Gov. Perry - A Fiscal Conservative

Texas added 50,000 new jobs in the fourth quarter and activity in the new housing sector remains strong in both Dallas and Houston, according to a new study by SigmaBleyzer.

The Lone Star State has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation.

The positive quarterly job numbers come despite the state losing 24,000 jobs in the construction, trade, transportation and hospitality sectors in December. According to a recent Texas Workforce Commission report, Texas experienced employment increases in education, health care, mining and logging.

The study also focused on the broader economy of Texas, which remains under a downturn, but holds a positive outlook for the coming year.

Among residential housing, some signs of recovery are beginning to emerge, according to the report.

Texas has one of the fastest population growth rates in the country, which the report says should sustain long-term demand for housing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 27 percent of all new privately-owned housing units in the nation’s 20 largest cities were located in Dallas or Houston.

The state’s export activity continues to recover as high oil prices and improving foreign demand for high-tech manufacturing increase. Texas remains the largest exporter for the eighth consecutive year. In the first 11 months of 2009, Texas exports only fell by 18 percent, compared to the 21 percent decline nationally.

“This resilience of Texas exporters should help keep the state’s economy on more sustainable footing as the U.S. economic recovery becomes increasingly dependent on the strength of foreign demand,” the report by the Houston-based private equity firm stated.

Based upon the reaction out of Washington, I must have touched a nerve when I announced that Texas won't be pursuing the strings-attached federal stimulus funds known as Race to the Top (RTTT).

President Barack Obama and his administration have put a target on the backs of Texas leaders, taxpayers and employers because state leaders and lawmakers have proven that conservative principles can balance budgets, improve schools, clean the environment and help entrepreneurs create jobs.

Texans have also led the 10th Amendment charge to protect state sovereignty from threats like Obama's latest effort to circumvent the right of states to determine how to best educate their children.

The problem with RTTT funding is clear: Under the program's rules, Washington gives preference and dollars to states that agree to adopt national standards that haven't even been written yet.

Texans strongly support the high standards and strong accountability for our schools that have made us a national leader in both categories. Other states are even studying our approach, the first in the nation to make a college-preparatory curriculum the default for every student, as a basis for their own standards.

Texas is home to some of the country's most innovative charter schools, with more than 115,000 students on nearly 500 campuses. It has the largest merit pay program for outstanding public school teachers. I've also recently announced efforts to make it easier for students to learn via the Internet and called on legislators to bulk up our instruction in critical areas like science, technology, engineering and math.

I suspect there is some head-scratching going on in our nation's capital as federal officials try to figure out how our test scores are rising and our dropout rate falling without mandates or bribes from Washington.

Put simply, we have poured our efforts into preparing the state's students for the jobs of tomorrow.

Considering Texas is among the nation's leaders in standards, I imagine whatever federal standards are eventually agreed upon will be weaker than the ones we have now.

Adding injury to insult, the price tag to change all our text books and instructional materials to comply with Washington's vision for public education would be about $3 billion.

In return, Texas could expect to get back from Race To The Top as little as $75 a student, barely enough to fund our state's educational system for two days.

So turning down the strings-attached stimulus money was an easy call — in terms of ensuring our children get the best education possible and in simple matters of dollars and cents.

A few days after I made that announcement, the president said he wanted another $1.35 billion in borrowed dollars to expand RTTT so he could sidestep states and appeal directly to individual school districts that might be willing to sign away their authority in return for a quick infusion of some federal cash.

Why are Obama and his allies so insistent on funding only those who will accept federal strings and standards? Why not just fund good programs, like we do in Texas?

An answer might be found in a speech Secretary of Education Arne Duncan delivered early last year. Duncan said, "If we accomplish one thing in the coming years, it should be to eliminate the extreme variation in standards across America."

Let's set aside the argument that the "variation in standards" among states fosters innovation and a healthy competition that drives standards ever higher all over the country.

That's not what this seems to be about. This seems to be about one thing, and one thing only: federal control.

Washington doesn't have an issue with our programs. Washington doesn't have an issue with our academic or accountability standards. It just wants to make sure it calls the shots, not Texas educators, school boards and other elected officials.

Should Washington drop its focus on the adoption of national standards and simply allow states the freedom to use this money to fund quality programs on a one-time basis, we can consider possibly applying for future grants.

Until then, however, the education of our children is far too important to entrust to some federal bureaucrat toiling in a distant federal building.

In Texas, we are fighting to maintain our freedom to hold our children to high standards, because that's the only way Texas will maintain its established reputation as a national leader in job creation, innovation and quality of life.

Stresses education and job creation as keys to continued success during visits to small businesses in Dallas and Amarillo

DALLAS – Gov. Rick Perry today shared his message of fiscal responsibility during a visit to Texas Instruments. The governor spoke against Washington’s out of control spending, specifically noting the most recent budget that anticipates more than $5 trillion in deficit spending over the next five years, and noted reports of illegal activity related to the $700 billion Wall Street bailout. Earlier Tuesday, Gov. Perry spoke in Amarillo.

“This is just another example of the folks in Washington spending money they don’t have on solutions they haven’t thought through for problems they don’t really understand in an attempt to make people more dependent on them,” said Gov. Perry. “When you add in the latest revelations from the Inspector General reviewing the bailouts, including possible criminal and civil fraud, tax evasion, insider trading, and public corruption, you really have to wonder if the word ‘accountability’ is anywhere in Washington’s vocabulary.”

Gov. Perry further emphasized the importance of fiscal discipline by reiterating the need for Texas to amend its constitution with two key provisions: requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to approve tax increases and limiting spending growth to the combined growth rates of Texas’ population and inflation. Both amendments will ensure the continued fiscal discipline that allowed Texas to balance its budget in 2009 while setting aside billions for its Rainy Day fund and cutting taxes for more than 40,000 small businesses.

In his remarks, Gov. Perry also stressed the importance of strengthening Texas’ education while maintaining a focus on job creation efforts as the keys to preparing an equipped workforce and overcoming the challenges of the struggling national economy. He reiterated his recent proposal calling on the Texas Education Agency and the Department of Public Safety to work with local school districts to further leverage the privilege of a driver’s license as an incentive to keep students engaged in the education process.

To ensure Texas continues providing a strong education to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive workplace, Gov. Perry has announced a proposed expansion of the state’s Virtual School Network to improve access to high quality, online courses for high school students and help recapture students who have dropped out of school. Gov. Perry has also called on doubling the number of Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (T-STEM) academies in an effort to educate more Texas students in the subjects required of an increasingly high tech economy and workplace, and expanding the UTeach Program in an effort to recruit university students earning math and science degrees into teaching.

Gov. Perry also credited the comparative strength of Texas’ economy to four principles that Texas leaders have upheld including fiscal restraint, a predictable regulatory climate, a reasonable and fair legal system, and an accountable public school system that is better preparing our children to compete in the workforce.

“Because we have kept it simple and stuck to our guns, entrepreneurs know that they can succeed on their own merits without being taxed, regulated and frivolously sued out of existence,” said Gov. Perry. “They also know that our workforce is getting stronger by the day because we have improved the quality of public education by emphasizing accountability, teacher incentive pay and mastery of the basic subjects.”

Acknowledging the challenging economic climate posed by the national recession, the governor pledged to keep working until every Texan who wants a job has a job and noted that Texas’ commitment to upholding a business-friendly climate will lead the state to continued economic success. Texas economist Ray Perryman recently noted that Texas is the “last in and first out” when it comes to the current economic downturn, pointing to the job growth that Texas has experienced in three of the past six months. The Texas Workforce Commission has also reported that Texas created more private sector jobs than any other state in the nation over the last 10 years and has the lowest unemployment rate among the 10 largest states in the nation.

“The story of hardworking innovators coming together to attract the best and brightest is played out again and again all across Texas as people take advantage of the job-friendly climate we’ve created and risk their capital in pursuit of a vision,” said Gov. Perry. “The fact is, even though no one is immune to the effects of the economic downturn, Texas is better off than just about every other state, thanks to years of disciplined conservative leadership at every level.”

Senator says “I don’t do pork” but has been called “Queen of Earmarks” for requesting $10 billion worth

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison was today unveiled as the “Porker of the Year” runner-up for 2009 by Citizens Against Government Waste (GAGW). Appearing on CNBC’s Squawk Box this morning, GAGW president Tom Schatz said that Sen. Hutchison finished second to Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank in the 2009 “Porker of the Year” balloting.

In announcing her runner-up finish, Schatz described Sen. Hutchison as “one of those individual members of Congress who unfortunately says that they are a fiscal conservative and yet she asked for about one-and-a-half billion dollars in pork-barrel projects for the current fiscal year. So you have telling the folks back home that I’m doing well, and then you have the actual record, so there is the hypocritical part of that.”

(VIDEO: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?play=1&video=1402507921)

“With a 17-year career in Washington of voting for bailouts, record deficits, and billions in earmarks, Senator Hutchison is once again being recognized for her bad spending habits,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “We hope the senator and her campaign enjoy the delivery of pork today on behalf of Texans for Rick Perry.”

This afternoon, the Hutchison campaign is being delivered 10 pulled pork sandwiches, one for every billion dollars in earmarks she has requested in her career.

During a 2006 Senate debate, Sen. Hutchison infamously said, “I don’t do pork,” but in 2009 she was called the “Queen of Earmarks” by the San Antonio Express-News for her more than $10 billion in earmarks, “a staggering sum that has never been tallied before. It ranks her among the most successful earmarkers in congressional history.”

(SOURCES: “Candidates clash over Iraq,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10/26/06; “Texas senator is queen of earmarks,” San Antonio Express-News, 10/9/09)

Stresses education and job creation as keys to continued success in Texas

Gov. Rick Perry shared his message of fiscal responsibility today during visits to small businesses in Wichita Falls, Texarkana and Tyler. He stressed the importance of strengthening Texas’ education while maintaining a focus on job creation efforts as the keys to preparing an equipped workforce and overcoming the challenges of the struggling national economy.

Gov. Perry visited the Feed and Garden Store in Wichita Falls, North Forty in Texarkana, and Cavender’s Boot City in Tyler, all businesses that represent the foundation of what keeps our state’s economy moving forward.

In his remarks, Gov. Perry credited the comparative strength of Texas’ economy to four principles that Texas leaders have upheld including fiscal restraint, a predictable regulatory climate, a reasonable and fair legal system, and an accountable public school system that is better preparing our children to compete in the workforce.

“Because we have kept it simple and stuck to our guns, entrepreneurs know that they can succeed on their own merits without being taxed, regulated and frivolously sued out of existence,” said Gov. Perry. “They also know that our workforce is getting stronger by the day because we have improved the quality of public education by emphasizing accountability, teacher incentive pay and mastery of the basic subjects.”

The governor reiterated his recent proposal calling on the Texas Education Agency and the Department of Public Safety to work with local school districts to further leverage the privilege of a driver’s license as an incentive to keep students engaged in the education process.

“I believe that in order for high school-aged individuals to get and keep a driver's license they should be enrolled in school, be it bricks and mortar or our virtual high school, and, most importantly, working toward their diploma or GED,” said Gov. Perry. “This approach will not only give local school districts another tool in their efforts to reduce dropouts, it will also give students an incentive to do the work that will prepare them to compete in the workforce.”

Acknowledging the challenging economic climate posed by the national recession, the governor pledged to keep working until every Texan who wants a job has a job and noted that Texas’ commitment to upholding a business-friendly climate will lead the state to continued economic success. Texas economist Ray Perryman recently noted that Texas is the “last in and first out” when it comes to the current economic downturn, pointing to the job growth that Texas has experienced in three of the past six months. The Texas Workforce Commission has also reported that Texas created more private sector jobs than any other state in the nation over the last 10 years and has the lowest unemployment rate among the 10 largest states in the nation.

“The story of hardworking innovators coming together to attract the best and brightest is played out again and again all across Texas as people take advantage of the job-friendly climate we’ve created and risk their capital in pursuit of a vision,” said Gov. Perry. “The fact is, even though no one is immune to the effects of the economic downturn, Texas is better off than just about every other state, thanks to years of disciplined conservative leadership at every level.”

Additionally, Gov. Perry focused on fiscal responsibility by reiterating the need for Texas to amend its constitution with two key provisions: requiring a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to approve tax increases and limiting spending growth to the combined growth rates of Texas’ population and inflation. Both amendments will ensure the continued fiscal discipline that allowed Texas to balance its budget in 2009 while setting aside billions for its Rainy Day fund and cutting taxes for more than 40,000 small businesses.

To ensure Texas continues providing a strong education to meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive workplace, Gov. Perry has announced a proposed expansion of the state’s Virtual School Network to improve access to high quality, online courses for high school students and help recapture students who have dropped out of school. Gov. Perry has also called on doubling the number of Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (T-STEM) academies in an effort to educate more Texas students in the subjects required of an increasingly high tech economy and workplace, and expanding the UTeach Program in an effort to recruit university students earning math and science degrees into teaching.

On the eve of the second Texas Republican gubernatorial debate, Gov. Rick Perry told East Texans that under his administration, Texas has set a blueprint to recover from the economic crisis that he believes Washington should follow.

Gov. Perry Speaks at TAB Annual Conference Luncheon

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today spoke at the Texas Association of Business (TAB) Annual Conference Luncheon to honor the 2010 Best Companies to Work For in Texas and accept TAB’s endorsement for his re-election.

“I am honored to receive the Texas Association of Business’ vote of confidence in my candidacy and humbled by the endorsement of organizations from across the state, which represent hundreds of thousands of Texans from every walk of life,” said Gov. Perry. “I take it as affirmation from those who know what it takes to succeed, who have boldly tackled life’s challenges and embraced our state’s deep-seated embrace of liberty.”

Gov. Perry discussed the importance of upholding Texas’ business-friendly climate by keeping taxes low and regulations predictable, and maintaining a fair legal system and accountable public schools. He also noted Texas’ strong economic position compared to other states, while recognizing the importance to continue working to create the jobs Texas needs, until every Texan who wants a job has a job.

“Hardworking people all over our state know that governments never really create jobs, businesses do, when they’re free of excessive government influence,” said Gov. Perry. “Government is at its best when it’s cultivating an environment that makes it easier for employers to thrive and then gets out of the way. The business-friendly climate we have created, combined with the efforts of hardworking Texans, have moved Texas to the forefront of the nation’s economy and have us poised to remain there well into the future.”

This week, the U.S. Department of Labor released numbers confirming that Texas has outdone all other large states in job growth in the last decade, adding almost 750,000 private-sector jobs from 1999 to 2009, while the other ten largest states lost jobs, part of a net national loss of more than 1.5 million private sector jobs. Texas economist Ray Perryman also recently noted that Texas is the “last in and first out” when it comes to the current economic downturn, pointing to the job growth that Texas has experienced in three of the past six months and the fact that the unemployment rate has remained two points below the national average.

“The business community has a true champion in Gov. Rick Perry,” said TAB President and BACPAC spokesman Bill Hammond. “Texas is fortunate to have the most pro-business governor in the nation. Gov. Perry has helped lead our state to being home to the most robust business climate in America. Gov. Perry's unparalleled record of accomplishment on business issues made the decision an easy one.”