Dateline: July 27, 2006

Friedman outlines education ideas

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Texas’ most unique candidate for governor was in Clarendon last Friday to address local residents and members of the press during the 76th Annual West Texas Press Association Summer Convention.

“I’m the only candidate without a humor bypass,” Richard “Kinky” Friedman told the more than 100 people assembled in Clarendon College’s Bairfield Activity Center as he criticized the 88 combined years of experience held by his opponents.

Friedman said the time has come for fundamental change in Austin where people on the far right and the far left have held politics captive, and he said the state’s current leadership has exhibited “wussification of the worst kind.”

“A funny thing happened to education in Texas under Gov. Perry,” Friedman said. “We’ve dropped to 50th and Guam and Samoa are sneaking up on us.”

The mystery author and musician said he would provide new funding for classroom education by shifting funding for athletic programs to the private sector like Georgia has and by legalizing casino gambling in Texas with local options.

“I just returned from a fact finding mission to Las Vegas, and everyone there was from Texas,” he said.

He lauded Georgia for providing a system where every high school graduate with a B or better average goes to college for free, said Perry had taken Texans’ eyes off the issue of education by focusing on gay marriage, and announced another goal which received much applause.

“Let’s get rid of the TAKS test,” Friedman said.

The flamboyant independent candidate pledged not to meet with any lobbyists if he is elected and sharply criticized the governor’s handling of the border situation.

“Politicians that don’t want to offend Hispanics offend Hispanics,” he said. “Right now everybody is getting screwed except the Mexican government.”

Friedman called the state’s installation of Web cams on the border a joke and said he will work closely with neighboring governors to seal the border.

He said this fall’s election should not be Democrats or Republicans but about what’s best for Texas.

“If you value common sense and common honesty, you should vote for Kinky,” Friedman said.