As Perry eyes the presidency and Dewhurst makes a bid for the Senate, let’s look at the story the numbers really tell
It seems that while David Dewhurst is running for the U.S. Senate, Rick Perry — otherwise known as Gov. Goodhair — is planning to run for president. I wonder what numbers they will use to show how well they have run Texas.
Could they cite $16 million? That’s the sum Perry distributed from our state’s Emerging Technology Fund to his campaign contributors.
Or maybe it is $4.1 billion. That’s the best estimate of the fees and taxes our state collects for dedicated purposes — but diverts to other uses.
Then again, it could be $28 billion. That’s the last published number for the state’s budget deficit, although Perry denied any deficit during his last campaign.
But let’s not get bogged down with dollar amounts. Let’s consider some of the state’s other numbers.
There’s the fact that Texas ranks worst in at least three key measures:
We are the most illiterate, with more than 10 percent of our state’s population unable to read a word. LIFT — Literacy Instruction for Texas — recently reported that half of Dallas residents cannot read a newspaper.
We also have the lowest percentage of persons covered by health insurance and the highest number of teenage repeat pregnancies.
Not to mention that 12,000 children have spent at least three years in the state welfare system, waiting for a foster parent. That’s the number reported in the Texas-loving Dallas Morning News.
Meanwhile, the Legislature has agreed to put several amendments to the Texas Constitution before the voters. HJR 63, HJR 109 plus SJR 4, SJR 16, and SJR 50 all appear to either authorize the shifting of discretionary funds or the issuance of bonds to cover expenses.
Duh. As if we did not know that bonds represent debt, and that we will be paying interest on those bonds long after Dewhurst and Perry leave office.
Further, this spring, the Lege decided that all voters — except, I believe, the elderly — must show proof of citizenship to obtain a state ID or to get or renew a driver’s license. As they did not provide any funds for the issuance of those ID cards or for updating computer systems to accommodate the new requirement, it seems those IDs will be far from free.
Also far from free is Perry’s travel. The Lege decided that the governor does not have to report what he and his entourage spend on travel, which is convenient for him because we taxpayers foot the bill for his security — even when he is making obviously political trips. Or taking along his wife and his golf clubs.
And surely neither Rick Perry nor David Dewhurst will mention the fact that a big portion of our state’s money comes from the federal government. One report I saw stated that our state received $17 billion in stimulus money, although the gov and his lieutenant berated the Democratic president for providing the stimulus.
And the gov turned down $6 billion in education funds, then accepted the funds but did not use them to educate Texans.
The whole thing — Dewhurst’s campaign and Perry’s possible campaign, the 2012-2013 budget, the recent biannual session of the Texas Legislature — seems like something Mark Twain might have written at his tongue-in-cheek best.
We have huge problems in public school education, higher education, health care, air pollution and water resources, to mention just a few of our more notable failures.
Yet our elected officials are defunding public education and thus punishing children, parents, and teachers. They are limiting women’s health care so drastically that our own Parkland Hospital will be unable to provide appropriate care to 30,000 women.
They are seeking a Medicaid “pilot program” that will pave the way for privatized medical services, which will erode health care for all but the wealthiest among us. They are fighting tooth and nail to keep the EPA from dealing with our polluted environment. They are doing absolutely nothing to ensure that Texas continues to have plenty of safe drinking water.
They are most certainly not creating good jobs.
So David Dewhurst and his wife Tricia prayed together and apparently learned that he should run for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate seat. Now Rick Perry is planning a huge prayer rally Saturday, Aug. 6, at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
God help us.
Phyllis Guest is a longtime activist on political and LGBT issues and a member of Stonewall Democrats of Dallas.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition August 9, 2011.
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Great article, Phyllis. “God help us” is right!
I’ve been living in Texas for over 35 years and I think it’s a great state, especially compared to how the other states are doing. Why else would people from other states are moving here? I’ve lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for over 35 years and have never been out of a job, even in these tough times. The Dallas job market is relatively decent, especially if you’re in the IT industry. Here’s a list of Dallas IT jobs if anyone is looking: https://www.insourcegroup.com/dallas-it-jobs
For all the drama you create about TX & Gov Perry – It’s still the number 1 state making jobs. Tx has created more jobs than all other 49 (not 57 like Obama said) combined. The other 49 states are in a lot more trouble than TX. Maybe you are just spoiled.
Texas is a great state. Why write all negative about TX. We make progress every day toward making it better. Part of that plan is to make sure Perry DOES NOT get relected for the things he does are wrong. That is not to say that Texas is not a great state, and that the article written while making several good points regarding areas of improvement is inherently negative. If we have to be that negative about where we live and not offer ways to make it better than we need to look for a new place to call home!
I am a ‘born and raised’ heterosexual Texan. This is one great state that has been hijacked by more cronyism and hate filled vitriolic, condescending verbiage than we have ever known. Perry’s National Day of Prayer and Fasting sponsored by AFA, who’s main man is Bryan Fischer, who appears to be filled with hate all in the name of God. I sure wish people would quite blaming God for everything.
Yes, we are still a great state. That being said, this state is in serious decline due to Baby Bush and Perry. Being hateful will get us nowhere. Being respectfully outspoken, bringing issues and events into light that have been kept in darkness and not being devise is key.
http://www.theslickdumpling.com
Program after program is in decline