I accidently called her a "hottie" in a Facebook reply once, she happened to see it. lol. That was awkward because she took months and months to accept my "friend" request afterwards. lol.
Posted on 07/23/2011 1:57:55 PM PDT by AmericaTalks
There has been much buzz about the possibility that Texas Governor Rick Perry will throw his hat into the GOP presidential ring. Many conservatives and Tea Party activists see him as a very attractive and viable candidate, one who would liven up a field that seems devoid of exciting prospects.
But before Republicans start salivating too heavily, it is important to examine Perry closely. His conservative bonafides leave much to be desired.
Let's examine his record.
Prior to 1989, Rick Perry was a Democrat, who supported Al Gore for president. Perry was Gore's campaign manager in the state of Texas that year.
As Governor of Texas, Perry would have us believe he is a small government guy. But the facts say other wise.
Total spending in Texas the year he became governor in 2000 was approximately $49 billion. Last year it was approximately $90 billion. That is hardly reducing the size of government over a 10 year period.
The total debt of the state of Texas has more than doubled since he became governor. The debt to GDP ratio in Texas is 22.9% and the debt per citizen is $10,645. That's worse than California.
Perry claims he is for keeping taxes low. Not true. He has raised taxes repeatedly during his tenure as governor. Texans have higher taxes and fees than they had before he was elected.
While everyone lauded Perry's leadership by pointing to the low unemployment rate in the Lone Star State, it should be noted that 23 states have a lower unemployment rate than Texas. And Texas has the highest percentage of workers making minimum wage out of all 50 states. In 2007, 221,000 residents of Texas were making minimum wage or less. By 2010, that number had risen to 550,000.
The education system in Texas is abysmal. Barbara Bush, in an op-ed piece in the Houston Chronicle, wrote:
• 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.
What does that say about the stewardship of Rick Perry with regard to education?
Rick Perry also claims to have a tough stance on illegal immigration. But the facts indicate otherwise.
He signed the DREAM Act in 2001, giving in-state tuition to undocumented students. Perry said at the time, "We must say to every child learning in a Texas classroom, ‘We don’t care where you come from, but where you are going, and we are going to do everything we can to help you get there". This measure is similar to the one the Democrats are pushing at the federal level, one which conservatives vehemently oppose.
Perhaps the biggest issue people opposed to the nanny state should be concerned about is Perry's issuance of an executive order back 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 was in the tank with Merck. There were apparent financial connections between Merck and Perry 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.
The Texas legislature put the kibosh on that idea by crafting a bill that overturned the executive order.
Subsequently, very serious safety issues with the vaccine came to light. The biggest problem with regard to the Gardasil issue was that Perry appeared to be condoning premarital sex, or at least assuming that middle school girls were going to be engaging in sexual activity, which is the only way that the cervical cancer that the vaccine prevents can be contracted. Many parents and conservatives were justifiably outraged.
When one takes into account these facts about Rick Perry, the only conclusion that can be reached is that Perry is for the expansion of government and its intrusion into our lives.
On Perry's possible run for the White House? No thanks. I think I'll pass.
Listen to America Talks Monday through Friday at 6 pm Eastern Time and Saturdays at 9 am Eastern Time on www.blogtalkradio.com/americatalks and at www.americatalks.com.
Good grief!! You’d rather have Obama? This is NUTS!!
This is a nice 2005 quote at a speech at a Cristian school, but it does not answer my question as to how his policies have responded to the issues I raised. I suspect he has made speeches against taxes, debts and budget increases, but if the article is accurate, then speeches against them would not count if made.
I accidently called her a "hottie" in a Facebook reply once, she happened to see it. lol. That was awkward because she took months and months to accept my "friend" request afterwards. lol.
I thought it was interesting the way the GOP tossed Sarah Palin overboard in their attempt to get her and Rick Perry included in the Iowa straw poll.
They tried with both of them and when that didn’t work they tried with Perry but didn’t do the same with Palin by herself.
Beware the GOP establishment, their loyalty is a one way street.
When Perry supported Al Gore in 1988-89, Al Gore was extremely pro-life and ran as a conservative Democrat, which was the case for the majority of politicians in Texas back then.
Good deal. We can’t give these clowns a break.
He has maintained the level of spending over the part of the budget the state controls. The federally-mandated part has ballooned. This article is pretty thin gruel.
I’d watch who I called a “goon” if I were you.
The Amercian Conservative Union lists Al Gore pro abortion votes when he was senator in the 80's.
Shall I list them for you?
While we are in the process of discussing which of our candidates would make a good President, let's just keep everything about them a secret so the RATS have no talking points.
Let's do what the RATS do & back anyone with a good or bad record & praise them to high heaven.
If facts back up his or her disgusting record - please don't discuss it!! Act like it's not true.
I'm worried that he's a globalist and a transnationalist, though, and if that proves to be true it's a dealbreaker for me.
If Sarah supports him, I guess that will be good enough for me.
No he's NOT. He says let the states decide. Plain and to the point.
Just imagine if many more things were put in the hands of each state. We would have less abortion, unions, taxes, seizure of firearms etc....
I think it should be the Conservative motto.
He supported and signed into law the most conservative parental consent law for abortions in all 50 states. He walks the talk.
Yeah, I don’t have a problem with his stance on gay marriage. The Merck deal and the land grab for the Spanish company are much more troublesome to me. It shows he is for sale and cannot be trusted. Don’t get me wrong, he would be better than Zero, but he is still a crony capitalist. Then again, anyone who can raise that kind of money probably is as well.
REAGAN WAS A DEMOCRAT
Al Gore used to be pro-life.
Classless remark. Folks are raising criticisms of Perry just like you raised criticisms of Palin. You should be one of the last people to complain about such things.
Add to that your insistence that Perry is running while Palin is not. Both currently aren't running right now. Both most like will enter shortly.
Being from Texas means you have the advantage of a right to work state with no income tax. Even a Dem has trouble messing that up. We have the most jobs mostly because we are Texas, not because Perry has some secret formula. The media may even like him because he is so weak in some conservative areas. They like milquetoast Repubs that have wavering convictions. He became real popular here when he started talking about seceding from the union, but then later said it was hyperbole. The left makes that out to be wacko stuff, but rank and file Texans pretty much have that in the back of their minds every time they oil the triggers of their AR15's. They have been told all their life we have enough oil to join OPEC and our economy would be about 15th in the world. If we brought our boys home from the Nat Guard and military, we would have a formidable standing army. Perry likes the Dream Act, forcing kids to get sex vaccinations, the Texas Corridor, and many more boondoggle projects that just don't fit with most conservatives.
All will come out I'm sure if he starts to really challenge Obama.
Please check him out before you send money. We can do better.
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