In the Houston Mayor runoff on December 14, 2019, one thing is clear - Sylvester Turner is doing all he can to make partisan a non-partisan race. In the modern history of Houston elections, Turner is the first candidate running to increase the partisan divide in Houston.

In recent history, Mayors Annise Parker and Bill White both ran as above partisanship candidates, seeking and winning votes from both political party's members while trying to unite the City. Turner thinks naked partisanship - this time Democratic - is the way to go. He and his decades-old political hacks like Sheila Jackson-Lee, Al Green, Chris Bell and Rodney Ellis all have been in, or sought, political office for a generation at least. During their time in political office, ask yourself, have things improved in Houston in the areas of flooding, congestion, infrastructure, public safety, schools, or the homeless among us? The short answer is no. We all know these career politicians are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

Since Turner doesn't want Conservative/Republican votes, we should give him none. This year, there is an independent candidate dedicated to solving our city's problems - Tony Buzbee. He has been seeking to unite, not divide, the City, and is seeking votes everywhere.

He has specific plans to move us ahead and is open to good ideas regardless of the political affiliation of the source. He sees all our citizens of Houston as important and isn't excluding anyone because of their political party affiliation.

Tony Buzbee believes there is not necessarily a conservative or liberal way to handle the basics in Houston, just the most efficient, effective way for the City to deliver essential services without the culture of corruption that permeates Turner's City Hall.

There is just one choice for common sense voters; it is to get Houston moving forward with Tony Buzbee, so that the next four years will be better than the last four years.

TCR's Houston Runoff Election 2019 Voters Guide and TCR's Candidate Questionnaire are online, please review them for the best-qualified candidates to lead Houston.

Today our country has become the Angry Americans, as used to be called the Ugly Americans, the way the rest of the world viewed us. Now, it's socially acceptable to harass people you disagree with politically, socially or even if you just do not like them. You can attack them in public places, protest, use violence to shut down someone with opposite views, use social media to put out lies, hurt business you disagree with even though protected by free speech. We are in a society that does not condemn violence but encourages it. The rule of law is thrown aside, and people lack respect for the rule of law and law enforcement. We need to hold these people accountable and unless we start doing this, we are heading down a destructive course that will destroy our country and way of life.

The signs are there. First, we need to revise our education system go back to teaching our children the word respect. Design a course study of basic English, writing, math, and history of our country (not history as we want to change it) and prepare our children for the challenges of life. Start at the lowest levels of school and help our children learn to reach their potential. Design a course curriculum for our children and not place all in the same cookie cutter curriculum. Recognize their individual needs and not place special education students in regular education classrooms, as does no good to help these students. It holds back the regular students and does not help the special education students reach their capacity. This creates a generation of average level students, which is the new normal with a lack of respect for their teachers. Parents need to be held accountable and teach their children to respect others, be compassionate and learn to listen to different points of views and stop the angry and violent nature. If not now, then when it continues it will be socially acceptable to use violence and hurt others because you disagree with them The anger displayed by groups of mask wearing individuals, extremist shouting at public officials in public, media and public leaders telling people to harass their opponents destroy their businesses, threaten people's families and social media conveying one message supporting their views is disgusting. We have become Angry Americans.

Second, how we treat our law enforcement officers without respect for the law and tie their hands not to react and arrest these thugs after being harassed, by being called names by dumping water and other substances on them charge them with a crime or have we as a society accepted no rule of law and concentrations to civil recourse.

As I watch the circus in Washington DC by both parties it makes me think about how angry we are the way our public leaders speak and treat one another. Recently, some privileged students from Ivy League schools protested at a football game. They arrested 40 of them gave and gave them a ticket equivalent to a parking ticket. They have no respect and should have been thrown out of school as have no compassion for the people who work at these events and make their living. The left blames President Trump for their angry ways. The right blames the left as out of touch with American values. Now is the time to stop and evaluate each other and come to the realization that if we do not respect each other, work together and stop the nonsense we just become angrier and destroy our society.

If we keep going down the path of the Angry American, this will lead to more violence.

Red, White, and Blue featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland on Fridays at 7:30 pm on Houston Public Media TV 8, replaying Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 8, Monday at 11:30 pm on Channel 8.2 and on the web at www.houstonpublicmedia.org.

Red, White, and Blue on hiatus, back with new shows in January 2020.

Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events - The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his twenty-second year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last eighteen years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. As a public service for the last 16 years, Gary has published election guides for the GOP primary, general elections and city elections, all with the purpose of assisting conservative candidates. Gary is also in his 18th year of co-hosting Red, White and Blue on Houston Public Media TV 8 PBS Houston, longest running political talk show in Texas history. Gary serves on the Board of Directors of American Values, a national pro-family, pro-faith, conservative organization supporting the unity of the American people around the vision of our founding fathers and dedicated to reminding the public of the conservative principles fundamental to the survival of our nation. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.