Insurers own Perry, Sanchez says
Posted on 05/20/2002 7:18:54 PM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Insurers own Perry, Sanchez says
Need for data prevents quick fix for rising rates, governor says
05/21/2002
LUBBOCK - Tony Sanchez intensified his criticism Monday of Gov. Rick Perry's plan to regulate the property-insurance industry, saying that Mr. Perry "is bought and paid for" by insurance companies and that has kept him from calling a special legislative session to stem rising rates.
Mr. Sanchez, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, said that hundreds of thousands of dollars from insurance companies have gone into Mr. Perry's campaign coffers through the years.
"He has to dance to the tune that they play," Mr. Sanchez said. "If he was serious, he would have called a special session like he was asked to for the Legislature to stop skyrocketing rates, but he won't."
Mr. Perry, the Republican nominee, defended his decision to not call a special session of the Legislature and said officials were in the process of gathering information about the recent rate increases.
"I think we're addressing them in an appropriate and timely way," he said Monday.
At a news conference last week in Austin, Mr. Perry said the insurance issue was a legislative priority but told reporters he would not call a special session, said Michelle Kucera, a Sanchez campaign spokeswoman.
Mr. Sanchez made his comments after speaking on his education plans at Cavazos Junior High School in Lubbock.
Mr. Perry, also in Lubbock on Monday, said the problem with rising rates some increases as high as 200 percent started late last year and in early 2002.
"I'm not going to call for a special session until we do have the facts, until we are ready to come in and fix it and fix it right," Mr. Perry said. "This [upcoming] legislative session, in my opinion, we can wait that long."
A statewide poll of likely voters in November's general election, the results of which were released Monday, indicated that Mr. Perry was leading Mr. Sanchez by 25 points.
The Sanchez campaign disputed the poll results, saying its own polls show Mr. Sanchez no more than 12 points behind.
Mr. Sanchez said his camp's poll numbers were "right on and very accurate" in the primaries.
"So If I'm going to believe anybody, I'm going to believe our internal polls," he said.
The Perry campaign said the poll is consistent with its internal polling. The news of the poll results comes less than a week after Mr. Sanchez's campaign began running a television ad attacking Mr. Perry.
"He thinks the only way that he can get competitive in this governor's race is to drag me down," Mr. Perry said.
Also on Monday, the Texas Federation of Teachers announced it is endorsing Mr. Sanchez and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Ron Kirk.
Three other Democrats also won the federation's endorsement lieutenant gubernatorial candidate John Sharp, attorney general candidate Kirk Watson and land commissioner candidate David Bernsen.
The group endorsed one Republican, Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander. The 41,000-member federation is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.
One of the most outrageous lawyer (ambulance chaser) ads in town features an attorney who was disbarred telling everyone who is involved in an accident to see his law firm. Then he says, "there is no such thing as an accident without injuries."
So many stupid, clueless people.
Typical. Perhaps THIS is the scenario we are witnessing?....... 
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