I know that everyone makes mistakes. I do all the time, much to my frustration. Mistakes can be a great learning tool. But Texas - the state I spent 30 years in - seems to do mistakes bigger than everyone else, too.

Here's a perfect example from today's headlines:

Texan declared innocent after 30 years in prison

That is really sad for Dupree, the man wrongly accused of the crime. But it's costing the state a boatload of money. Here's what the article goes on to state:

Under Texas compensation laws for the wrongly imprisoned, Dupree is eligible for $80,000 for each year he was behind bars, plus a lifetime annuity. He could receive $2.4 million in a lump sum that is not subject to federal income tax.

The compensation law, the nation's most generous, was passed in 2009 by the Texas Legislature after dozens of wrongly convicted men were released from prison. Texas has freed 41 wrongly convicted inmates through DNA since 2001 — more than any other state.

I believe that Dupree does deserve compensation. The man spent 30 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit! And he can never have those years back. That's horrible.

But 41 wrongly accused people in the last 10 years? Come on, Texas. That's a lot of money and wasted man power. More importantly, that means a lot of actual criminals are running around outside bars because of the mistakes.

One way to shore up the state's budget is to stop convicting the wrong person. It would save time and a whole lot of money, money the state doesn't have to spend right now. So, Texas, I hope you've learned from your mistakes. And I really, really hope we don't see another headline like today's.