Rick Perry and the Republican Party of Texas would have you believe that the Texas economy has been unphased by the recent economic downturn.
In Perry's "State of the State" address he mentioned the word "jobs" nearly two dozen times. He pacified Texans and ignored hard data.
"Every day, we hear more stories from across the country of jobs lost, plants closed, and homes on the auction block. As shockwaves of this crisis begin to resonate in Texas, we're reminded that we're not immune to these forces, yet we're still in better shape than most other states." (Full text of speech over at Capitol Annex)
The reality of it is, in 2008, Texas lost 134,598 jobs. After 4 months of job growth in Texas, Texas has lost nearly a quarter million jobs (221,790). The reality of it is, in 2008, the number of unemployed Texans increased by 134,598. After 4 months of declining unemployment, nearly a quarter million more Texans (221,790) became unemployed.
City by city, Texas had some nominal job growth in 2008 until April. After April the job situation in Texas gets bad in a hurry.
Between April and December of last year, unemployment increased in Austin by 6,809 people, in Dallas by 12,879, in El Paso by 4,729, in Houston by 17,615 people, and San Antonio was hit and now has at least 10,262 more people out of work and looking for jobs.
All of these numbers come directly from the Texas Workfroce Commission, but nobody seems to be talking about them.
Instead Perry has proposed a bold plan of isolation. He is attacking Washington for trying to jump start the sagging economy instead of talking about how the proposed stimulus bill could help Texas.
All across the country, states are hiking sales taxes, they're slashing education spending, preparing to pay state employees with IOUs, and begging Washington DC for a bailout.
Because we took a different approach back then, we know it's better to control spending to make government less burdensome, as a way to free up the economic power of our citizens.
What we are seeing is the economic strength Texas has created over the past decade can be completely eroded in a matter of months. While Texas created jobs for 4 months in 2008, the final 8 months were so bad that we have lost nearly a quarter million.
Rick Perry boasts about 1.2 million jobs created over a decade, but 2008 numbers project a loss of 332,685 per year. Granted those are faulty numbers because they don't take into account current job losses, city retention programs or any changes in unemployment figures that might be created at the federal level. What it does show is how long it takes to create jobs and a sound economy and how quick a political party can destroy the economy.
Currently the Republican Party's strategy is to stick their heads in the sand and pretend everything is just fine. They are looking at economic data on time lines that hide basic economic truths.
The reality is, our economy is broken in Texas and jobs are disappearing. What we need is leadership. What we need is a solution on how to recover from this global economic downturn. Refusing to vote (like John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison did) or refusing to address the problem is not a solution.
(A lot of press releases coming in today in Response to Gov. Perry, but few people have spent the time to come over and upload video or write a journal. Rep. Garnet Coleman has done both. Thank you Rep. Coleman. - promoted by Matt Glazer)
Today was not just the State of the State address, it was also a campaign speech. Ricky Perry used today's speech inside the House chamber to discuss his parties failures in Washington.
The code was obvious. Washington is where the federal government is housed. Kay Bailey Hutchison is part of the problem in Washington. Kay Bailey is a problem.
May seem like an over simplification but within Perry's 9 page 5,000 plus word address, he made 7 reference to "Washington's failures" or the federal government.
In the these times of economic woes, Perry started his critique of Hutchison et al. by referencing our pocketbooks.
It was only six years ago when the 78th Legislature kicked off with a $10 billion budget shortfall.
To our shared credit, we didn't raise taxes like so many other states did then...and are again contemplating today.
Instead, we tightened our belt, made spending cuts where we could and focused on key priorities, never forgetting that it's not OUR money we spend here; it's the taxpayers'.
Many of you remember those fiery spending debates of years past, so you'll be ready for some equally challenging conversations in the days to come.
All across the country, states are hiking sales taxes, they're slashing education spending, preparing to pay state employees with IOUs, and begging Washington DC for a bailout.
Because we took a different approach back then, we know it's better to control spending to make government less burdensome, as a way to free up the economic power of our citizens.
Simply put, Rick's got nothing to lose by running against Washington (especially when you can move to the right).
In these times of global unrest and porous borders, security remains a top priority, especially in light of Washington's ongoing failure to provide the resources necessary to secure our border, or implement a sensible immigration policy.
I'm hopeful that my fellow border governor from Arizona will bring a better approach in her new role as Secretary of Homeland Security.
However, until we see results, Texas will continue filling the leadership void created by Washington DC and investing in the safety of our citizens with our own border security effort.
[...]
I believe we should also require the same identification procedure for voting that we require for voter registration. I commend Lt. Governor Dewhurst for his longstanding leadership on this issue.
A democracy without proper protections against voter fraud cannot preserve the public trust.
We should also track the citizenship status of those receiving state-funded services so we can get our hands around the financial impact of Washington's failure to handle the immigration challenge.
[...]
Our experience in the aftermath is a reminder that we cannot rely solely on the federal government and the good intentions of FEMA, but we know we can move a whole lot faster than they can.
We simply cannot, in good conscience, allow our citizens to shiver in a tent or sweat in the sun as Washington drags its heels on housing and reimbursements.
To that end, let's create and fund a disaster contingency and relief account, that gets locals the resources they need when they need them, so they can respond immediately to storms, wildfires and other disasters.
This fund could also pay for other approaches we have pioneered, like the buses we hire to move thousands of Texans out of the path of approaching storms.
In his not so subtle way, Perry attacked D.C. Republicans on immigration, federal response to FEMA, wasteful spending, poor planning, and agreeing to a $350 billion bailout.
Simply put, the Republican Primary for Governor could be a fun, dirty race to watch. Now all we need is a qualified Democrat who can raise some money. Any takers?
I watched Rick Perry's State of the State address and was under whelmed with the lack of focus, and clearly his lack of concern, for the issues facing real Texans. No mention of the problem of out-of-control utility rates in Texas coupled with real viable solutions to address this growing problem. Nor was there any mention of the critical state of our public education system--an issue that has plagued Perry in an unfavorable way since he has been governor.
Democratic State Representative Chris Turner (HD 96) struck a nice balance of praise for what Perry did mention coupled with issuing challenges for what Perry neglected:
"I support Governor Perry's initiative to add additional border security to combat gang violence and drug trafficking, and agree with him that we should exempt more small businesses from the margins tax by raising the exemption to $1 million.
"However, I was disappointed that at a time when middle class families are struggling in this difficult economic climate, the Governor said nothing about the need to rein in high utility and insurance rates which unfairly hurt families and businesses. I was also surprised and disappointed that the Governor failed to mention the need to revamp our current school funding scheme, which has put many school districts in a financial crisis and is hurting the quality of instruction for Texas school children. I am hopeful that the Legislature, working on a bipartisan basis, will address these issues in the weeks ahead."
Turner made excellent observations from today's speech. Small business owners in Texas can not be expected to carry the weight of a business income tax in this type of economic recession. We'll see far more businesses shut down and more Texans out of work if the margin tax stays as is. A sensible increase in the exemption will help; however, the margin tax was created as an additional taxation system to help alleviate the burden of property taxes and assist with education funding. That's unfair to small business owners to say the least, but what alternatives can the legislature propose?
Turner's second observation regarding public education was also good. Perry made no substantial mention of public education solutions to address a growing problem for our state. The health of Texas, and her economy, rests on our ability to properly educate a new generation of suppliers and demanders.
The will of the state is strong, but our social safety net is weaker than ever. With constant cuts to CHIP, our state dropout rate is near 40%, the cost of tuition steadily increasing, and electricity costs climbing, our desire for a better Texas is hampered by the Republican attempt to "drown government in the tub".
Today our state is strong and resources are plentiful, but our Governor has still required all state agencies to cut their budgets by 10 - 20%. Each percent is one less kid on CHIP, less money for teachers, one more park the Governor tries to sell, or one more aquifer drained.
The legislature has been handcuffed by poor leadership and horrid public policy. The pay to play policies created by the current leaders in Texas Government has gone on to long. The laundry list of insider deals is tragic: Black Gap State Park, Trans-Texas Corridor, the HPV Vaccine.
The solutions are simple. Our legislature and voters have said they want to save our parks. Remove the cap on the sporting goods tax and appropriate the money from the specialty license plates.
Fully restore CHIP. Children's health insurance should not be a political game. Texas should make it easier for families to get on CHIP and restore the cuts this Governor has required.
We don't need to give 80% of the market to one electric company. TXU does not need 11 new plants. With current programs and funding for conservation we can meet our short term goals and spend the interim to figure out a better long term solution. The Governor's fast track means a power monopoly in Texas. If you think bills are high now, wait until the Governor has given you no other choice but TXU.
Texans were promised a check in the mail and dramatic cut in property taxes. Have either happened for the average Texan? We have the ability to do more and still fix the state's education woes. Instead of saving a nickel on property taxes OR fixing our schools, why not solve both problems. There are smart people that have solutions, let's fix the problem.
We have the money and the will to make this state better. We have committed members, agencies, and staffers. The will of the state is strong, but our Governor's policies are not. It is time for leadership not excuses. The State of the State is promising, but only if leadership prevails over corruption and cronyism.
