Bogus "14 Reasons" - Here's the truth

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:

#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 president 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%.

#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.

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.

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.

#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.

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/%5Ehttp://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.

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.

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, according to a complete review by the CDC and the FDA, is that there have been no Deaths due to the vaccine.

Perry’s spending record looks good compared to states like Illinois, but it isn’t strongly conservative.

Well, let's look at that contention.

Per capita spending went from $2109 in 2000 to $3197 in 2010, an increase of 51.5%. But combined population and inflation in Texas increased 39% during that period, leaving a "real" increase in per capita spending of 12.5%, or an increase of 1.25% per year.

The per capita debt of the state of Texas went from $918 in 2000 to $1086 in 2010, an increase of 18.3%, When you take into consideration population and inflation, you have a decrease of 20.7%, or an annual decrease of 2.07%.

During the same period, the state GDP grew by 56.1%, so GDP grew faster than state spending.

By the way, state spending in Alaska was $8900 per capita in 2000, and was $13363 per capita in 2010 - more than 4 times the per capita spending by Texas. And the state debt for Alaska was $6614 per capita in 2000 and was $9333 per capita in 2010 - more than three times the per capita debt of Texas. Is that one of the conservative states you were thinking of?

Let's just look at who and what was taught in just one Texas school:

A presentation by two female representatives.... ‘of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’... that students at the Friendswood Junior High School were forced to attend for two weeks.

“The specific details, as we were given by the students, included teachings that Adam, Noah, and Jesus were all prophets like Mohammed; the basic tenets of Islam; the process of how to pray five times a day; again, the pillars of Islam. These were specific, religious instructions,” .....This was Islamic teaching,”.....”That was the issue that, obviously, raised great concern. This was forced religious instruction and Islamic ... INDOCTRINATION.

Rick Perry's dangerous Muslim compromise http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=333701#ixzz1VDxeIVeB

If you go to the ICI site and investigate further will find their mission and vision tie in exactly with the Islamic push to dominate the US. The minaret represents A countries submission to Islam in the Islamic Political agenda. Also that they are importing Muslim children from Bosnia, Somalia etc. thru their refuge program and teaching them Islamic doctrine.

And that is the place Perry set the first brick in to build! Islamic Community Centers vision:

“To become the Minaret of Islam in the West”

It is odd that perry supporters will insult, disparage, flame, and make excuses for literally everything perry has done, but when islam is mentioned, everybody runs for the hills.

That's becuase most haven't or refuse to see what his affiliation is about...and what the Islamic Center he put his thumbprint on actually does.....or about those classes he insisted be taught in the schools actually taught.

Imagine how most parents would react if "CAIR" instructors were being brought in to teach our children about Islam. Which is what happened.

Also in reading about the ICU activities...their refuge program brings muslim kids here from Bosnia, Somlia and other countries... teaching them of Islam rather than assimulating to America culture.

These Mosques and Islamic religious centers are the 'Rikers Island" for Muslims and Muslim wwanna-be's... coming into this country. Rather than allow Muslims to assimulate they are intercepting them to keep them on the Islamic track and agenda so that they do not become Americans but retain their nationality within our country. It is another means by importing them to increase their numbers in our country....all under the "mask" of community social services.

>>But they infect other people -- including those who do get vaccinated<<

The principle objective of a vaccine is to “immunize”. If those who get the vaccine are immunized against the affects of a disease then only those who do not get the vaccine are affected and suffer the consequences. Your assertion that you or the government need to force the “collective good” on people less “sensible then you or I” is rather condescending and rather scary. That attitude in the past has led to some rather evil results. Personal responsibility demands that we allow people to fail or succeed. Allowing people to avoid personal responsibility is unkind and leads to the development of an attitude of dependence that demeans that individuals self worth.

>>preventing epidemics is a traditional, core governmental function<<

Would you please direct me to the part of the constitution or amendments that address your support for the “core governmental function” to force people to be vaccinated?

Constitutional answer on involuntary immunizations discussed at length in Jacobsen v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905), written by Harlan, a Republican justice. There is really no question about this, you can read all about it there if you're so inclined.

You're wrong about the "only unvaccinated people get sick" idea - as I noted in my previous post. You need to look into the phenomenon of "herd immunity". There's a critical mass point necessary for immunity to function for the whole population. Below that point, even those who are vaccinated can be infected. Although the course of the disease is usually less severe, it can still have negative consequences.

I had a recent bout with whooping cough, because the modern immunization throws that in with the tetanus - which is good for ten years - but immunity for the pertussis declines in around 4-5. I was approaching 10 years and it nailed me. I was never likely to die of it but I was a very unhappy camper for 6 weeks. My internist told me there is a "mini-epidemic" of pertussis among adults for this reason. So now it will be Tdap booster every 5 years or so, which is not a bad idea for me anyway since I spend so much time around horses and dogs.

Can’t find the other thread...but there are many out there now on Perry...FR is being slammed with them now he’s declared. And his supporters will continue to do so i imagine.

It’s very discouraging seeing so many blindly get on Perry’s bandwagon before they look further on what he’s really about. It’s no longer about who the best candidate is...it’s about defeating Obama only...and just like in Egypt they thought they’d be getting a better deal...and now the Muslim Brotherhood is taking over.

Perry began with a somewhat bloated state government, courtesy of George Bush and his D mentor, Bob Bullock. So: 1. we should have had some real cuts at the beginning of Perry’s first term and 2. there is no reason why spending needs to track population growth and inflation.

Because you ignored the second point, which I made previously, consider Texas DMV. In 2001 maintaining “current services” could have been accomplished by expanding the ranks of DMV drones and giving them colas. Alternatively, license renewal and other functions could have been put on line, thereby providing better service than the 2001 “current services” and at a small fraction of the cost of the old DMV “service” model. In recent years DMV has migrated to the net.

There are many other areas in which genuine government services (there aren’t many) could have been maintained or improved while cutting costs, not to mention eliminating entire departments and commissions. Even more important, however, was controlling the border and getting rid of illegals, who are bankrupting hopspitals and causing welfare expenditures to soar. Perry has been very bad on immigration and has not been willing to fight to shrink the bloated government that Austin has created. The reason? Spending has constituencies, and Perry hasn’t been willing to fight.

Texas has too much debt, but that really isn’t Perry’s fault, although I don’t remember Perry ever campaigning against bonds.

In any event, any way you look at it, Perry’s spending record is not strongly conservative.

I don’t care about Alaska - I am not holding up Palin as perfect candidate. In fact, I might prefer Perry to Palin, if she ever decides to get in the race.

Your reasons to #4 are garbage. Perry introduced the Trans-Texas Corridor and thank God the legislature did stop it. Your excuse is that the legislature stopped it but you giving Perry credit is BS. He was well on his way to taking land from all kinds of people with his pro-Mexican corridor straight through the heart of Texas.

Texas SB 18 DID NOT protect people from eminent domain. Eminent domain became the center focus of Perry’s Trans-Texas Corridor and Texans pushes to get a bill that would protect them from his land grabs, taking private lands for private gain. Instead, he pushed SB18, which was a weak bill that gave loopholes to lobbyists to take private lands for private gain.

Perry has proven what a Democrat he really is! Vote NO(!) to Democrat RINOs! Perry was a liberal Democrat until he was about 40 years old when he switched to the Republican party so he could get elected in Texas. That leopard hasn’t changed his spots!

Your #14: “Gardasil is a good vaccine.”

You support mandatory injections and support Perry’s doing so? God help us if that idiot becomes President! I hope you are never near any level of power within any government. What the Hell gives you the right to demand people take medicines by force??? I suppose you support Obama’s DeathCare and the mandatory insurance clause...because it’s a “good” thing??? Screw you! This is a FREE COUNTRY! No government has the right to demand such things just because some twit thinks it is a “good vaccine”.

Texas has too much debt, but that really isn’t Perry’s fault, although I don’t remember Perry ever campaigning against bonds.

Did you not even bother reading the figures I gave you? Texas has the 2nd lowest state debt to GDP ratio and the 2nd lowest state debt per capita in the nation, and it went down from 8th lowest and 7th lowest in 2000, respectively, during the Perry administration.

In any event, any way you look at it, Perry’s spending record is not strongly conservative.

Okay, name another state or governor that you do consider to have a strongly conservative spending record. I'd like to take a look at that. Because if 4th lowest in spending and 2nd lowest in debt is not a conservative enough record, I'd like to see what is.

If everyone is a drunk, but Ralph only gets blotto once a week while others are drunk most or all of the time, am I supposed to think that Ralph is a responsible drinker because others are drunk more often?

Alternatively, if I were to chose the least socialistic EU country, would that entitle me to claim that that country is fiscally “conservative”?

This applies to both your comments.

If you knew more about Texas you would stop waving the pom poms for Perry. BTW, do you know how our budget was balanced this year? With the same kind of smoke and mirrors accounting dodges that CA uses. We just haven’t done it as often as CA. You can contraqst that with Mitch Daniels’ fiscal record, which is better than Perry’s. (Nevertheless, I wouldn’t support Daniels if he were a candidate because I don’t think he can be trusted on “social” issues, which is one of Perry’s strengths)

The General Welfare clause has long been used to inflict government control over its citizens. The original intent of the clause was in respect to taxing and spending. The abuse of the General Welfare clause has and will continue to a march toward tyranny of government over its citizens.

“The laying of taxes is the power, and the general welfare the purpose for which the power is to be exercised. They [Congress] are not to lay taxes ad libitum for any purpose they please; but only to pay the debts or provide for the welfare of the Union. In like manner, they are not to do anything they please to provide for the general welfare, but only to lay taxes for that purpose.” Thomas Jefferson

Chief Justice John Marshall described the limits of the Welfare Clause in Gibbons v. Ogden in 1824. "Congress is authorized to lay and collect taxes, &c. to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United States. ... Congress is not empowered to tax for those purposes which are within the exclusive province of the States."

Continued abbuse of the General Welfare clause could well end up with Obamacare. If you think those abuses of the clause are justified our Republic is truly at the close of it’s “great experiment”.

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