The Perry Post

Gov. Rick Perry's big donors fare well in Texas

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:12:05 -0400

Gov. Rick Perry's big donors fare well in Texas:

Reporting from Washington— Texas Gov. Rick Perry has powered his political career on the largesse of donors like Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons, who gave the governor $1.12 million in recent years.

And donors like Simmons have found the rewards to be mutual, reaping benefits from Texas during Perry’s tenure.

Perry has received a total of $37 million over the last decade from just 150 individuals and couples, who are likely to form the backbone of his new effort to win the Republican presidential nomination. The tally represented more than a third of the $102 million he had raised as governor through December, according to data compiled by the watchdog group Texans for Public Justice.

Nearly half of those mega-donors received hefty business contracts, tax breaks or appointments under Perry, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis.

Ten reasons why the Texas economy is growing that have nothing to do with Rick Perry

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 22:59:17 -0400

Ten reasons why the Texas economy is growing that have nothing to do with Rick Perry:

Ten reasons why the Texas economy is growing that have nothing to do with Rick Perry

Rick Perry may credit much of Texas’ recent economic success to the low-regulation, small-government philosophy he has espoused, but some economists say that the governor’s policies aren’t the only (or even the primary) reason for Texas’ economic health.

On the plus side, the Dallas Federal Reserve notes that Texas entered the Great Recession late and came out of it early, with job growth standing at 2 percent for 2010 and an expected 3 to 4 percent for 2011. And of the 496,000 jobs added to the U.S. economy between fall 2009 and spring 2011, more than half of that job growth came from Texas — a finding Perry has bragged about recently.

Rick Perry has credited Texas’ job growth and economic success to its business-friendly policies, but economists say cyclical factors could also account for the state’s successes. (AP photo)

On the other hand, Texas’ unemployment has remained stubbornly high. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the state’s jobless rate increased from 8.1 percent in 2010 to 8.2 percentin June, while the unemployment rate in nearby states remained lower or dropped. And many of the new jobs in Texas have been government and low-wage positions.

Rick Perry strength and weakness: Jobs

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:44:59 -0400

Rick Perry strength and weakness: Jobs:

David Frum of CNN

First Reading: The Texas unemployment rate in context

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:54:44 -0400

First Reading: The Texas unemployment rate in context:

Texas is a fast-growing state, so many jobs are being added even as the unemployment rate is not moving. And those are the numbers that are helping Gov. Rick Perry as he moves toward a presidential campaign. From the Washington Times this morning: “The former governors in the GOP presidential field tout their political accomplishments as proof they can lead the nation out of the economic doldrums, but when it comes to actual job numbers, the trio doesn’t hold a candle to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has emerged in recent polls as a strong conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. On Mr. Perry’s watch, which stretches back to December 2000 when he took the reins from then-President-elect George W. Bush, the Lone Star State has enjoyed a 11 percent increase in overall employment, adding more than 1 million jobs, according to an analysis by The Washington Times of seasonally adjusted employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

The Truth About Rick Perry and Jobs

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:16:07 -0400

The Truth About Rick Perry and Jobs:

When (not if, but when) Rick Perry declares his candidacy for President, he will try to run on his jobs record. He will position himself as the state executive who created more jobs in his state than any other governor. His record will be indisputable in terms of numbers. It’s only when you look closer at how those jobs were created, and under what conditions, that the entire argument falls apart.

The New “Texas Miracle”? GOP pushing questionable Pery jobs meme

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:11:37 -0400

The New “Texas Miracle”? GOP pushing questionable Pery jobs meme:

Perry’s “Miracle” numbers rely on a few factors:

o More people (17.6% vs 16.9%) work for the government in Texas than at the Federal level.

o Texas added 25% more government jobs in the month of May than the prior 12 months combined.

o When you eliminate “migrant farm workers” and kids working Summer jobs (ie: short term employment) jobs from Perry’s “miracle”, his percentage plummets to under 20%.

o When you break that percentage down, close to 40% of the jobs added in the past two years have been minimum wage with no benefits.

o Texas leads the nation in the number of uninsured workers.

Thank you. – Mugsy.)

In 2000, “The Texas Miracle” was what the GOP called Governor George W. Bush’s (false) record on education, claiming that increased testing led to higher test scores and lower dropout rates. In 2011, the GOP has pulled the phrase out of mothballs, applying it this time to Gov. Rick Perry’s “job creation record”, priming the pump for a possible Presidential run, only this time, “the miracle” isn’t “education”, it’s a claim that “37% of all new jobs created in the U.S. over the past two years were created in Texas.” Fox ”news” Sunday repeated the claim on their show yesterday:

Be Wary of Rick Perry

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:14:54 -0400

Be Wary of Rick Perry:

In 1988 Perry was Al Gore’s Democrat Chairman in Texas. He was a Democrat until 1989.

14 Reasons Why We Should Reject Rick Perry For President

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:02:31 -0400

14 Reasons Why We Should Reject Rick Perry For President:

Supporters of Texas Governor Rick Perry are not going to like this article at all. Right now, Republicans all over the United States are touting Rick Perry as the “Republican messiah” that is going to come charging in to save America from the presidency of Barack Obama. Many believe that if Rick Perry enters the race, he will instantly become the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Perry certainly looks the part and he knows how to give a good speech, but when ordinary Americans all over the country take a hard look at his record, they may not like what they see. The truth is that Rick Perry is a big-time globalist, he has raised taxes and fees in Texas numerous times, he has massively increased the size of government spending and government debt in Texas, he has been trying to ram the Trans-Texas Corridor down the throats of the Texas people and he tried to force young women all over Texas to be injected with the Gardasil vaccine. No, Rick Perry is not going to save America. In fact, he would likely be very, very similar to both Bush and Obama in a lot of ways.

Rick Perry bans guns! (From prayer festival)

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 03:17:51 -0400

Rick Perry bans guns! (From prayer festival):

Why doesn’t Rick Perry respect the Second Amendment rights of his constituents? The Texas governor and possible 2012 candidate is having a huge prayer-and-fasting party at Reliant Stadium in Houston, and despite the governor’s avowed support for the right of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves with firearms, guns will not be allowed at “The Response.” Reliant Stadium apparently has a blanket ban on “weapons,” as if a handgun were a common cigarette or outside beverage. A Perry constituent asked about bringing his licensed concealed weapon to the prayer festival, and received this response from event organizers:

Rick Perry's non-candidacy working well for him

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:58:28 -0400

Rick Perry's non-candidacy working well for him:

Life as a candidate-in-waiting has been pretty good to Gov. Rick Perry over the past couple of weeks.

Just about every sign points toward a Perry campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, but his advisers say he is still weighing whether to run, so let’s assume for now that he actually is undecided. Several stories and trends over the past couple of weeks have shown just how much space there is for Perry in the race.

Taking a Look at the Governor, Back When He Was a Democrat

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:31:35 -0400

Taking a Look at the Governor, Back When He Was a Democrat:

Linked from Drudgereport.com

Gov. Rick Perry, a no-apologies conservative known for slashing government spending and opposing all tax increases, is about as Republican as you can get.

But that was not always the case.

Mr. Perry spent his first six years in politics as a Democrat, in a somewhat forgotten history that is sure to be revived and scrutinized by Republican opponents if he decides to run for president.

A raging liberal he was not. Elected to represent a slice of rural West Texas in the State House in 1984, Mr. Perry, a young rancher and former Air Force pilot from Paint Creek, about 60 miles north of Abilene, gained an early reputation as a fiscal conservative. He was one of a handful of freshman “pit bulls,” so named because they sat in the lower pit of the House Appropriations Committee, where they fought to keep spending low.

Groups files lawsuit to stop Perry prayer day

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:05:21 -0400

Groups files lawsuit to stop Perry prayer day :

AUSTIN, Texas — The Freedom from Religion Foundation has filed a federal lawsuit to stop the Texas governor’s day of prayer and fasting.

The organization which is made up of atheists and agnostics argues that Gov. Rick Perry is violating the constitutional ban on the government establishing a religion.

Perry has invited the Obama administration, the nation’s governors and Texas lawmakers to attend the prayer meeting in Houston on Aug. 6. The event is being sponsored by evangelical Christian groups and is explicitly a Christian event.

Texas' debt growing at faster rate than federal government's

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:08:45 -0400

Texas' debt growing at faster rate than federal government's:

For all the controversy over the national debt ceiling, here’s a surprise: Since 2001, the debt load in conservative Texas has grown faster than the federal debt.

Texas has been borrowing more than most other states, too. And local entities, from cities to school districts to transit authorities, have been piling up even more debt.

From 2001 to 2010, state debt alone grew from $13.4 billion to $37.8 billion, according to the Texas Bond Review Board. That’s an increase of 281 percent. Over the same time, the national debt rose almost 234 percent, with two wars, two tax cuts and stimulus spending.

WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO VISIT ON YOUR PLANET?

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:06:51 -0400

Turkey

Rick Perry invites public to day of prayer and fasting

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:46:30 -0400

Rick Perry invites public to day of prayer and fasting:

Gov. Rick Perry has released a video invitation to The Response, a national day of prayer and fasting event scheduled to take place Aug. 6 in Houston at Reliant Stadium.

In the video, the governor encourages people to pray and fast “like Jesus did” for the nation’s problems, to ask for forgiveness, and to “make plans to be part of something even bigger than Texas.”

So far, organizers report 6,000 individuals have registered for the event, which is being organized by the controversial American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Miss. While the event is billed as an “apolitical Christian prayer meeting,” AFA’s involvement has drawn significant criticism from the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center and theCouncil on Islamic-American Relations.

Rick Perry, Texas Economy and the Drug Trade

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:55:00 -0400

Rick Perry, Texas Economy and the Drug Trade:

Texas is a jobs monster. Over the past two years, 37 percent of the net new jobs in the country were created in the state, a track record that governor and maybe GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry is quick to tout. He credits his conservative, pro-business policies; skeptics say it’s mainly owed to immigration and the high prices the state is getting for its oil. But there’s another possible contributor to Texas’s growth that no one is talking about: the drug trade.

Closer look shows Texas path to jobs may not be best.

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:15:00 -0400

Closer look shows Texas path to jobs may not be best.:

t’s easy to be charmed by Texas, but it would be a mistake to think the state might serve as a national model. Texas created almost 250,000 jobs in the past two years, nearly as many as the other 49 states combined. Texas leaders, including Republican Governor Rick Perry, credit that success to low taxes and a business-friendly regulatory approach.

Yes and no. Those factors played a role. To a sizable degree, however, the state’s booming payrolls are the result of hard-to-duplicate factors, such as a fast-growing population, and unusually low wages.

Rick Perry: A jobs Wizard?

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:35:46 -0400

Rick Perry: A jobs Wizard?:

While the state’s property taxes may be higher than in other states, Hamermesh said the lack of an income tax and lower rates for other taxes contribute to poor public services.

Liberal Austin booms while Conservative Perry takes credit.

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:29:38 -0400

Liberal Austin booms while Conservative Perry takes credit.:

Many of our top performers are not surprising. No. 1 Austin, Texas, and No. 2 Raleigh, N.C., have it all demographically: high rates of immigration and migration of educated workers and healthy increases in population and number of children. They are also economic superstars, with job-creation records among the best in the nation.

Rick Perry has the hair but does he have record?

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:01:33 -0400

Rick Perry has the hair but does he have record?:

Whether basing the governor’s presidential potential on his resemblance to actor Bruce Greenwood (who portrayed the president in two films) or making passing references to his tresses and “rugged good looks,” a number of media outlets are discussing Perry’s style in the same sentence as his stances. And they may not be wrong to do so.

“People systematically prefer the handsomer candidate or the better-looking candidate,” said Steven E. Schier, a political science professor at Minnesota’s Carleton College.