80th Legislature: Craddick Announces “Unequivocal” Support For Full Funding For State Parks

It’s still far from a “kinder, gentler” Craddick many had hoped would crush through the Speaker’s exoskeleton this session, but Speaker Craddick has become the only state leader to offer “unequivocal” support to restoring full funding for state parks this session.

Thank God someone was listening to Chris Bell who was not a Democrat! From the Star-Telegram: 

Setting himself apart from the state’s other top leaders, Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick on Wednesday announced his unequivocal support for the restoration of full funding for state parks, saying that every dime from a sales tax on sporting goods should go to the beleaguered system.

“I also support some type of one-time expenditure to do whatever needs to be fixed,” said Craddick, R-Midland. “They have historical sites as well as parks that are in real disarray and they’re a major part of economic development….We’d like to see it all fixed.”

Craddick’s use of the word “dissarray” made me think of “General Disarray” from TV’s South Park. So, I think we’ll call Speaker Craddick, “Speaker Disarray.”

Anyway, Speaker Disarray is more firm in his committment than Governor Goodhair or Lt. Governor Dewhurst (no nickname for him…yet), both of whom think the Sporting Goods Tax might be better used elsewhere:

Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst have recently said that Texas parks need more money, but have suggested that some money from the state sporting goods tax might be better spent elsewhere.

Time will tell if Perry and Dewhurst will jump on Speaker Disarray’s bandwagon.

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