There’s been an email going around with out and out lies about the Texas economy and half truths or lies about our Governor Perry.I worked on this last weekend, sitting up most of Sunday night and rechecking my facts and numbers this morning.
Here’s the truth:
To everyone thinking about Rick Perry for President:
#1 Rick Perry is a “big government” politician. When Rick Perry became the governor of Texas in 2000, the total spending by the Texas state government was approximately $49 billion. Ten years later it was approximately $90 billion. That is not exactly reducing the size of government.
During that same period, Texas’ population increased by about 20% ( and we grow 1000 – 1300 people a day from people moving in from all over the US) and aggregate inflation over that period was about 25%. So the actual growth of government was 39% over 10 years, or less than 3% per year.
#2 The debt of the state of Texas is out of control. According to usdebtclock.org, the debt to GDP ratio in Texas is 22.9% and the debt per citizen is $10,645. In California (a total financial basket case), the debt to GDP ratio is just 18.7% and the debt per citizen is only $9932. If Rick Perry runs for presi dent these are numbers he will want to keep well hidden.
These are completely false numbers. In fact, Texas received a credit upgrade this week.
Go to the US Debt Clock Website or Texas’ Debt Clock. I checked this morning, August 16, 2011, in order to make sure I had the correct numbers: Texas has a debt to GDP ratio of 18.5% and a debt per person of $8345 – down from last week’s $8930.
The truth is that Texas is second lowest State in debt compared to personal income. Half our our debt is bonds voted on by the People at election time. The other half is mostly “self-supported debt” – like student loans – that is paid off when people pay interest on the loans. Texas has decreased “non-self-supported debt” by 16%.
More here: http://www.willisms.com/archives/2011/08/texas_interest.html
#3 The total debt of the Texas government has more than doubled http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2010/mar/04/bill-white/white-says-texas-debt-has-doubled-under-perry/ since Rick Perry became governor. So what would the U.S. national debt look like after four (or eight) years of Rick Perry?
The “more than doubled” number includes city, county, and school districts — not just State debt. See # 2 and the link that notes that the People voted to allow TXDOT to borrow money (Bonds) in 2001 and voted to sell bonds for the creation of the Texas Cancer Prevention and Research Institute. Everyone should quit voting for more debt when those amendments come up at election time!
#4 Rick Perry has spearheaded the effort to lease roads in Texas to foreign companies, to turn roads that are already free to drive on into toll roads, and to develop the Trans-Texas Corridor which would be part of the planned NAFTA superhighway system. If you really do deep research on this whole Trans-Texas Corridor nonsense you will see why no American should ever cast a single vote for Rick Perry.
The Legislature stopped the above, Perry signed the Bill. But, the Legislature introduced Regional Mobility Authorities, etc., which can make these deals. It was on the ballot and the People of Texas voted to pass the Constitutional Amendment to allow borrowing in the form of bonds in 2001.
Perry put SB 18, a bill to protect private property rights from the misuse of eminent domain, on his “Emergency” fast track this year and signed the Bill into law at the first Regular Session. That law limits the use of eminent domain to public use, requires a formal “bona fide offer” process, mandates a market price and allows the original owner to buy the land back in 10 years for the LESSER of either the original price or the current market price if it’s not used for the stated purpose.
#5 Rick Perry claims that he has a “track record” of not raising taxes. That is a false claim. Rick Perry has repeatedly raised taxes and fees while he has been governor. Today, Texans are faced with significantly higher taxes and fees than they were before Rick Perry was elected.
These are cigarette taxes, user fees, etc. that were raised when the school property tax was lowered in 2006.
#6 Even with the oil boom in Texas, 23 states have a lower unemployment rate than Texas does.
And 26 States have higher rates!
We are increasing jobs faster than most and have produced more NEW jobs than all the other States put together.
Our unemployment rate is impacted by our illegal immigrants and legal immigrants. 1000 people come in legally each day. If the rest of the US were adding jobs at the rate that Texas is, the US unemployment rate would be 7.9%.
#7 Back in 1988, Rick Perry supported Al Gore for president. In fact, Rick Perry actually served as Al Gore’s campaign chairman in the state of Texas that year.
Al Gore was Pro-life, Pro-marriage, and Pro-Israel in 1988 – he got most of his grief in that race from opponents backing Jesse Jackson because he was Pro-Israel.
Governor Perry’s dad was a Democratic County Commissioner. Governor Perry said in 1985 that he was going to make the Democrats move right. By 1989, he changed Parties. His home County still voted Democrat in 2006.
#8 Between December 2007 and April 2011, weekly wages in the U.S. increased by about 5 percent. In the state of Texas they increased by just 0.6% over that same time period.
Texas’ annual wages have grown significantly faster than other big States. We didn’t lose jobs in the first place.
The false number proves that there’s lies, darned lies and statistics. (That, and don’t use Rachel Maddow for your source.) It costs less to live here, too.
#9 Texas now has one of the worst education systems in the nation. The following is from an opinion piece that was actually authored by Barbara Bush earlier this year….
• We rank 36th in the nation in high school graduation rates. An estimated 3.8 million Texans do not have a high school diploma. • We rank 49th in verbal SAT scores, 47th in literacy and 46th in average math SAT scores. • We rank 33rd in the nation on teacher salaries.
These numbers are useless without telling us what the same numbers were before 2000. Are we better or worse than we were?
They are strongly influenced by the poor performance of the school districts in the inner cities of Houston, Dallas, and El Paso, plus our border areas. It’s aggravated by the illegal aliens that are unstable or just through the State.
#10 Rick Perry attended the Bilderberg Group meetings in 2007. Associating himself with that organization should be a red flag for all American voters.
Governor Perry was invited to speak as the Governor of the State of Texas, which would be the 17th largest economy if we were an independent Nation.
On the other hand, Margaret Thatcher was a member.
#11 Texas has the highest percentage of workers making minimum wage out of all 50 states.
At least they’re working and not on unemployment!
Our job force and our job numbers are growing much faster than the rest of the Nation.
#12 Rick Perry often gives speeches about illegal immigration, but when you look at the facts, he has been incredibly soft on the issue. If Rick Perry does not plan to secure the border, then he should not be president because illegal immigration is absolutely devastating many areas of the southwest United States.
Governor Rick Perry is for border control and has the record to prove it:
Governor Perry has always advocated for “boots on the ground” at the border, but has been unable to get the Feds to send the manpower. He’s advocated letting the military practice the use of unmanned Predator aircraft along our border (“They’ve gotta practice somewhere.”)
There are National Guard troops on the Border. Perry has repeatedly asked for more and recently won approval for the 1200 (we only got about 250) that have been deployed to stay longer. Read this news report from a year ago.
As a direct result of the Governor alerting the Texas Republican Congressman about Obama’s plan to remove the National Guard after less than 6 months, we’ll have them longer. News report, here, from last month about the extension.
More, here http://www.freerepublic.com/%5Ehttps://wingright.org/2011/08/06/perry-palin-fish-or-cut-bait/
Watch and listen to Governor Perry talking with Greta van Susteren about the border. boots on the ground, and the problems with the fence. (You can see and hear the Texas Ranger helicopters in the background.)
He created the Ranger Recon force, sending 150 Texas Rangers (one riot, one Ranger) to the border along with helicopters and Texas Guardsmen. He demanded and got National Guard and two unmanned drones. He got the National Guard deployment extended beyond the original 6 months.
Unfortunately, Texas only got 1/4 of the Guardsmen and 2/8 of the drones.
Texas (with our costs from the ICE detention center detainees being dumped in the State by Homeland security, support of Katrina refugees, our natural disasters like Ike, wildfires, and tornadoes) is expected to pay for our own Guard if we want them here after September.
Texas has spent $200 million a year on the cost of jailing illegal aliens that the feds bring here. We’ve spent $79 million of our own Texas tax funds on troops, helicopters.
The Legislature refused to fund his virtual border, so he used money from the Governor’s discretionary fund. In some cases, local sheriffs and cities refused to cooperate.
Here’s an article from January of this year showing resistance from border Sheriff Wiles.
#13 In 2007, 221,000 residents of Texas were making minimum wage or less. By 2010, that number had risen to 550,000.
More Rachel Maddow. AT LEAST THEY’RE WORKING!!!
Do you want the Federal Government to raise minimum salary, again? Or how about a Chicago-style “living wage” requirement that runs businesses out?
#14 Rick Perry actually issued an executive order in 2007 that would have forced almost every single girl in the state of Texas to receive the Gardasil vaccine before entering the sixth grade. Perry would have put parents in a position where they would have had to fill out an application and beg the government not to inject their child with a highly controversial vaccine. Since then, very serious safety issues regarding this vaccine have come to light. Fortunately, lawmakers in Texas blocked what Perry was trying to do. According to Wikipedia, many were troubled when “apparent financial connections between Merck and Perry were reported by news outlets, such as a $6,000 campaign contribution and Merck’s hiring of former Perry Chief of Staff Mike Toomey to handle its Texas lobbying work.”
Gardasil is a good vaccine. The truth, is that the Legislature had already imposed mandates and had made it harder to opt out in the prior session. Governor Perry made it easier.
According to a complete review by the CDC and the FDA, is that there have been no Deaths due to the vaccine.
I’ve covered this subject in an earlier review at this blog.
(Edited 8/17/11 for formatting and a couple of typos. Hopefully, it’s easier to read. My answers should be in red.)
WingRight 
WHY IS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION NOT A FELONY?
In foreign nations including Mexico, anybody who is apprehended without the right papers are subject to a felony offense. AMERICAN CITIZENS SHOULD ASK THIS QUESTION OF US? Doesn’t it seem strange that illegal immigration in to the United States is a civil offense? Contact your Senator and Congressman-women and demand as a voter, that entry into this sovereign nation be classed as a felony. Common sense says that foreign nationals will ideally not take the chance of this serious offense and stay in their own country. To me this has been an intentional act by either political party to push their own agendas, in allowing nationals to enter without any recourse that might place them in prison, instead of a short stay at a detention facility before deportation.
Entering this country lacking papers is a violation of federal criminal statutes and individuals who do it can be imprisoned for several months, until deported. Years of U.S. administrations habitually prefer to avoid the court expenditures of prosecution by letting nationals depart voluntarily. As for people protesting, if their fingerprints are by now in a federal database, it can be compared with those taken in State through local levels. Then if that person is already in the agencies data-base, then they are there because they’ve spent their day in immigration court and have an order to be deported, or have returned after being deported. For those returnees, the criminal system offers zero-tolerance policies and should be imprisoned. Nationwide there are more than 600,000 immigration fugitives–people who have already had due process and have been ordered deported, but remained after the judge’s order.
The more the foreign nationals demonstrate, the more they are reviled. Americans have no value for the millions who have contempt for our laws. There is no such thing as law-abiding illegal migrant or immigrant? They are an illegal alien and should be treated as such. These people arrived here illegally and then by law, we are forced to financially pamper them. They then work with forged or stolen ID’s, drive without licenses or insurance and behind Americas back, collect different welfare assistance. Those who do play the tax system rules who apply for a tax IRS ITIN number in the majority of cases as low income earners, they receive the whole amount returned in tax rebates.
S-Comm or Secure Communities is only enforced after a foreigner is arrested and his fingerprints are checked. If he has been arrested before for re-entry or a criminal activity, it means he/she have committed a further violation. Another very efficient tool is the E-Verify program that is an aid for businesses to verify a person’s right to work status. Not perfected yet, but it is being continually upgraded by Homeland Security and the Social Security administration, with the possibility of cross-referencing nationwide drivers license photographs in the near future.
As I have been afraid to admit, a national ID card would be a ruthless deterrent, to close every loophole of illegal immigration. No non-counterfeit ID card—No Drivers License, No insurance, No Free Health Care, No Education and for certain NO welfare or public services. In other words No Nothing! In addition it will make the Mexican Consulates “Matricula Consular,” ID card for illegal aliens—OBSOLETE. This document is supposedly an official identity card issued by the Mexican government, which it wanted to be officially recognized within the United States. An ID card could be also issued to seasonal labor, which contains an expiring date. In addition, farmers must pay for the education and health care of the farm workers family, instead of adding it to the taxpayer’s burden—that we financially carry now. Like developed nations every foreign national must register with a immigration agency, so they can be tracked in our country.
In 2005, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that up to 3 percent of the 30,000 persons called for jury duty from voter registration rolls in one state, the U.S. district court revealed were non-citizens. Although this number may not seem like many, just 3 percent of registered voters would have been more than adequate to provide the winning presiden¬tial vote margin in Florida in 2000. Florida is not exclusive. Thousands of non-citizens are registered to vote in different states and tens if not hundreds of thousands, or maybe even millions in total possibly at hand on the voter rolls countrywide. These types of numbers are significant as n municipal elections the fallout could often be determined by only a handful of votes, and even general elections have likely been compromised within the margin of the number of non-citizens–ille¬gally registered to vote. Those who ignore the consequences of non-citizen registration, using fraudulent “Absentee Ballots” and voting either are deliberately blind to this severe problem or may essentially support this form of illegal voting.
Election officials have a sworn duty not only to enforce those laws, but also to execute the registra¬tion and election processes, not allowing those laws to be bypassed or disregarded. As the 2012 presidential election is perhaps of historical significance, we as citizens must safeguard our Constitutional right, to ensure no non-citizens change this avenue towards the presidency through fraudulent means. There are many facts to be found, not Liberal lies at NumbersUSA, FAIR, and Judicial Watch.
Only Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota has a zero-tolerance policy, if she becomes the President of these United States as graded by NumbersUSA. Herman Cain, would come in second as he like Bachmann, would cut off all public welfare and ensure the borders are protected with the military. Both would eliminate AMNESTY and only highly skilled workers would be welcome in this nation. NO more Immigration Reforms, No Sanctuary Cities and States, No Dream Acts. I dare you to go home and protests in your streets, where you were born?
Join the TEA PARTY membership that has become a huge pressure group of tens of millions of equally minded Americans from all ethnic and secular backgrounds, political parties, no matter what the unsympathetic activists conclude? The TEA PARTY members contribute to a focused viewpoint of limiting government, personal freedoms, personal responsibility, “fair” free international trade treaties and above all else consigning control to the States and the people. The TEA PARTY has the initiative to enact a “FLAT TAX LAW” instead of the corruption that favors many, who pay no tax at all. The TEA PARTY is about reforming all political parties and being in charge of the primary principles of our Constitution, once again retaining the foundation of which this sovereign nation has stood for 225 years. As it is, Senator Harry Reid, a dye hard Liberal says, “The Tea Party will pass?” The fool has no conception that the Tea Party–IS–the American people.
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Posted by Dave Francis | August 16, 2011, 9:16 PMI agree. Laws should be enforced or gotten rid of. I’ve often said that if there’s amnesty for illegal aliens, I want my free felony, too – that felony to be named at a later date.
However, the feds won’t let us identify and deport families whose kids are enrolled in our schools. For the kids who graduate after 3 years in our high school, and who get admitted to college, I agree with the limited concession to allow them to pay in state tuition.
What we ought to be fighting is the “set backs,” the 20% of all State tuition that goes to low income aid. There is no way that these set backs should exist and there certainly should be no way for them to be awarded to illegal aliens.
Let the people who want to make changes in our nation donate money toward the illegal alien tuition or let the families borrow money like so many of us did in order to go to college.
Posted by bnuckols | August 17, 2011, 11:57 AM