u/Adventurous_Ad_5600

His speeches get a lot of attention, but I’m honestly more impressed what he’s done in the Texas Legislature. People keep saying to look at his record. I did.

I read that he was the lead author on almost 200 bills during his time in office, and half of those dealt with protecting kids, education, or workforce development for young people.

What stood out to me:
- He voted for the 2023 property tax relief package, described at the time as the largest property tax cut in Texas history.

He voted against HB 900, the school library book restriction bill. I agree with this bill because personally, I want parents deciding what’s right for their own child. I don’t want the government deciding what everyone else’s kids can read.

- He also helped pass a $25 insulin copay cap per 30 day insulin prescription for people with covered health plans.

- He authored the Texas law establishing a pathway for importing lowerncost prescription drugs from Canada.

- He helped pass the state’s first cap on pre-K class sizes, in response to overcrowded classrooms.

I'm also impressed that he did this in a Legislature controlled by Republicans, and honestly, I don’t know how he has the patience for that. Working across the aisle to get bills passed while also challenging them on book restrictions and school vouchers takes skill.
People can reasonably disagree with him on individual votes.

But if the question is whether James Talarico has a legislative record beyond viral speeches, the answer is clearly yes. His record includes property tax relief, lowering prescription drug costs, insulin costs, protecting kids, early childhood education, and opposition to school library restrictions.

This is worth asking about. Ken Paxton previously took a hard line against paid entry fantasy sports as illegal gambling in Texas. But in an article from Politico, it is reported that he did not join other state attorneys general in efforts challenging Kalshi, the prediction-market company whose platform lets users trade contracts on sports, politics, and Paxton’s own Senate race.

Kalshi gave $5,000 to Lone Star Liberty PAC, the super PAC backing Ken Paxton, and Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour later gave $7,000 directly to Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign.

That does not, by itself, prove a quid pro quo. But Texans deserve an answer about why Paxton was willing to go after other gambling-related businesses while staying on the sidelines when a company financially connected to his campaign faced scrutiny.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/03/ken-paxton-kalshi-texas-prediction-markets-01062638

I’m a small-business owner. I’ve had larger organizations and competitors steal my work, and I have not had the money, lawyers, or institutional power to protect myself. I’ve struggled to afford health insurance and to pay rent while trying to keep a business going.

That is what small-business vulnerability actually looks like. It is not solved by a politician collecting an endorsement from NFIB or by calling deregulation a supposed small-business agenda.

A truly pro-small-business agenda would help independent owners protect their ideas and work, access affordable legal support and capital, compete fairly against larger companies, obtain health care, and stay housed while building something sustainable. It would care about stable customers, fair markets, public infrastructure, and workers who can afford to live in the communities where small businesses operate.

NFIB does not speak for all small businesses, especially not the smallest, most vulnerable, or least connected among us. It operates as a large business advocacy organization itself. In its latest reported fiscal year, NFIB had $114.9 million in total revenue, with $106 million, or 92.2%, reported as program-service revenue.

Its priorities often reflect the interests of established employers, political insiders, and businesses with the resources to navigate legal, financial, and regulatory systems; not owners who are one stolen idea, one rent increase, one medical bill, or one denied loan away from closing.

Ken Paxton’s NFIB endorsement does not mean that he represents Texas small businesses. It proves that he represents the version of “small business” NFIB chooses to elevate, and it's the one centered far too much on employer power, while too often ignoring the independent owners who need actual protection.

James is sitting down with Mark Cuban live on YouTube at 5 PM CT today for a conversation about the things making life harder and more expensive for Texans.

They’ll also be getting into some bigger Texas questions, so drop the question you most want James or Mark to answer below, then come hang out in the live chat on YouTube!

Watch live: https://www.youtube.com/live/ib8W9kBcaJU

Don’t be fooled by Ken Paxton’s sudden wave of “protect the children” lawsuits. He’s building a campaign brand, not actual safety for Texas kids. His own record shows that when the cameras are off, Texas kids are collateral damage, not a priority.

It’s true that kids are swimming in caffeine and marketing spin, and there’s nothing wrong with demanding clearer labels and warnings.

What’s missing is everything Paxton isn’t talking about: the 1‑in‑4 Texas kids in food‑insecure homes, kids breathing refinery air, kids practicing active‑shooter drills, kids being denied healthcare, and kids targeted by his own culture‑war campaigns.