Feb 22, 2007 7:34 pm US/Central
Perry Responds To Controversial Political Plans
by Bud Gillett
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
Governor Perry came to Dallas Thursday to pitch his plan to sell the Texas lottery.
The governor said the profits could help fund cancer research. He invoked the memory of President Kennedy's space challenge when he asked if Texas should become the future focal point for the world's cancer research. "I hope you'll join me in resoundingly saying, 'Yes, we are,'" he said.
Gov. Perry is touring leading cancer centers this week with the same message: a lottery sale could mean money for research.
The governor said a lottery sale, conservatively bringing in $14 billion, could create a permanent endowment with the interest of about $300 million a year.
When ask other questions related to health issues, the governor bristled. He denies that a small campaign contribution from the vaccine maker has anything to do with his HPV executive order. The legislature is threatening to block that order.
Perry was asked whether or not it was proper for a former staffer to now work for the company making a controversial HPV vaccine he wants to give school-age girls. He answered, "If you have any evidence of wrongdoing, please go to the appropriate authorities."
His reaction was similar when asked about his reaction to an Austin judge blocking his order on building coal-fired generating plants.
Perry was asked if he intended to appeal the ruling. And if so, if the appeal fell through, did he think losing would hinder any other executive orders? "That's a lot of 'what if' questions," he responded.
He was asked each question one at a time: did he plan on appealing? "I'm not going to take any [questions] at this particular time," he answered. "The decisions haven't been made on what we're going to do."
The governor insisted all he wanted to fast-track were proposed construction standards, not air quality. "The debate has gotten way off that into a lot of other things," he said.
Gov. Perry said he doesn't want to talk about what 'distractions.'
(CBS 11 News)
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