Kinky For Governor
In 24 days the race for Texas Governor will be over. Hopefully we will have a new governor in the Capitol. The race is between incumbent Rick Perry, Democrat Chis Bell, Libertarian James Werner, and independents Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman.
Rick Perry has been in office since G. W. Bush stepped down to pursue the Presidency. In all that time, he hasn't done anything for Texas. That and a couple of off-handed remarks have led me toward the realization that Perry needs to go.
Chris Bell lost his seat in Congress after redistricting. He voted against border security and for higher taxes.
"Grandma" Strayhorn has been in politics for thirty years and has gone from being a Democrat to a Republican to an independent. She's a fair weather politician and more closely tied to Perry than she wants you to know.
James Werner is non-existent. He was not invited to the only debate because he doesn't have the poll numbers.
That leaves us with Kinky Friedman. I feel that Kinky could do the job that Texas needs because he's not a politician. Bell recently asked him to drop out of the race. He's not "PC" and knows that sometimes you have to offend people to get things done. He's recently been "thrown" under the bus for things he said 26 years ago.
Politics is a low down, scum sucking business. But Kinky has the vision to take Texas to the next level. He wants to legalize gambling. This makes sense because Texas money is leaving the state by way of Oklahoma, Louisiana and Las Vegas. Why not keep that money here and funnel it into education?
He was blasted for calling Katrina victims still in Houston "crackheads and thugs". Again, not "PC". However, the crime rate spike in Houston is directly related to those evacuees. Kinky's not afraid to speak the truth and sometimes the truth hurts.
He is for getting rid of the TAKS testing in our schools. Something Perry is for keeping. Our students aren't learning what they need to because the teachers are teaching them what is on the tests.
Kinky makes the most sense to me and could take Texas farther up the education ladder. However, this state, like the rest of the country, believes in being "PC" and against profiling. Because of that I feel it's unlikely that Kinky will win the vote. And with Perry at 35% in the polls and the remaining 65% split between the other three candidates, Perry will probably win. It will be a shame to have a governor that only 1/3 of the state actually wants.
If Kinky can't sit in the Capitol, I'd like to see Bell in there. He had some good points in the debate.
GO KINKY !
And That's What I Think.
posted by KMAN @ 10/13/2006 02:39:00 PM
3 Comments:
At October 13, 2006 9:10 PM,
KMAN said…
You've made some very good points and probably Bell is the best man for the job. I'll be happy as long as Perry nor Strayhorn are elected.
At October 13, 2006 9:27 PM,
Jenny said…
Well before we watched the debate, I had some ideas on who I was going to vote for, but now after it, I have no clue. It's ridiculous. I vote that we just head to Australia.
At October 13, 2006 11:51 PM,
Anonymous said…
I'm a "practical libertarian pro-business liberal".
I say "practical libertarian" because I share a belief in governmental noninterference in social choices and small government libertarian values but I don't vote for libertarians because they never win so I generally look for a candidate with a chance to win but whose valuse are nearest to the libertarians.
I say "pro-business" because I favor less regulation of business.
I say "liberal" because I think the government should stay out of personal social decisions like gay or straight marriage, abortion, prayer in public school, etc.
This election is tough for me.
PRO-BUSINESS ISSUES
First, Perry fails the pro-business test because of Perry's small business income tax.
Second, Bell fails the pro-business test because he strongly favors regulation; he wants to over-regulate renewable energy, energy pricing, mercury emissions, wildlife habitats, coal plants, minimum wage, development of public land, state parks, privatization of public lands, CO2 emissions, etc. Really the better question would be what DOESN'T Bell want to regulate.
Kinky doesn't give many details, but his proposal to appoint Willie Nelson as energy czar gives me hope that Kinky understands that Texas should promote energy policy but not impose it by regulation. In interviews, Kinky expresses good pro-corporation views.
Strayhorn is by far the best on this topic. She has laid out her agenda, which includes:
"The General Land Office (GLO) should be ... required to target at least 5 percent of all underused lands for sale each year…."
"Less confrontational methods of ... enforcing environmental laws often can be more effective than traditional, punitive approaches. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission should aggressively market its Regulatory Flexibility Program to reduce onerous restrictions on businesses...."
"Create a Bill of Rights for business. Every business has the right to expect state agencies to provide ... a commitment to streamlining regulations...."
On these pro-business issues, Strayhorn finishes number 1 and Kinky number 2.
LIBERAL SOCIAL ISSUES
Having narrowed down to Strayhorn and Kinky, I looked at social issues.
Kinky is surprisingly conservative on social issues. These Kinky statements cause me some concern:
"I am going to see nondenominational prayer and the Ten Commandments put back in the schools."
Discussing the reason why Kinky lost his last political election when he ran as a Republican "my inability to appeal to the religious right … torpedoed my candidacy."
"I'm not a liberal, believe me. I'm a compassionate redneck, far more conservative than I am liberal."
"I was for Bush in 2004. He's a good man trapped in a Republican's body."
"Well, actually, I agree with most of political positions overseas, his foreign policy. … I basically think he played a poor hand well after September 11. What he’s been doing in the Near East and in the Middle East, he’s handling that well, I think."
These statements do not inspire my confidence in Kinky.
Strayhorn, on the other hand, has evolved from a candidate with some unfavorable views on social issues to a candidate who now shares my beliefs on many issues. For example:
Strayhorn once said "I have been a lifelong Democrat, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life vigorously and wholeheartedly in the GOP." And as a Republican, she was the member of the Legislative Redistricting Board who cast the deciding vote to re-draw Texas House districts as part of TomDeLay's gerrymandering scheme which has been found to be illegal. But now Strayhorn has moved past that partisanship, and she says "I am a Republican. But I know I must set partisan politics aside and do what's right for Texas. That is why I am running for governor as an independent."
On diverting funds from public schools for private school vouchers, Strayhorn said she supported vouchers after she won election as comptroller in 1998 with the help of a loan from voucher advocate James Leininger. But now she has developed a better understanding fo the issue and says she would "veto any type of legislation that puts a single dollar into any voucher program."
On abortion, in the 1990s Strayhorn signed pledges for the Republican National Coalition for Life to oppose abortion and told Greater Austin Right to Life that she supported overturning the Supreme Court decision allowing abortions. Now she has shown growth as a candidate an she says, "I have made my position very clear. As a mama and a grandmama, I believe in the sanctity of life, but I understand that there are those heartbreaking situations where heartbreaking decisions have to be made."
CONCLUSION
Strayhorn is best on pro-business small government issues and Kinky is second best. On social issues, Strayhorn has shown growth as a candidate and she better reflects a live-and-let-live attitude of non-governmental interference in social issues than Kinky.
I am supporting Strayhorn.
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