[justlurking]

Sorry, you will just have to get over it. Without the growth in Texas (and to a lesser extent, North Dakota), the Obama administration's claim of "recovery" is nothing of the sort.

This tells the story of what has happened in the past 7 years. Without the Texas job market, the rest of the US would be just now be back to where we started in 2008:

This one ends at 2013, but compares Texas to California:

The second image has the source of data, so you can go generate comparable graphs with the latest data. I don't know how long these images will remain valid, but you can see for yourself:

Texas: total non-farm employment, seasonally adjusted

California: total non-farm employment, seasonally adjusted

If you prefer to compare GDP growth, you can look at this table:

State GDP Growth, 2008-2012

Texas is #2, at 12.49%.
California is #44, at minus 0.29%.

Oil price declines will hurt Texas.

Yes, that's the point I was trying to make. Oil service companies are already laying off people, and drilling rigs are being idled.

With the rest of the country still trying to recover from the Great Recession, the declines in Texas (and North Dakota) will drag down the national averages.

[vette6387]

“Sorry, you will just have to get over it. “

Nothing to get over. My point was not about job creation but rather GDP, and on that score, California is generates 40% more revenue today than does Texas. While there is no question that today Texas has the better economy, it still has a long way to go to equal California’s. Glad you like Texas. It’s a nice place to visit on occasion, but it will never surpass California for climate and a lack of bugs, etc.

[Lurkina.n.Learnin]

California produces more oil than Alaska. We are the third state for oil production. This will effect our economy also.