Candidate Will Propose Constitutional Amendment, Lift Cap on Sporting Goods Tax

AUSTIN, Texas — October 16, 2006 — Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman today said he would work to preserve the rights of hunters and fishermen in Texas.

“It has come to my attention that Rick Perry has been sending desperate e-mails to hunters across Texas telling them that I am against hunting and fishing. This is not true,” Friedman said. “At one time I did question the sport of hunting, but no longer. During the past 18 months of the campaign, I have met a great many hunters and fishermen. What I’ve learned is that they are very responsible people who do a great job of game management and repatriation of species.”

Friedman praised the hunting and fishing community for its work in controlling the population of wildlife through conservation practices.

He pledged to propose and champion a constitutional amendment that would preserve the right to hunt and fish in Texas.

“This would guarantee that no Texas Legislature, or anyone else, could ever impinge on the right of Texans to hunt and fish in the future,” Friedman said.

He said he will look to the hunting and fishing community to run our state’s parks, including the governor-appointed members to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. He also vowed to lift the current cap on a sporting goods tax that is dedicated to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and to direct all funds generated from the sale of specialty conservation license plates to the department.

“Our parks and wildlife are suffering, and the pleas from the department have been ignored,” Friedman said. “They’re laying off employees, shutting down parks, working with deteriorating facilities. It’s time to give them the money they were promised.”

His campaign web site also posted a letter from Friedman on the issue.