Rick Perry won his unprecedented third term as Texas governor on Tuesday, saying that Texas has spoken. Suffice it to say that Texas should have said something else.
This isn’t going to be an anti-conservative rant on how Perry shouldn’t have won — neither conservatism nor liberalism is important right now. However, make no mistake: Perry hasn‘t been standing for Texas — he‘s been standing on Texas. The quantity of time in office does not equal the quality of that time, and his victory speech highlighted every reason why Texans shouldn’t have given him another term.
During his speech, Perry mentioned the respect that the state should have for citizens and that the issue of a person in office was “how hard they work to limit the size and reach of government.”
He must not be talking about when he restricted abortion rights, or when he signed an executive mandate forcing girls to get HPV vaccines. Maybe he’s referring to rejecting the regulation of insurance companies during the 2009 legislative session. Or when he stood by and watched the Homeowner’s insurance industry double their rates the same year, despite insurance laws from 2003 in place to prevent it. Don’t forget that corporations count as citizens, and Perry can’t simply go disrespecting their rights.
But that introduction of his speech was trivial. Some parts were simply frightening. “There’s a reason our economy continues to lead the nation, and it’s not just because the good Lord happened to place a bunch of oil and gas under our land.”
That contained in order: unwarranted pride; referencing God; and affinity for fossil fuels. Essentially, it was a list of words he knew his constituents would love to hear.
More baffling than that are his reasons why Texas is number one, which included: “not spending money;” creating “a predictable regulatory environment so that employers know what to expect from one quarter to the next;” a reformed legal system “to stop frivolous lawsuits for doctors and employers;” and increased accountability in schools to “prepare young Texans for the global economy.”
Texas doesn’t spend all the money — what stimulus money? This coming from the governor who has led a state into a budget deficit between $18 billion and $24 billion (we won’t know exactly until January.)
Likewise, when did “creating a regulatory environment” become synonymous with deregulation?
The increased accountability in schools statement was simply laughable. Does he not realize that Texas has been 49th in verbal SAT scores in the nation and 46th in average math SAT scores? We’re next to last place.
Now, I hate standardized testing as much as the next person; however, it says something that we lag behind, and it’s worse that Perry is essentially boasting about it. And that’s doesn’t even take into account the growing budget cuts for higher education.
The only respectable statement was the elimination of frivolous lawsuits, which is all good and fine, depending on what Perry considers to be frivolous.
During the debate on health care, The Huffington Post published an article reporting that the total spent defending claims and compensating victims of medical negligence was just 0.3 percent of health care costs, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The Congressional Budget Office and Government Accountability Office have made similar findings.
He kept the theme that Texans are “fed up” with Washington, his metaphor for liberals and Democrats. His opponent Bill White was barely mentioned, but Perry took every opportunity to bash Washington. For “intervening” and “encroaching.” With what, more stimulus money?
Even if Perry was right about all the Texan voters being fed up with “big government,” he’s only counting the people who voted for him.
Fourty-five percent of Texans are fed up with Perry and what can only be assumed is his “small government.” Apparently Perry didn’t take this into account.
Now that the title of longest governor in office in Texas history is in the bag, what is he going to do next? Balance the budget? Get to work on fixing education?
He’s going on a book signing tour. Disneyland would have been more appropriate.
With this victory, however, some suggest Perry should set his sights on the 2012 presidency, something he has publicly declined. Even so, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin endorsed him during his re-election campaign, and there are those already in favor of a Perry/Palin or Palin/Perry ticket.
Granted, I’d rather see Perry/Palin 2012 than vice versa, but let’s take one lamentable failure at a time — two more years of Perry in Texas.
David Haydon is a political science junior and may be reached at [email protected].
My sentiments exactly. I am ashamed of my generation's ineptitude in exercising our civil rights to impinge on Perry's ingress on our and Texas's future. His interests are to serve those who put him in office and keep him there. That being the corporations that hold the most financial interests in this state… read: energy.
There are at least 5 people I personally know who did not vote and it infuriates me.
This is the result of the apathy, cynicism, ignorance and contempt for the government that /should/ serve YOU… now YOU'VE chosen to let corporations give rise to a government that indentures you to its service.
You can't have such unbridled greed and the extraordinary wealth of so few, whilst also having a free, educated and stable society.
Milton Friedman, "Reaganomics"/Trickle-down Economics, Deregulation, Adam Smith, Rand Corporation, and Self-interested, self-invested unbridled greed has created this global economic meltdown.
You idiots who didn't vote… let this happen… and you may bitch and moan, but in the end you are supplicated by minutiae designed to distract you where you'll happily return to being… just another brick in the wall.
I'm 24… and I'm not going to bring any children into this world if they're doomed to live shoulder-deep in this ignorance and waste.
The saddest part is, I'm sure the worst of this has yet to come.
It is those who are so obsessed with the end of the world, that in all the irony, they are indeed hastening the march to just that.
History as told by the vigilant spectators of this world will be the judge.
I soulfully dream for the day where we will see humanity save itself from its own stupidity.
Could there have been another cause for his reelection? The fact that nobody really wanted Bill white in and the fact that it is next to impossible for a third party to over take the major two. You have complaints about many things on perry but would white been a better choice? I highly doubt it. One just has to start looking at what really went on while he was mayor here in Houston.
When given the choice many people chose the a known factor than an unknown one.
I challenge you to think that the almighty government should be trusted with our future when they themselves keep digging this hole for the free loaders of the world. The same government who gave us SSI the largest ponzi in the world, which I nor you Aurash will ever see even ten percent returned when we reach the golden age, what ever that may be but certainly not 65 anymore. I am tried of my taxes paying for waste the shiftless masses who realize that they can keep voting for themselves entitlements that can not be sustained. For a government to serve us it should not be giving hand outs to any one. That is what we have had for the last two years. Those who demand that they be given what they do not deserve nor have they earned.
You're going to get your wish. If the state has to cut out 25 billion to balance the next budget, that's 28% of general revenue spending. And 95% of our budget goes to education, social services, and public safety. Almost 1/3 is fairly drastic, and I hope Texans are happy with what they'll be getting. Companies will think twice about moving here if our social and material infrastructure is in chaos.
Personally many of the social services are a waste of taxpayers money in my opinion.
I love how people complain about it in one sentence then follow it up with cries of no more higher taxes. The reason companies come here is not due to or social structure. They come here because they know they will not be taxed to death, our cost of living is cheaper here too. I have personally seen how people milk the system continuously and the reason they need it is because they are irresponsible and don't learn a lesson because it is always there for them.
"Fourty-five percent of Texans are fed up with Perry and what can only be assumed is his “small government.” Apparently Perry didn’t take this into account." "referencing God; and affinity for fossil fuels. Essentially, it was a list of words he knew his constituents would love to hear." Is that not what Bill White did? Or Barack Obama? In politics there is a solid 40% of people at will vote Republican no matter what. There is a concurring amount of people that would vote Democrat even if Fidel Castro won the Primary. That last 20% is made up of independents and can go either way. Thats how politics works, you play to the people who will vote for you. Perry had a pretty sure shot at the governors seat because he was the incumbent and while people like myself do not particularly like him, he was a far sight better than White who lacked recognition outside of Houston and even there it was not very good.. Right now, with the political environment the way it is most people are disgruntled, to say the least, with our national government hence the Republican's record retaking of the House. Most independents are normal middle class people who are tired of the federal government spending their money carelessly and they feel that conservatives will exact more restraint in terms of spending their tax dollars. It's as simple as that. People don't care about how we rank in SAT scores. They vote how their parents voted or for whoever ad they last saw or heard.