The Contract with Texas: A Call For Transparency, Not Just Another Political Stunt
The “Contract with Texas” is a movement designed to bring reform to the Texas House of Representatives by pledging members to support the selection and appointment of a Speaker of the House that supports GOP priorities and the will of the people. The Contract also pledges signatories to bring more transparency and accountability to both the Speakership and to the House in general. (For a more detailed look at the driving force behind this movement, see our last blog post )
In Pre-Christ Israel, the prophet served as God’s mouthpiece to His people. There was no indwelling spirit of God in the heart of every believer and no direct line with God other than through the prophet, a priest, or, in rare cases, the king. It was a closed-loop system; the only way for you to receive a word from the Lord was through one of these three types of people. Yet, even in this highly exclusive form of spiritual government, God made sure to tell the prophet to write everything down for the people to see it and to mobilize around it.
“Then the Lord answered me and said, ‘Write down the vision and inscribe it clearly on tablets, so that he who reads it may run.”
God has always been a God of transparency. In Genesis 18, we find the story of God’s judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah, two intensely wicked cities who are alarmingly similar to what we are seeing in the United States today. Before destroying the cities, God poses the question in verse 17, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do…?” He proceeds to open Himself to negotiation with Abraham over the fate of these two wicked cities, allowing Himself as God to be challenged by a mere mortal.
“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.”
The Contract with Texas was created so that legislators could voluntarily hold themselves accountable to the people they represent. It’s not just another political stunt; if it were, then every legislator and candidate would have already signed it. The arrogance of those who oppose this movement is telling, indeed. If even God is willing to be transparent and to open Himself up to be questioned, then who are we, as humans, to attempt to be otherwise?
Make no mistake, the legislators and candidates who oppose this movement, either by abdication or by outright refusal, are making their intentions clear to their constituents. For this reason, this Contract should be held as the gold standard for whether or not a candidate deserves your vote. If they refuse to publicly support transparency, accountability, and the values of the people who elected them, then they do not need to be legislators. Texas has had enough darkness, secrecy, and backroom dealings in the House. It is time to come into the light. It is time to obey the voice of the People. It is time for reform in the Texas House of Representatives.
For the complete text of the Contract with Texas and an overview of the positions of current candidates and legislators, visit contractwithtexas.info.