and discipline then you can achieve what most people say is impossible to do, change your government. I invite you to take this journey with me and by working together I believe we can restore America to what Almighty God intended her to be that shining city on a hill.
The Fight For Freedom
Our journey begins in the year 1863. That was the year President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation of Proclamation. Though many slaves had been declared free by Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation of Proclamation, their post-war status was uncertain. Then on April 8, 1864, the Senate passed the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery. The House followed suit on January 31, 1865 and the states quickly followed suit to ratify the amendment. Finally, on December 6, 1865 the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution become law.
The measure abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime, yet it took America another 100 years to fully implement the intent of our Founding Fathers when they wrote in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal by God.
The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s featured the courage of Martin Luther King. Mr. King sought justice and equality among all Americans. His words ignited a passion among the American people resulting in millions of Americans who joined him in taking this message of equality to the streets and finally to the halls of Congress. His crusade to finally bring true equality to all American citizens was achieved when Congress and President Lyndon Johnson passed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law embodied the vision of our Founding Fathers and President Lincoln who saw an America as the land of opportunity whereby men could be free to live, prosper, and pursue their happiness for themselves and their families just as God had intended since the beginning.
Now almost 50 years later the issue of freedom in America is once again one of the dominant issues of the day among hardworking Americans. This freedom is different than what has confronted America in her past. This freedom is an attack upon all Americans. The issue of today is what role government should play in our lives, in our schools, and in our lives. The idea that government has gotten too big and therefore a threat to its citizens is of great concern to many Americans. This state of concern is real.
The forces that have infiltrated many of government’s highest elected offices are taking action that clearly reveals they desire to take American down a path that leads toward a society based on the principles of Socialism. For millions of God fearing, patriotic Americans they now believe that our nation’s founding principles and our individual freedoms are now under attack. Looking back through history we quickly learn that the fight for freedom never ends if man desires to remain free.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
—Ronald Reagan
The Tea Party Gets Involved
The issue of freedom was and continues to be the driving force behind the uprising of what has become called the Tea Party movement.
It can be traced to February 19, 2009 when CNBC’s Rick Santelli, while standing on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange floor, vocally condemned the Obama Administration’s proposal to help homeowners facing foreclosure refinance their mortgages. This action is credited with launching the grassroots movement.¹
The Tea Party’s involvement in the 2010 elections resulted in the election of a large number of new freshmen U.S. Representatives in Washington D.C. and perhaps the biggest win came in the state of Kentucky where Tea Party candidate, Rand Paul, despite the fact that he had never previously held political office, defeated Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway to become one of the state’s two U.S. Senators.¹
In addition, many local and statewide tea party supported candidates either won their respective races or were very competitive and set the stage for them to return for resurgence in the 2012 General Elections where they managed to win some big races in states all over America. Perhaps the biggest victory by a Tea Party supported candidate was the race won by the virtually unknown, Ted Cruz who defeated Lt. Governor David Dewhurst for the U.S. Senate in the Republican Primary race for the state of Texas. Mr. Cruz went on to