Eisenhower's Farewell, Not My Farewell, and Farewell to 2021

December 21, 2021

It's hard to believe that it is already political campaigning season! Last month, I officially filed to run again as the representative for a much larger House District 69. Now that the filing window is past, I am pleased to announce that I will not have a Republican primary opponent in March. I do, however, have a Democrat challenger for the first time in November. While this will be my first contested race, I truly look forward to discussing the very different visions for our area, the state and the country that I have compared to today’s Democratic Party.

On the policy front, there's been some movement regarding vaccine mandates at both the state and federal level that I address further down in the body of the newsletter. If you or someone you know has been affected by the various mandates, I encourage you to read it to see what options might be available for you.

During the interim, I try to catch up on reading and wanted to share a couple of pieces that I think speak well to current issues. The first is President Eisenhower's farewell address. His words, while specifically addressing the dangers of the military-industrial complex, are prescient when looking at the almost complete government control of funding of medical research.

I also read a great article last month about restoring the proper constitutional balance of power between the states and Washington, D.C. last month (LINK). I agreed with these sentiments when President Trump was in office and I agree with them now that President Biden holds power. I'd encourage you to take a look at it and would love to hear your thoughts as well. Just drop a note to votejamesfrank@gmail.com.

Finally, Alisha and I would like to wish all of you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year! While this can be a hectic and stressful time of year, we hope that you are able to spend it and enjoy it with family and friends. We'll see you in 2022!

May God bless you and your family,

Representative James B. Frank 

COVID Vaccine Mandate Update

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) published a letter addressing the concerns Texans have about the enforcement of COVID vaccine mandates.

The letter clearly lays out a few things:

1) An employer cannot impose a COVID vaccine mandate on an employee who qualifies for an exemption for religious, personal, or medical reasons. The exemption form provided with the letter includes prior recovery from COVID as a "medical reason."

2) All 3 mandates that the federal federal government has attempted to impose (federal contractors, healthcare workers, businesses with more than 100 employee) have been stopped in court. (NOTE: This was released prior to the federal court decision on Friday that lifted the stay on the OSHA private business mandate. That is likely going to be taken up by the Supreme Court before enforcement begins to take place)

3) Failure to receive a COVID vaccine is most likely not a reason for denial of unemployment benefits.

4) Employers who enforce a COVID vaccine mandate can be reported to the TWC by emailing vaccine_job_loss@twc.texas.gov or calling 800-939-6631 and selecting option 3.

If you would like to read the full letter, it can be found here.

Eisenhower's Farewell Address

These brief words below were from the farewell address of President Eisenhower on January 17, 1961. They were written over 60 years ago, but could have been written today. For historical context, Eisenhower was speaking specifically of the military-industrial complex, but I believe he would find it dangerously true of many industries today, especially in the field of medicine.

“In this revolution, research has become central; it also becomes more formalized, complex, and costly. A steadily increasing share is conducted for, by, or at the direction of, the Federal government.

Today, the solitary inventor, tinkering in his shop, has been over shadowed by task forces of scientists in laboratories and testing fields. In the same fashion, the free university, historically the fountainhead of free ideas and scientific discovery, has experienced a revolution in the conduct of research. Partly because of the huge costs involved, a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity. For every old blackboard there are now hundreds of new electronic computers.

The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present and is gravely to be regarded.

Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.

It is the task of statesmanship to mold, to balance, and to integrate these and other forces, new and old, within the principles of our democratic system-ever aiming toward the supreme goals of our free society."

Last week, Texas Tech System Chancellor Tedd Mitchell visited Wichita Falls to tour the city and Midwestern State. With the new connection between MSU and the Texas Tech System, I am excited to see the benefits he and the Tech System can bring to MSU and Wichita Falls.

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