18 August 2011

Perry's Vision for America

Rick Perry, governor of Texas and now presidential candidate, has "created" lots of jobs in Texas. By one count, about 40% of the total number created in the US.

The fact that Texas is an oil state helps, of course, but there is more to it than that. Perry's state employs people because it knows how to keep labor competitive. This from Harold Meyerson's column in the Washington Post

Consider the Texas that Perry holds up to the rest of the nation for admiration. It has the fourth-highest poverty rate of any state. It tied with Mississippi last year for thehighest percentage of workers in minimum-wage jobs. It ranks first in adults without high school diplomas. Twenty-six percent of Texans have no health insurance — the highest percentage of medically uninsured residents of any state. It leads the nation in the percentage of children who lack medical insurance. Texas has an inordinate number of employers who provide no insurance to their workers, partly because insurance rates are high, thanks to an absence of regulations.
And really, who wouldn't want to live in an America with those policies? 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Ron, you are worried the low end jobs are disappearing and now you are complaining when Texas has them (note I will never say create)? "Create Jobs" is the most misleading concept in politics.