Okay guys I know that a lot of you can't vote but please just take a look at this and if it seems reasonable and if Kinky Friedman seems like the kind of a guy you would want running Texas then go ahead and forward this to your parents, teachers and even other people who can't vote.

KINKY FRIEDMAN

WHY VOTE KINKY???

 

Why the hell not?

Texas politics stinks.

The parties sell themselves to big donors, lobbyists control the legislature's agenda, and the top fundraising groups in the state are being indicted for money laundering. Corruption and big money have such a chokehold that the two major parties blew $100 million in the last governor's race to elect a candidate to a job that pays $100,000 a year. And for all that money spent, less than 30% of us bothered to show up at the polls.

Why? Because it's hard to stand in line at the ballot box when neither candidate promises anything more than politics as usual. Texans are the most independent people in America, and if we're going to be inspired, the inspiration will come from someone unafraid to deal in new ideas and honest answers, an independent leader who lets the people call the plays instead of dancing to the tune of the money men.

That kind of leader is never going to look or sound like a politician. He won't steer by image polls, speak in hollow phrases approved by focus groups, or show up in hand-tailored suits.

You'll know him when you see him—true Texas leaders are unmistakable. After all, the last independent governor of Texas was Sam Houston. The next will be Kinky Friedman.

How hard could it be?

Kinky's Common-Sense Priorities

Education

Texas has the second-largest population of any state in the country and two of the ten largest cities. That's an awfully big cart to pull with the horsepower we're currently giving our kids in Texas schools. An educated workforce and top-notch schools are essential to keeping our state attractive to new business, but we're failing the test.

• Texas has the 8th largest economy in the world, but we're 1st in drop-out rates and 49th in education spending in the country.
• Teachers' salaries in Texas are over $6,000 below the national average. This lack of respect for the people who do our state's most important job must stop. As governor, Kinky will work to make sure that teachers are paid what they're worth. Period.
• The TAKS test and its predecessor, TAAS, were invented essentially to make legislators look good on education. But studies show that rigid enforcement of standardized test scores doesn't help kids learn or make teachers more effective. Teach to the test and kids will learn the test—but not much else.

Healthcare

Texas ranks rock-bottom in providing for the basic needs of its youngest and poorest residents. More than one fifth of Texas children have no health insurance at all.

In 2003, Texas legislators slashed the Children's Health Insurance Program, pulling the rug out from under 170,000 kids. Not only did this put more of our children at risk, it ended up costing the state tens of thousands of health care jobs and $16 billion in lost productivity. Kinky believes this is reckless and short-sighted—no way to invest in the future of Texas.

We're a state that prides itself on friendliness and responsibility, but the message we're sending our kids is that if you're going to be born poor, you'd better not be born in Texas.

Renewable Energy

It's time for Texas to reclaim bragging rights as an energy icon. As governor, Kinky will accomplish that by encouraging investment and innovation in new methods of electricity generation and new fuels like biodiesel.

Think these are fringe technologies? Think again. Wind power plants, solar power arrays, and landfill gas capture systems are already in operation across Texas in cities from Fort Stockton to Fort Worth. Texas has been called "the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy," and firms from TXU to Kyocera are already clamoring for a piece of the action.

• Despite our staggering potential, only 0.7% of Texas' energy needs come from renewable sources. That puts us 51st in the nation, behind even Washington D.C.
• Biodiesel—it's good enough for Willie Nelson's tour bus, and the city of Denton is using it to fuel their entire fleet of diesel trucks. Biodiesel is fuel you can grow. That's good for farmers, good for the air, good for the Texas energy industry and good for Texans. With biodiesel, everybody wins but OPEC

 

GET 15% BACK!!!

The recent discovery of an extra $4.3 billion in the state's coffers has caused some controversy around Texas. Office holders are rushing to blame each other for counting errors, the legislature is complaining of not yet being "officially notified," and the average Joe is scratching his head, wondering how on Earth you can just "find" $4.3 billion.

No one quite knows what to do with the overage, but if you ask Kinky, it's simple: give it back to taxpayers. "$4.3 billion is about 15% of the state's total property tax take," the Kinkster says. "The answer to this whole thing is pretty simple--when the state collects more than it needs, more than it's budgeted for, it ought to give the money back to the people who earned it."

Kinky believes we should give every property owner in the state a one-time check equal to about 15% of their total property tax bill from 2004. For the average homeowner, this will be about $300.

What could you do with an extra $300?

 

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

We get a lot of questions about Kinky's positions and opinions. Here are answers to the ones we hear most frequently at headquarters, on the internet, and out on the road.

Q: Why is Kinky running as an independent?
A: Every Texan is an Independent at heart. Kinky is running with the people and for the people. You can't do that with the two current political parties, which are built and ruled by special interests.

Kinky will be beholden to no one and no party. All the people Kinky appoints will be appointed because they are the right people for the job, not because they are affiliated with a major party.


Q: Why should I vote for Kinky? What issues matter to Kinky the most?
A: Kinky believes there are several key issues facing Texas, including:

• The state of our public education system,
• The lack of affordable healthcare for Texas children,
• Our border relations with Mexico, and
• Our reliance on foreign fuels, which would be lessened by the introduction of renewable energy sources such as biodiesel and ethanol.

Q: Are our border problems important to Kinky?
A: Extremely. Kinky believes the border issue is one of the biggest problems facing Texas today, and it can no longer be ignored. Texas policy under Governor Rick Perry has been "give us your tired, your weak, your poor, your criminals, your drug dealers and your terrorists—welcome to Texas".

Kinky supports the legislation passed in March 2006 by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which includes the legalization of the country's 11 million illegal immigrants who hold jobs, pass background checks, and pay fines and taxes.

Kinky also supports a guest worker program which would allow approximately 400,000 new guest workers per year. In fact, Kinky has been calling for a Bracero-sized work program since he first announced his candidacy for governor in February 2005. He is the only candidate to have done so.

If elected, Kinky would meet with Governors Bill Richardson (New Mexico) and Janet Napolitano (Arizona) to develop a coordinated border state plan to supplement federal efforts at stemming the tide of illegal immigration. To date, Governor Perry, a Republican, has not met with Democrats Richardson or Napolitano.


Q: How would Kinky improve the education system?
A: Kinky proposes several options that, if implemented, would bring new money into the education budget and improve the state of education in Texas:

• Legalizing casino gambling ("Slots for Tots") to bring in billions per year,
• Closing corporate loopholes so that the 10,000 Texas businesses that are not currently paying taxes will be charged,
• Increasing teacher salaries � currently $6,000 below the national average,
• Establishing a Trust for Texas Heroes, program to increase the salaries of teachers, cops, and firefighters through a 1 percent tax on oil and gas produced in Texas
• Outsourcing sports funding to sports companies/retailers, and
• Stopping the practice of "teaching to the test." The TAKS shouldn't be the sole focus of education in Texas.

Q: What's Kinky's feeling on gun control?
A: The second amendment is every bit as important as the others. Texans have the right to keep and bear arms, as well as to hunt.


Q: How does Kinky feel about Trans-Texas Corridor (and toll roads in general)?
A: Kinky is opposed the Trans-Texas Corridor since it relies on toll road construction. He feels that the TTC is a land grab of the ugliest kind, with land being taken from hard-working ranchers and farmers in little towns and villages all over Texas. The people who will ultimately own that land are the same people who own the governor.


Q: What's Kinky's position on capital punishment?
A: Kinky is not anti-death-penalty, but he IS "anti-the-wrong-guy-getting-executed." Texas needs to take a serious look at the way it implements capital punishment--no one in this state wants the blood of innocent people on their hands.


Q: How does Kinky feel about abortion?
A: Kinky believes in a woman's right to choose.


Q: What is Kinky's position on gay marriage?
A: Kinky supports gay marriage and equal rights for homosexuals. He believes that the constitution protects everyone. As he says, "I believe love is bigger than government. And besides, they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us."


Q: What is Kinky's position on school prayer?
A: Kinky favors optional, non-denominational prayer in school. He believes there's nothing wrong with children believing in something even if it's a rock or a tree.