As part of his college tour of Texas, Kinky Friedman made a campaign stop in Laredo. Over 100 local area residents gathered to hear the gubernatorial candidate speak at the event sponsored by The Bridge, Oct. 9.
Friedman started off the night by addressing the audience with his platform, which included criticizing Governor Rick Perry and “Grandma” Carole Keeton Strayhorn.
“I care about Texas and that is why I am running for governor,” said Friedman of the reason he decided to enter the race.
“I want prayer in school, the prisoners put to work and the politicians out of politics,”
Friedman says that if elected he would use lottery proceeds to fund education and that he would propose legalizing casino gambling in the state for the same cause. Kinky criticized the current handling of the reported lottery funds and the manner in which proceeds are currently being spent.
Other goals that he talked about included extending the coverage of healthcare to all Texans, not just those that can afford it.
Another subject touched on included crime in Houston, which Friedman linked to hurricane evacuees as being the cause of 20 percent of murders.
“The governor does not want to offend Hispanics by addressing immigration…he has no immigration policy, I am for sending 10,000 national guardsmen with ammunition to protect the border,” said Friedman regarding border security.
When it came to social issues, Friedman expressed outrage at Perry for spending so much time working towards a gay marriage ban and said that love is bigger than government.
Friedman also talked about his political “un-correctness” and voiced his views on career politicians being the root of what is wrong, according to him, with Texas government.
A solution to career politicians, according to Friedman, is to open the doors of government to the youth. He claimed that the youth is more able to make solid decisions in regards to policies and governing because they do not corrupt.
Friedman called on younger people to become more active in state politics.
“Young people should run the state. If you are old enough to fight in Iraq you are old enough to help us fix Texas. Young people are what we need in these positions, they are uncorrupted; politics is the only field in which the more experience you have the worse you get.”
“By coming to Laredo, Kinky was showing his support not only for the student demographic but the border as well. If elected he will not forsake this area,” says Matt Hall, a sophomore and Friedman supporter.