The visit at the Hale County Courthouse was part of a tour of all 254 county seats in Texas. Van Os is making the visits not only to meet with voters, but also to file affidavits at the courthouses that outline his intentions should he defeat incumbent Greg Abbott.Van Os refers to the affidavits as his "Written Oath" to be the "People's Lawyer." The statement reads, in part, "I am placing my written oaths in the public records in every county because I believe my fellow Texans have a right to know that I mean what I say."
Van Os said that his campaign is an attempt to take the state government back from moneyed interests and return it to the people of Texas. In particular, he is opposed to the political process that has led to work on the Trans-Texas Corridor.
Van Os said the efforts undertaken by current state leaders to use eminent domain as a tool for securing property for the TTC not only are a slap in the face of traditional rights of private landowners, but also are unconstitutional because they take private land for the purpose of enriching others -- specifically, European corporations which he says will profit from the tolls they extract from usage of the corridor.
Other targets for Van Os are oil companies which he said have reaped exorbitant profits at the expense of consumers. He makes similar claims against monopolies and the insurance industry.
Van Os referred to the current state government as an elite club.
"The price of inclusion is campaign contributions."
He went on to say that voters have allowed politicians to wield too much influence through high-priced media ad campaigns -- particularly through television advertising. He said that is symptomatic of the problems the state faces across the board.
"We're living in a time of greed gone crazy," he said of the interests he is campaigning against.
By contrast, Van Os praised the spirit of the average Texan.
"The average Texan does not have a greedy heart," he said, adding, "My message to you is we can fight back. Somebody's got to stand up and fight for the people and for the middle class that is under attack. I'm tired of the way rural Texas keeps getting ignored."
