Posted on 09/03/2011 4:15:57 PM PDT by Tempest
So what does a complete review of Perry's record reveal? As it turns out, he sent a letter during his tenure as Texas Agricultural Commissioner that praised Hillary Clinton's 1993 health care reform efforts. "I think your efforts in trying to reform the nation's health care system are most commendable," he wrote. "I would like to request that the task force give particular consideration to the needs of the nation's farmers... Rural populations have a high proportion of uninsured people, rising health care costs, and often experience lack of services." He concluded by noting, "your efforts are worthy, and I hope you will remember this constituency as the task force progresses. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance."
Dan Amira at New York magazine dismisses the story and mocks the Daily Caller for publishing it. "He didn't even say anything about the substance of Clinton's health-care reform plan," Amira writes, "just that it was 'commendable' to try to reform the system in some way, which is hardly controversial."
I disagree.
Clinton's efforts were widely criticized by Republicans at the time, and the substance of her reforms obviously constituted a substantial federal intervention into health care, the very thing Perry now claims is obviously unconstitutional and ruinous to liberty. (And yes, Clinton's plan did call for both an employer mandate to provide health care and an individual mandate to be covered.)
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
At least read my entire post Jim.
In the very next line I stated that I disagreed with those who supported the bailout then, and I still disagree with them now.
It was a terrible decision. I even said I feel that it is a legitimate argument against Perry for those who are inclined to make it.
You guys are trying waaaaay too hard. I suggest you just relax and let events play out as they will over the next few weeks.
We'll have a clear picture of who is and isn't running, and you'll have a better idea of who you truly want to focus your efforts against.
There are some conservatives that are purists, so they keep letting liberals win because the "perfect" candidate has not emerged.
Then there are libertarians, who are so few in number, that they are constantly looking for a home. They feel FR is a decent home. Unfortunately, like the stray dog you take in, they disrupt the home so much that you really need to euthanize them.
Finally, there are the liberals who come to FR and try to incite division in our ranks. These are clever liberals who know that when we are united, we cannot be stopped, so they will do anything in their power to tear us asunder.
The race for the GOP nomination is on. All of those who are going to vote in the primary are judging the candidates. You call that trashing, I call it enlightening. I did not know that Perry backed the TARP plan as well as a number of other unconservative actions. If he wants my primary vote he needs to explain them.
Just keep in mind that some of these outlandish accusations are not exactly 100% factual and are being posted by those with an agenda. It’s good to get facts. It’s what we all should be doing.
Perry isn’t the boogeyman here. He’s on his 4th term as governor of the state that has weathered the 0bama regime’s war on jobs, war on Texas and is the number one state to do business. He’s been aggressive in wooing businesses to move to Texas both nationally and internationally.
Texas has dealt with tort reform and passed loser pay laws which has allowed doctors to flock there. There’s more good if you look for it and ignore the trolls.
Gee I thought Hillary's efforts in trying to reform the nation's health care system were destructive.
This is indefensible.
You say “Insuring nationalized Healthcare is part of agriculture commissioners job?! Really???”
From Perry’s Letter:
“As the Agriculture Commissioner for the State of Texas, I have a strong interest in the problems of health care delivery to rural areas. Over 50 hospitals have closed in rural Texas since the mid eighties.
Most rural communities have problems with access to adequate health care due to shortage of physicians, clinics & hospitals within a safe driving distance.”
He was doing his job. If they were going to reform healthcare, he wanted them to be mindful of American Ranchers, Farmers and Rural Folk.
That is a total fabrication by the OP.
If you were directing your snide comment to me as Texmom7 was addressing my comment, I resent it, but out of respect for forum rules, I won’t write what I would like you to do with your incendiary rhetoric. I am not a Perry-hater. I missed space bar in word, but having taught college English; I can spell if I want to, and I can think just fine.
I am not a Perry-hater, Palin lover, nor a Romneybot. I have been a FReeper since 2001 (Oh, that would be nearly 8 years more than you!), and I have legitimate questions about the candidates—especially ones that have recently declared.
Thank you for your reasonable courteous response—unlike some of the others on this thread....Extremely disappointing.
IMHO it is truly a sad day when long-time FReepers cannot ask legitimate questions or have honest comments about articles posted.
Again, I appreciate your reply more than you know as I am getting pretty tired of the sniping that I have seen lately on FR...
Hillary's closed door approach as was apparent on April 6 1993 was NOT a "commendable" approach.
I strongly agree with your sentiment that the attacks need to stop.
Tempest knows that this letter came out before the Clinton health care reform program was unveiled and knows that Perry was lobbying for the rural constituency.
He uses polite languge by praising her efforts but never in this letter endorses her product.
Tempest’s own post undermines one of Tempest’s main criticisms, and more importantly demonstrates an utter lack of personal integrity.
BEFORE the TARP VOTE...
this is the Press Release by Perry dated October 1, 2008:
AUSTIN Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement:
In a free market economy, government should not be in the business of using taxpayer dollars to bail out corporate America. Congress needs to take off its partisan gloves and work together to bring both short and long term stability to the credit markets. They need to stop blaming each other and start thinking about solutions that put the taxpayers of this country first.
http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/11363/
On December 2, 2008 Governor Perry co-wrote a letter with Governor Sanford of South Carolina denouncing state bailouts and proposals to bailout General Motors:
Governors Against State Bailouts
Hard to believe, but not everyone in politics wants a free lunch.
By RICK PERRY and MARK SANFORD
As governors and citizens, we’ve grown increasingly concerned over the past weeks as Washington has thrown bailout after bailout at the national economy with little to show for it.
In the process, the federal government is not only burying future generations under mountains of debt. It is also taking our country in a very dangerous direction —
toward a “bailout mentality” where we look to government rather than ourselves for solutions. We’re asking other governors from both sides of the political aisle to join with us in opposing further federal bailout intervention for three reasons.
First, we’re crossing the Rubicon with regard to debt.
One fact that’s been continually glossed over in the bailout debate is that Washington doesn’t have money in hand for any of these proposals. Every penny would be borrowed. Estimates for what the government is willing to spend on bailouts and stimulus efforts for this year reach as much as $7.7 trillion according to Bloomberg.com — a full half of the United States’ yearly economic output.
With all the zeroes in the numbers, it’s no wonder Washington politicians have lost track.
That trillion-dollar figure is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to checks written by the federal government that it can’t cash. Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker puts our nation’s total debt and unpaid promises, like Social Security, at roughly $52 trillion — an invisible mortgage of $450,000 on every American household. Borrowing money to “solve” a problem created by too much debt seems odd. And as fiscally conservative Republicans, we take no pleasure in pointing out that many in our own party have been just as complicit in running up the tab as those on the political left.
Second, the bailout mentality threatens Americans’ sense of personal responsibility.
In a free-market system, competition and one’s own personal stake motivate people to do their best. In this process, the winners create wealth, jobs and new investment, while others go back to the drawing board better prepared to try again.
To an unprecedented degree, government is currently picking winners and losers in the private marketplace, and throwing good money after bad. A prudent investor takes money from low-yield investments and puts them in those that yield better returns. Recent government intervention is doing the opposite — taking capital generated from productive activities and throwing it at enterprises that in many cases need to reorganize their business model.
Take for example the proposed Big Three auto-maker bailout. We think it’s very telling that each of the three CEO’s flew on their own private jets to Washington to ask for a taxpayer handout. No amount of taxpayer largess could fix a business culture so fundamentally flawed.
Third, we’d ask the federal government to stop believing it has all the answers.
Our Founding Fathers were clear and deliberate in setting up a system whereby the federal government would only step in for that which states cannot do themselves. An expansionist federal government of the last century has moved us light-years away from that model, but it doesn’t mean that Congress can’t learn from states that are coming up with solutions that work.
In Texas and South Carolina, we’ve focused on improving “soil conditions” for businesses by cutting taxes, reforming our legal system and our workers’ compensation system. We’d humbly suggest that Congress take a page from those playbooks by focusing on targeted tax relief paid for by cutting spending, not by borrowing.
In the rush to do “something” to help, federal leaders would be wise to take a line from the Hippocratic Oath, and pledge to do no (more) harm to our country’s finances. We can weather this storm if we commit to fiscal prudence and hold true to the values of individual freedom and responsibility that made our nation great.
In fact, once it came out, he strongly opposed it. Just like he strongly opposes ObamaCare today.
The SNIPING was LONG before FR.
Romney vs every candidate in 2007 and 2008
(to throw the election).
Romney and Perry against the women candidates in 2011.
Shame on the RINOs.
Contained some good info about Perry / TARP that I was not aware of. I'm going to look into it further.
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