So, Rick Perry wants to tout his record as governor of Texas, does he? He wants to ride his record there all the way to the White House? He might want to re-think that position. He’s the guy who hates the federal government so much that he grabbed $16 billion of the Obama stimulus money and still couldn’t balance the books. At last check, Texas had a budget deficit of $26 billion and a government that is trapped in the “no tax increases” absurdity.
At the same time that Rick Perry complained that the federal government wasn’t doing enough to help Texas with its wildfires, he failed to mention that the Texas legislature had cut state money for fighting fires by 30 percent at the same time that Texas received more federal fire grant money than any other state.
The public education system in Texas has seen budget cuts so draconian that they sparked protests by thousands of citizens in Austin. Perry’s proposed solution to his budget mess could mean the layoff of up to one-third of all Texas teachers.
Statistics from the recent census won’t be something we will hear Perry brag about in a debate. Over 26% of Texans live in poverty. The same percentage of workers in the state have no health insurance. Texas, the birthplace of No Child Left Behind, has more people over the age of 25 without a high school diploma than any other state. While Perry brags about the “Texas miracle,” he doesn’t want us to know that his state ranks 47th in median household wealth. Or, that it is the worst of the 50 states in prenatal care.
That’s the record of the leading contender for the Republican nomination. If I were an official in the Obama campaign, I would be loving the thought of running against the shameful record Rick Perry has compiled in Texas. Bring it on!
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