Y'all-itics

A record number of women are currently serving in the United States Congress, but to many, it’s just a mirage.  And they say true parity remains distant, especially here in Texas.  A few years ago, two women launched the Lone Star Parity Project to not only get a better idea of the number of women running for office in Texas, but also which positions they filed for and how many were actually elected.  A couple of reports later, the numbers remain stark.  Out of 254 counties in Texas, their new study says only nine of them are at parity, where women hold 50% of all elected offices.  And they discovered many women say no several times before actually choosing to run for office.  In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons sit down with the founders of the Lone Star Parity Project to find out what their numbers mean and how they can be used to help future generations of women find success in politics.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Lone Star Parity Project:

If so many Texans are angry over their property tax appraisals, has anybody ever considered scrapping the entire system?  A lawmaker from East Texas has. He even has such a bill in Austin to do just that. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons find out how it would all work.

HB 3770: Texas Legislature Online - 87(R) History for HB 3770

It’s “the season” again… that magical time of year when Texans walk to the mailbox with a mix of resentment and trepidation, take a deep breath, and then dare to look at their property appraisal. Even if you have no plans to move, the red-hot housing market in Texas may cause your appraisal (and later your property taxes) to rise significantly. But you don’t just have to accept what the appraisal district has written on that piece of paper. You can protest. And one of the foremost experts on how to do it tells the Jasons that you should protest your appraisal… every year.  Realtor Chandler Crouch has become a viral sensation for his “how-to” videos.  He even got the attention of Texas lawmakers who sought his expertise and recently invited him to testify in Austin about some ways to potentially fix the Texas property tax system.  He has also been helping thousands of property owners in Tarrant County contest their appraisals… for FREE.  

Chandler Crouch’s Protest Website: FreeTaxProtest.com

Ben Lauer’s Protest Website: Dallas Tax Dispute: Ben Lauer Real Estate Group

The conversation in this episode was real, raw and recorded live as the verdict in the Derek Chauvin came down on Tuesday afternoon. In this emergency release of Y’all-itics, the Jasons are joined once again by the politician and the educator, both fathers, who first joined the podcast after the killing of George Floyd in May 2020.  Podcast host Cydney Walker, a mother who’s been following the trial gavel to gavel, also joins this important conversation. As the country watched this defining moment, these three Black leaders in Texas watched history unfold together. This is their reaction.

HB 6.  SB 7.  That simple combination of four letters and two numbers could have a profound impact on Texas for years to come.  Those are bills that lawmakers are debating in Austin that could change Texas voting laws.  A recent report by The Perryman Group, led by a respected Texas economist, predicts if those bills are passed, Texas would lose billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs… in the next four years alone.  What’s more, the Perryman Group says that doesn’t even include the potential loss of tourism and other economic drivers such as professional sports and conventions.  This potential impact on the bottom line is why you’re hearing some companies come out against the legislation.  But boycotts can work both ways, which is also weighing heavily on the minds of some business leaders.  In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons speak with Dr. Ray Perryman about the potential impact of this legislation, the CEO of a national business group who talks about what to expect out of big business over the next few weeks, and the Speaker of the Texas House who says he’s reached out to some CEOs in Texas but hasn’t heard a word back from any of them.

Perryman Group report:  The Potential Economic Impact of Legislation Restricting Voter Access on Business Activity in Texas | The Perryman Group

Follow HB 6:  Texas Legislature Online - 87(R) History for HB 6

Follow SB 7:  Texas Legislature Online - 87(R) History for SB 7

Ready for a change?  A growing number of Americans are exchanging four walls for four wheels.  The fast-growing subculture is full of folks looking to redefine the American dream while living exclusively in their RVs, vans and campers.  And one of the oldest and largest groups of digital nomads has an “address” right here in Texas, some 75-miles north of Houston.  Members “live” in that city even though they may never visit.  And that means they can get a Texas driver’s license, register their vehicle and not have to worry about a state income tax.  What’s more, they can vote.  And as the Jasons learned in this episode of Y’all-itics, with such a large group, they can influence some elections.  The question now is how all of those election bills being considered in Austin might change things.

Chris & Cristi Moody (@lifeoptedout) • Instagram photos and videos

Race, violence and medicine. Those three words intersect in Dr. Brian Williams’ emergency room. Gun violence is more than a headline or political talking point for him. Dr. Williams sees the aftermath of it every day. What’s most concerning, he says, is the disparities in gun violence. Young black men are half of all gunshot victims. Dr. Williams has set out to change that. He wants to start a conversation about the larger societal issues, and he has the credentials to do it. Dr. Williams, a Black man, was the surgeon on duty at Parkland Hospital on July 7, 2016 when police officers were shot and killed in downtown Dallas. In this episode, he tells the Jasons how that night changed him, and how Race, Violence and Medicine – the title of his own podcast – intersect every day.

Listen to Dr. Williams Podcast here

It is a seller’s market on steroids right now in Texas.  Healthy housing inventory is typically six months.  But some cities in Texas are down to days.  If you’re a seller, you’re likely receiving multiple offers, some significantly above asking.  If you’re a buyer, good luck.  It could take you a while.  Some buyers are even resorting to entering contracts without a guaranteed final sales price.  And at the end of the day, all homeowners in Texas will pay for the housing frenzy through higher property taxes.  In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons discuss tips for buyers and sellers.  And the experts tell them to buckle up, because we’re not living in a bubble.  They say there is no end in sight.  And if that wasn’t enough, learn how the big, stuck boat in Egypt is likely to impact Texas real estate, even though it’s now free.

Todd Tramonte Home Selling Team

Anne Lakusta - Designated Broker - GO Management Real Estate

Election security?  Or voter suppression?  The rhetoric is heating up in Texas as the battle over election reform begins in earnest this week.  While there is a spate of bills lawmakers will consider, Senate Bill 7 is the granddaddy of them all.  Among other things, it would eliminate drive-thru voting, limit voting hours, make it much harder to vote by mail.  In this week’s episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons are joined by the Executive Director of Progress Texas, an organization that amplifies progressive causes.  Edward Espinoza says if election uniformity is the true goal, why not expand access for voters, instead of making it harder for some to participate.  And the Jasons speak to Republican state Senator Paul Bettencourt, who calls the proposals common sense reform, not some grandiose scheme to turn back what was very successful election… for Republicans.

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A Republican leader along the Texas-Mexico border calls the latest migrant surge a repetition of a crisis, the result of “duct tape immigration policy.”  The Democrat leading the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization in the U.S. calls it “Biden’s political pinata,” as the 2021 surge includes thousands of unaccompanied minors.   And experts on both sides of the political aisle believe the situation is about to get much, much worse.  The Jasons drill down into what’s driving this latest surge and what the Biden administration should be doing in this episode of Y’all-itics and learn why it could start with waves of social workers.

We’d like to know what you think about Y’all-itics! So, please take the survey the Jasons mentioned: https://bit.ly/3qPjJDO