JennXTex

Prediction: Texas citizens are NOT paying enough attention to our state and almost every incumbent will win re-election I am BEGGING my fellow Texans to please, for the love of God, pay attention to more than federal politics Our state is crumbling, in case you haven’t noticed

To understand the midterms from the perspective of many long-time Collin County, Texas residents, you have to start with how fast the place changed In roughly 5-7 years, people who grew up here watched their schools, neighborhoods, and workplaces shift at a pace most of the country never sees I’ve lived in Allen since the 1970s Both of my sons graduated from Allen High School, one in 2016, the other in 2021 The difference in those graduating classes was IMPOSSIBLE to miss The student body, the names on the program, the overall makeup of the school had changed dramatically in just 5 years 😳 That wasn’t my imagination What happened in Collin County over the last 5–7 years was unusually fast ⬇️ According to Census American Community Survey estimates: • Collin County’s Asian Indian population nearly doubled in a recent five-year period, rising from roughly 81,000 to about 149,000 • Frisco went from a low single-digit share of Indian residents in the early 2010s to nearly 20% of the city (~43,000 people) by the early-to-mid 2020’s • Plano has roughly 37,000, McKinney about 16,000, and Allen around 9,200 This is one of the largest and fastest-growing Indian American communities IN THE USA A major driver has been the H-1B visa and Optional Practical Training (OPT) pipeline into tech, IT services, and finance The DFW area ranked among the TOP metros in the U.S. for new H-1B approvals in recent years…tens of thousands in a very short period of time Nationally, about 70% of H-1B visas go to workers from India Frisco and Plano have high volumes of filings, many from large Indian IT staffing and consulting firms that place workers at client sites, alongside U.S. companies that expanded or relocated here Texas leaders ACTIVELY RECRUITED those companies with incentives 💰💸💰 The jobs followed, and the federal visa system supplied a large share of the “skilled” workers The result showed up quickly in schools, neighborhoods, restaurants, grocery stores, temples, airports and workplaces My younger son graduated magna cum laude with a degree in data science last December and is still waiting tables My older son works at a large financial institution in the Northlake area When I visited the office, the large majority of workers were of Indian heritage These are NOT isolated anecdotes Entry-level competition in data and tech roles has been INTENSE, and long-time residents have watched the demographic composition of their towns change at a pace most places NEVER experience, EVER This is why many native Collin County residents say the place feels different and why local elections have shifted (hint: they mostly voted blue) The change was real, measurable, and unusually, insanely RAPID We’re talking breakneck speed rapid Understanding the numbers and the mechanisms (corporate recruitment + H-1B/OPT concentration) helps explain what people have seen with their own eyes 👀 If you’ve lived through this in Collin County or another fast-growing suburb, what has the pace of change looked like where you are? I know many people have heard the stories, and those who don’t live here may think we have been exaggerating We’re not and we never were Is there a “fix” for this? If so, how? Most of our friends and family live in Collin County, and most are discussing moving to another state, away from their native state Something they never thought they would think of doing, but they are definitely saying it now…and actively looking for a new place to live Texans have been sold out by leadership, and without the incentives Texas leadership offered, perhaps they would not have lost last week’s midterm elections Who knows? Yes, Texans are proud of our state, and have *mostly* been happy to be a “business friendly” state But, at what cost???

People are longing for a return to “the good old days” a lot right now The “good times” from the late 1960s through the 2000s produced THIS legislative record: • 1968 Gun Control Act created the modern federal firearms regulatory system • 1980s War on Drugs laws (especially the 1984 Comprehensive Crime Control Act) massively expanded civil asset forfeiture without requiring a criminal conviction • 2001 PATRIOT Act and 2008 FISA Amendments Act lowered the bar for surveillance and bulk collection of Americans’ communications data • 2012 STOCK Act required congressional stock-trade disclosures but set $200 fines and produced ZERO prosecutions Most of it passed with bipartisan support Courts later narrowed pieces The core statutes and the administrative machinery they built largely stayed in place (shocking, right 😒) That is the actual record of how federal authority over guns, property, and privacy expanded during those decades WHERE were all of the “tough guys” who were of voting age when these disastrous legislative policies were passed, that they now say created “weak men”? Who had the power? Why have we all collectively allowed this, and much more, from our government? • Accountability • Time for some folks to realize how much they allowed while THEY had the power, and weren’t able to stop any of this Did they try? Agree or disagree? Are those who complain about younger people being “weak” not realizing what occurred when they had the opportunity to at least TRY to stop this mess? 🤔 I think we could all use a little bit more “self-reflection” instead of just blaming everyone BUT ourselves

The older I get, the less I rise to meet someone else’s half-assed apologies I will just brush that weight right off my shoulders

Politicians can earn my respect Politicians can earn my vote But, they will never earn my blind devotion I’m amazed how many adults treat public servants like superheroes They are employees, not idols They need accountability, not fan clubs

Almost every elected official holds their electorate in contempt You know this though, right? Idolizing politicians is sophomoric stuff

I wanted to take a moment to congratulate my federal representative @RepKeithSelf for his well-deserved victory in the midterms this week 🇺🇸 Defending our constitutional rights requires lawmakers who refuse to comprise on our 4th amendment Congressman Keith Self has continued to stand strong against government overreach and the expanding surveillance state, and he has a record to prove it ⬇️ • Opposed the “Kill Switch” in cars provision • Opposed the reauthorization of FISA 702, fighting warrantless surveillance • Expanding Privacy Protection, as he introduced the PRIVACY Act to block warrantless tracking via automated license plate readers • Voted to ban a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBSC) to prevent government tracking of your private financial transactions With a perfect 100% score from Heritage Action, Rep. Self treats the Constitution as an absolute limit on federal power Mr. Self, thank you for standing strong for liberty and our district in Texas is lucky to have you:-) Now, if you can get your colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to stand with you and our Constitution…that would be great! Liberty for the win 🇺🇸

Without a label attached, I’d bet most American taxpayers would agree more than disagree on how our tax dollars are spent That’s why almost everything we are told is couched in deception They know most people haven’t a clue where their money is spent If we did, game over

A reminder that our Constitution does not have a party preference How about we ALL start holding ALL elected officials to the oaths they take I was SCREAMING about The Patriot Act over a quarter of a century ago now As we all know, you give government an inch, they will take 500 miles and then would take 500 more And, they sure did We now have a surveillance state on steroids, with our 4th Amendment rights essentially thrown in the garbage I was called “chicken little” for expressing my concerns all of those years ago, by people who were excusing that legislation out of fear Now, we have simply accepted that our own government spies on us We should have cleaned house DECADES ago, when the plurality of legislators proved their oath to protect our rights was not all that important Fellow conservatives 📢 Did these votes from 2001 give you pause AT ALL? Did you ever think of the longterm consequences? Did you just trust government more then? I know it was an emotional time for our country, but making any decisions based only on “feelings” is not typically a good idea Watch. Their. Votes. Let’s do what we must to ensure our guaranteed rights are NOT NEGOTIABLE

Fellow Texans 📢‼️📢

Become Constitutional-conscious Our U.S. Constitution and your state Constitution are crucial Get to know the individuals who cast votes on your behalf at EVERY level of government and hold them accountable Complacency is no longer an option ‼️❗️‼️ Texans, let’s rise up! Our next legislative session begins in January Be aware Be informed Be active All is not lost if we start holding every elected official accountable Never let them forget… They work for us and liberty reigns supreme 🇺🇸

Don’t we wish We allow Congress to have a “hush fund” slushed with OUR money Insider Trading Misleading AI political ads Legislation for sale • Big money campaigns are just another cog in the wheel of the elite trading money for legislation • Big money rarely loses We can always bet on that Any betting sites with that bet going? I’d go ALL IN

I love starting new family traditions ❤️ I have always disliked the “fall back” time change, and my “Core Four” family knows it Our oldest son called us right after the Broncos vs Chiefs game on Sunday, and decided to surprise us with a last-minute visit I LOVE THOSE I had the idea earlier, as I was sitting with my husband on the patio - looking at the darkness fall - that I needed something FUN to watch to get me out of my “funk” Our oldest arrived from his place, our youngest got off of work, and we began our new tradition! We are planning on watching a movie on the subject of “time”, every time we change the clocks ⏰ As a family 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 I got first choice Ladies first, after all 💁‍♀️ I chose “Hot Tub Time Machine”, because, duh, it’s one of the greatest movies of all time 😎 Please excuse my normal no makeup look, and my insanely obnoxious laugh That laugh only comes out when I’m really happy, which is pretty much every day of my life And yes, I’m pretending to play the drums with the remote, kneeling in the floor for some odd reason, and my husband was rocking the air guitar, as always Reminder to keep life FUN No matter how hopeless you may feel ❤️

“People who want to destroy our Constitutional system” he says However could they get the idea they could “destroy our Constitutional system” 🤔 Couldn’t be that American citizens have already allowed legislation - in opposition to our Constitution - to be passed for DECADES without pushback, now could it? By BOTH PARTIES, by the way Our 4th amendment rights are already essentially null and void Don’t even get me started on gun laws 😡 They are coming for our 1st Amendment rights Many supposed “Conservatives” are either ignoring it, or cheering it on, so they can have their own brand of “authoritarianism” Liberty is paramount Fight back ffs My liberty may make you uncomfortable, but that’s your problem, not mine If you are fighting for your brand of tyranny, because they are “your team”, well then, take some accountability on how we got here, because voting without tangibles is a very real reason we have reached this point

Reminder not to let FEAR take the wheel and steer you away from the path that brings you JOY Life is WAY too short to be scared all of the time, don’t you think?

Love a “Comfort” kind of movie You can mentally “check out” and reset

Here’s a scary story for your Halloween 🎃 The official U.S. treasury debt is: $40,593,637,262,883.48 And rising That should scare you all enough for the day

Trick or treat? At least SOME of the poison on our grocery store shelves, disguised as “food”, is CRAZY HARD TO OPEN Can I get a fake round of applause that at least we have that going for us?

In the mall I worked at the store Contempo in Collin Creek Mall in Plano Everyone who worked there smoked And did it right outside of the store “Ooohhhh, that smell”

I try not to judge others, most especially on “looks” However, obesity DOES affect healthcare costs for EVERYONE The total direct medical costs of adult obesity in the USA reach into the hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars ANNUALLY, which DOES get absorbed into employer health plans, Medicare, Medicaid and taxpayer-funded budgets ‼️‼️‼️ According to the most recent data, 40.3% of U.S. adults are obese When combining individuals who are “clinically overweight” with those who are “obese” that number rises to 72.4% of American adults who fall into this category 😳 Read that again… 72.4% ⚠️‼️⚠️ I know many individuals face chronic illness, and I have a deep sympathy those people, as they truly cannot help it But, let’s not pretend there aren’t gluttonous people out there who are choosing to eat calorie dense, ultra-processed foods without a second thought This costs us all REAL MONEY I want a healthy U.S. populace, but these numbers are alarming, especially as millions of us are about to see our health insurance premiums increase AGAIN Our health insurance system is so broken, with those who make good choices, investing time, effort, and discipline into their health, still seeing their own premiums rising year after year How do we turn this ship around?!? Is it already too late? What a mess our health insurance system already is, and nobody ever seems too keen on fixing a damn thing Rant over