Saturday, March 25, 2006

"Stop the TransTexas Corridor and fire Gov. Perry."

Corridor plan criticized: Strayhorn, Bell, Friedman praised by opponents

March 25, 2006

Kevin Chandler
Temple Daily Telegram
Copyright 2006

SEATON - Three Texas gubernatorial candidates brought members of the Blackland Coalition to their feet Friday night in praise of the candidates’ condemnation of the TransTexas Corridor at a meeting in Seaton Star Hall.

The collection of landowners, ranchers, businessmen and residents who stand to lose property to the TransTexas Corridor applauded at every remark against Gov. Rick Perry and the corridor by state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman, both independent candidates for governor, and former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell, the Democratic nominee.

This is the first time that all three of Perry’s opponents have held a forum together, and while their personalities are as different as apples, oranges and in some cases, bananas, their message for the evening was in chorus: Stop the TransTexas Corridor and fire Gov. Perry.

This was the second time “one tough Grandma” Strayhorn addressed the coalition, and the Republican running as an independent had a message that was strongly anti-Perry.

“Gov. Perry and his land-grabbing highway henchman want to cram toll roads down Texans’ throats,” Strayhorn said. “He calls it the TransTexas Corridor; I call it the TransTexas catastrophe. I’m proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Texans who are standing up and saying ‘no’ to the largest land grab in Texas history, ‘no’ to destroying irreplaceable high-value natural resources, ‘no’ to destroying cropland and necessary farm and food production, ‘no’ to taxation, ‘no’ to having to pay to play, ‘no’ to Rick Perry’s $184 billion boondoggle, and ‘no’ replacing freeways with tollways.”

Friedman, a singer and author-turned-politician, shared his ideas with his light-hearted style for No Teacher Left Behind, his plan to make Willie Nelson his energy advisor and encourage the use of biodiesel fuel, as well as his thoughts on the TransTexas Corridor.

© 2006 Temple Daily Telegram www.temple-telegram.com

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