The Gossips were surprised by a mail piece which says that yes Borris Miles did make contributions to Rick Perry, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Carol Rylander totaling $8000 but in return he recieved contracts with the state and federal governments, local school districts,etc. "He didn't create the rules of the game he just plays the game." the mailer says his campaign manager said. It seems to imply that his contributions got him contracts. A quid pro quo so to speak. Miles is running against Al Edwards in the race for District 146. Edwards may have prepared the mailer but there is no indication of who paid for the mailing. Attorney Al Bennett is also in this race. The Gossips wonder if the folks who got the contributions from Miles are aware that Borris did so well in return.

Meanwhile there are serious questions as to whom is funding the Al Edwards campaign. According to the Miles campaign all of Al Edwards campaign material says that it is paid for by "the Lonestar Legacy Fund." Never heard of the Lonestar Legacy Fund? According to the Miles group It's not a registered PAC with the Ethics Commission. The Gossips think this is very interesting.

And lets hear it for the best Speaker ever says the Gossips, former Speaker of the Texas House, Pete Laney. Laney is quoted in the Lubbock paper as saying things are not the same in Austin under the Republicans Laney "spent more than 30 years engaged in the daily wrangling and haggling over legislation, but his last years to serve have never been more contentious." "It didn't used to be that way," he said. "We take pride in the fact that we handled our business in Texas differently than they did in other states." Noting campaign fundraising in two Lubbock-area House races, Laney questioned hefty donations from Houston and San Antonio.

The Gossips wonder just who could that be? Of course it is from our hometown home builder Bob Perry and pro voucher doctor James Leininger. The Lubbock papers says "According to campaign finance reports filed this month by Republican candidate for Texas House District 85 Jim Landtroop of Plainview, Houston home builder Bob Perry contributed two donations totaling $25,000 in October. Landtroop also landed a $5,000 donation that same month from James Leininger, a San Antonio doctor known for hefty contributions". Leininger is spending lots of money to elect pro voucher people and in some cases defeat legislators who did not support vouchers in the last session of the Texas Legislature. And if Leininger and Perry are doing it in the GOP primary races just think what they might spend in the fall.