A Broad View by Jerry Hogan: Some Things to Think About

Rockwall, TX (March 23, 2026) – Unfortunately, in this world we live in, we sometimes get so caught up in just trying to keep our heads above water that we don’t stop and think about some of the things going on around us. Let me give some examples that have been collected to help illustrate my point.

Why were we told to lower our AC usage on hot days to prevent overwhelming the electric grid system here in Texas while simultaneously being told to trade in our gasoline powered cars for electric vehicles?

Or why is cancelling student debt a good idea? Does it make sense to reward people who do not honor their financial commitment by taxing the people who do?

How about, why is talking sexually in the workplace considered sexual harassment by adults but talking about sexuality to children in third grade at school is considered education?

Another thing to think about. If your electric car runs out of power on the highway, do you walk to a charging station to get a bucket of electricity?

How about this one. Why are we running out of money for Social Security and Medicare and not for welfare?

Did you know, for example, that mice die in mouse traps because they do not understand why the cheese is free? Just like socialism.

Remembering back to the days of Covid, the most powerful government on earth couldn’t stop a virus from spreading, but they say they can change the earth’s temperature if you pay more taxes.

And closer to home, we are all starting to get our property assessment from the Central Appraisal Office. Again, as in past years, we continue to see property values rising year after year without our ability to affect how much we will then pay in property tax. The answer, of course, is because property values are assessed on “market value” of the property. Until the market for homes significantly slows, or assessments stop being made on a yearly basis, we will continue to see this trend year over year.

Here is a really good one that we have heard every year over the last 30 years. This next season is the one. The Cowboys are going to the Super Bowl!

While one is driving on our freeways, we are finding that Pick-Up trucks in Texas seem to have only two speeds, Off and Wide Open!

For us Veterans, if you don’t want to stand for the National Anthem, perhaps you should give your legs to a veteran who lost theirs fighting for you. That way a real person can stand in your place to honor our country!

Finally, we all know the two big issues here in Rockwall County are Roads and Developments. Why then has the Road Consortium unilaterally been changed to an Infrastructure Consortium and in last weeks’ 33-minute meeting of this group, why was most of the time spent on a pitch by a marketing group? How about Roads?

In the area of Developments, we all know about the Legal Suit against the county. While everyone on the Court talks about transparency, what happened in the recent over three-hour executive session with no feedback? Is there a deal in the work that solves this issue without costing the taxpayers a bundle of legal fees?

Just a few more things to think about in our busy lives!

Jerry Hogan is a former Rockwall County Judge who can be reached at jerryhogan@sbcglobal.net or 214-394-4033