Hank Gilbert Does Amarillo

If you read some of the conservative newspapers here in Texas, you might think the race for governor here in Texas is between two Republicans. But there's another candidate in the race that has some credibility also -- Hank Gilbert. Gilbert was a virtual unknown to many Texans in 2006 when he ran for Agriculture Commissioner, but he opened some eyes by doing much better than anyone expected.

In that race, he got more votes than any other Democrat in a state-wide race. He got 1.76 million votes overall. That's more than 400,000 votes more than the Democratic candidate for governor got (Chris Bell), and 43,000 votes more than the winning gubernatorial candidate (Rick Perry). Considering that Rick Perry spent about $14.00 for every vote he got, and Hank Gilbert spent about $0.06 for each of his votes, that's a great showing.

Now it's four years later, and Hank Gilbert is a much better known candidate than he was in the last election. He's also an excellent campaigner and an impressive individual (go to one of his rallies and meet him, and you'll see what I mean). If he can raise enough money to campaign aggressively state-wide, there's no reason to believe he can't win the governor's race.

Hank Gilbert officially started his campaign for governor yesterday. He kicked it off with a news conference in Dallas, and then flew up here to the Panhandle. About 11:45am, he spoke to a small but enthusiastic crowd on the campus of Amarillo College.

Gilbert is making education reform the centerpiece of his campaign. To show why education reform is needed in the Lone Star State, he tossed out some rather embarrassing statistics, such as:

*Texas is 43rd in the nation in amount of dollars spent per student.

*Texas is 34th in the nation in average teacher salaries.

*Texas' high school graduation rate is 41st in the nation.

*Texas is last in the nation in percentage of population with a high school diploma.

*Texas hasn't had significant education reform since 1984 (25 years).

Those are some pretty pitiful statistics, but Gilbert has some plans to improve Texas education. Gilbert says (and I'm quoting from his Amarillo speech):

*Because the foundation of good students is a quality education in the early years of childhood, I'm proposing universal pre-kindergarten statewide by 2013.

*Because the middle school grades have long been ignored by our policy-makers in Austin, I'm proposing a package of middle school reforms that will get students ready for high school and the future.

*Because math and science will help make our children into the kind of problem-solvers we need for the 21st century, I'm proposing strengthening math and science education in elementary, middle and high schools.

*Because our economy needs students with valued skills and certifications in fields like nursing and electronics, I'm proposing a vocational and technical high school graduation track that includes stakeholder partnerships between schools, unions and businesses to give students access to apprenticeships and real world experience.

*Teachers are among society's most important professionals, and among our least valued assets. That's why I'm proposing an across the board $5,000 teacher pay raise and busting the cap on the State Minimum Salary Schedule out to 30 years to attract and retain more qualified teachers.

*Since we'll need 21st century schoolhouses to accommodate all of these 21st century reforms, I'm proposing a state building fund to help schools meet their physical plant requirements for the next decade and beyond.

*It is also high time we took politics out of curriculum development and textbook adoption. Copernicus settled the fact that the Earth revolved around the sun back in the 1500s. In the 21st century, we don't need a bunch of ignorant, though well intentioned, people trying to tell our kids that it works the other way around.

That's sounds like a pretty good way to improve education in Texas, and as Gilbert says, education is "the only guaranteed way of bringing long term prosperity back to this state."

For those like me who are tired of one rich politician following another, we have a good choice this year in the Democratic primary. We have two candidates who are willing and ready to return state government to the people of Texas -- Hank Gilbert and Kinky Friedman.

Pick the one you like in the Democratic primary (I've donated to both campaigns), and then let's get together and see that the winner of the Democratic primary becomes the next governor of Texas.