A message from RRC Chairman Michael Williams

RRC Chairman Michael Williams (photo)

I am honored to share a stage this week with RPT Chairman Tina Benkiser, Vice Chairman Armstrong and my 28 colleagues who hold statewide office, all of whom are proud Republicans.

And I am especially honored to be in the midst of the many thousands of you who launched a Republican revolution in Texas… the greatest grassroots organization in the 50 states… the delegates and alternates of the Republican Convention of Texas.

You are the heart and soul of our party…a people who have never stopped believing in conservative ideas, and who have never stopped living up to conservative ideals. Eight years ago you saw fit to elect a bald-headed guy who wears bow ties and cowboy boots to the Texas Railroad Commission. Two years later you did it a second time. And I thank you.If you did not support me in those previous races, that’s okay. You will have another chance in November.

With the price of crude oil above $130 a barrel, and the price of gasoline nearing $4 a gallon, we need leadership that stands up for the economic interests of American families by demanding greater exploration of America’s energy sources.

I have fought for energy exploration, the development of clean energy technologies, common sense water protection and pipeline safety measures and self-imposed spending caps at the Railroad Commission.

I have advocated for fiscal conservatism even when it cost me money… such as when I turned down a pay raise from the Texas Legislature, not once, but twice.

And if you re-elect me Railroad Commissioner in 2008, I will be that voice from middle America.

As we choose a new president, I am keenly aware of the historic nature of this campaign. As an African-American from the South, I am proud of the fact that someone who looks like me will be a major party presidential nominee for the first time in our nation’s history.

What Senator Barack Obama has done is extraordinary. His nomination speaks well, not only of his own personal political skills, but of the America that exists today.

My fellow Republicans, we are the party of change. We are the ones that brought reform to government, reducing regulation and lowering taxes. We brought down the Soviet wall. We are the ones that believe public education should be about the children and not the union leaders. Our faith resides in the power of the individual and not an all-pervasive federal government. And we believe in the simple but profound idea that human life is sacred, beginning with the unborn.

I am so thankful Senator John McCain knows that Democrat policies have empowered oil barons in the Middle East. He knows that an unconditional withdrawal will only shift the balance of power further toward the extremists. He is committed to defeating the jihadists who did not wait for the American invasion of Iraq to begin before killing innocent Americans on American soil.

When it comes to energy and the economy, we ought to focus on producing more, reliable energy sources here in America.

Imagine with me the America that can be if we don’t lose hope, don’t lose our sense of idealism. Imagine an America where freedom and responsibility go hand-in-hand. Imagine an America where opportunity is available to all and the hope of all. Imagine an America where we exercise proper dominion over God’s creation while ushering in a wave of new prosperity. Imagine an America where schools compete for our kids instead of taking them for granted.

We can only achieve what we first imagine. We can only realize that which we are willing to do.I know no election more significant than the next one. My dad is in the Texas Football Coaches Hall of Honor. He says the first rule of winning is to show up.

Will you roll up your sleeves with me, and answer the whistle? Will you join me on the game field? Will you fight for a brighter future for all Americans?

I ask for your help… I ask for your prayers… and I ask for your vote. May the peace of the Lord be with you. May God bless you and may God bless Texas.
Let’s get to work!

Michael Williams

Railroad Commissioner Chair

Edited for length.