Weir: Democrat running for Texas House in District 63

There are several Republicans running for the Texas State House in District 63, and there is one Democrat: Flower Mound resident H. Denise Wooten, PsyD.

Dr. Wooten came over for an interview to inform voters of her background and her reasons for running. Her campaign website: www.wootenfortexas.com

In addition the following was sent by the candidate:

“From the vantage point of my profession as a psychologist, as a mother of two, as the wife of a small business owner, and as a moderate Democrat, I believe that Texas does not adequately provide for diverse populations, especially if there are special needs or poverty.  People of all backgrounds and socioeconomic classes have the same rights—to access affordable healthcare and childcare, to live in a safe environment, and to have educational and training opportunities for growth and advancement.  It is our ethical and moral obligation to facilitate these rights.  While other important issues exist, it is these specific concerns that led me to run for Texas House of Representatives in District 63 in 2022.

“Texas is 45^th out of 50 states in per capita expenditures on human services, including health, education, welfare, and civic infrastructure that supports people—per census data.  Further, Texas is 49^th out of 50 states in total per capita expenditures per person (KFF State Facts).  However, Texas is 2^nd out of 50 states in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), per the World Population in 2021.  With this enormous wealth in Texas, meager spending on our most vulnerable populations is just wrong.  Why is there so little state assistance to families and children, disabled individuals, the elderly, and those who live in poverty?

“As I continue to research and develop my understanding of these deep problems in taking care of people’s core needs, I expect to find that Texas has a smaller budget for human services than other states with a similar population size.  I also expect to find that corporations and the wealthy are not paying their fair share to support all the people in the state.  This leaves the burden to the average taxpayer in Texas, such that the budget allocations are inadequate to the needs of many Texans.

“As a result of a budget that does not prioritize regular people, there are numerous programs and services that are woefully underfunded and understaffed.  These are fundamental to the length and quality of people’s lives; it is unconscionable that we in Texas are not spending enough to adequately serve people.

“Through almost 40 years of working in various aspects of human services, the following are the issues and services I have encountered that are under-served:

1. Medicare and Medicaid
2. Child Protective Services
3. Adult Protective Services for the elderly and disabled
4. Mental health care within MH/MR
5. Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) for developmental delays
6. Group homes for disabled adults
7. Residential treatment centers for Serious Mental Illness (SMI)
8. Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) qualification
9. Special education quotas and services within public schools
10. Intensive educational remediation in inner city schools
11. Vocational preparation and training in high school and colleges
12. Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)
13. Community college access for the under-resourced
14. Training in mental health for law enforcement

“It is my belief that improving such programmatic access will not only benefit the affected individuals, but it will eventually improve the state’s economy and community functioning as a whole.  This is not some Utopian society that I am proposing; rather, this is basic human rights and needs that must be addressed.  In becoming the HD 63 Representative, I will have opportunity to redress these deficiencies in the governance of Texas.”