Posted on 09/06/2006 12:22:44 PM PDT by Shermy
The number of National Guard troops on the Texas-Mexico border would jump from 1,500 to 10,000 under a plan to combat illegal immigration proposed today by independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman.
"We've waited 153 years for the feds to help us," Friedman said. "They haven't yet. We have our own army. I want 10,000 Texas National Guard troops on the border and I want them now."
The immigration proposal was one of four broad policy issues Friedman outlined today. The independent is running against incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Perry, Democrat Chris Bell, and another independent, Carole Strayhorn, the state comptroller who won that office as a Republican. Also in the race is Libertarian James Werner.
Friedman also addressed crime in Houston, state spending and state taxes.
"I'm just kind of stunned other politicians are not talking about this stuff and are not doing anything," he said.
On crime, Friedman would give $100 million in state money to Houston to address a spike in violence. The money would pay for more than 1,000 new police officers to fight crime, particularly violent crime blamed on Katrina evacuees. Hurricane refugees who broke the law or refused to find jobs should be sent back to Louisiana, he said.
A sharp increase in retirements, a drop in new cadets and a higher crime rate caused partly by hurricane refugees has caused a severe shortage of officers in the Houston Police Department.
Friedman also said he would cap state spending at current levels, with any increases adjusted for inflation, population increases and unforeseen disasters. He'd also cap property tax appraisals at 3 percent annually, down from the current 10 percent.
On taxes, Friedman would abolish the state business tax, which taxes gross business income and was a key element of the school finance reform passed by the legislature in a special session earlier this year. The tax, he said, "amounts to nothing more than a personal income tax in disguise."
Friedman would use an existing state budget surplus of at least $11 billion to make up any shortfall.
Kinky clearly doesn't know that the ACLU would convince a federal (or state) judge to order the troops withdrawn within 12 hours of their deployment.
Sorry, Kinky's a liberal. I can't vote for him.
Kinky's doing just what he needs to do to become the next Governor of Texas. The "regular" candidates must be in shock.
Also, how does a state get the gall to have an $11 Billion surplus? Give it back to the taxpayers.
Kinky could win this.
I know nothing of Texas politics, but I wouldn't mind having a governor with the ideas expressed here.
Kinky also testified on behalf of a violent convicted murderer. He was there requesting that the guy not be sentenced to death.
So far he's got my vote.
Perry is nothing more than a RINO.
Chris Bell is a socialist.
Strayhorn is a nut-case.
He's got some that aren't expressed here, believe me...
Anybody who expresses the desire to put Willie Nelson in charge of ANYTHING is an idiot. Kinky's a liberal. Makes for interesting headlines, but he's all hat.
LOL! Kinky's going to get a lot of votes with that platform. Unfortunately, they're likely to be folks who would have otherwise voted Republican.
I can't vote for anyone calls themselves Kinky.
I don't care what their politics are.
"Kinky also testified on behalf of a violent convicted murderer. He was there requesting that the guy not be sentenced to death."
And so? I don't know the details of that particular case, so I can't comment on it. It's quite possible to be other than a liberal and still reject the death penalty. I give you the current Pope.
They all reek, don't they? We have no choices this rodeo.
What a joke. You cannot deport a United States Citizen to another state.
To quote Vince McMahon's theme song "You've got... no chance... no chance in hell."
Perry may not be God's gift to Conservatives but under his leadership:
We got tort reform.
We got a $10Billion deficit turned into a surplus without raising taxes (of course the crappy business tax came a few years later.)
We got crappy democrat gerry mandered congressional lines redrawn to represent the actual voter preference.
We got parental notification laws for minor abortions.
Aww, he'd just imitation our own wresting governor. Sometimes a little absurdity sends a message, you know. Don't count Kinky out in this race. Just remember Minnesota history.
This is a vote getter for me! I am in Houston.
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On crime, Friedman would give $100 million in state money to Houston to address a spike in violence. The money would pay for more than 1,000 new police officers to fight crime, particularly violent crime blamed on Katrina evacuees. Hurricane refugees who broke the law or refused to find jobs should be sent back to Louisiana, he said.
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He also said he favored a $10K fine PER HEAD when an employer is found with illegal workers, for the employer's first offense. I haven't heard this lately, but I know he said it before his official announcement.
I think he'd call himself a Libertarian, but I don't like that he's pro-choice.
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