Monday, June 20, 2005

Does Grandma know best?

The media focused on her "drug store cowboy" barb against incumbent Rick Perry, but here's a quote from Texas State Comptroller and gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn's Saturday announcement speech that's latent with possibilities as a negative campaign message:
"I'd rather spend $2500 a year educating a young Texan than $16,000 a year incarcerating that young Texan."
Me too. Given Perry's taxpayer-soaking veto of HB 2193, I wonder what Republican primary voters will think about it?



UPDATE: See Texas Monthly's Evan Smith's interview with Strayhorn, temporarily available free here.

2 comments:

lauxa said...

Education does no good if there are no jobs available after you obtain it. A college graduate is not going to be happy working flipping burgers. I'm skeptical that throwing more money at education will help reduce incarceration rates.

Gritsforbreakfast said...

I agree it's not a cause and effect thing. Personally, I support policies to intentionally lower incarceration rates while simultaneously better funding the schools. I don't think one directly causes the other, though there's surely a relationship.