Some notes regarding Rick Perry’s records of accomplishments in his 26 years as a government employee in Texas and the so-called "Texas Miracle" he created as Governor. The emphasis on some of the items in the list is mine.
From:
LADIES AND GENTS… THE REAL RICK PERRY
[…]
The truth of the matter is that Texas actually lost 352,500 non-farm jobs since 2008 according to seasonally adjusted data over the past three years… and they lost 61,600 additional since March 2011 alone according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
The only “Miracle” is that this degenerate hasn’t yet been struck by lightning.
Texas standings against all 50 states on a variety of issues (1st means highest ranking, 50th means lowest ranking).
- State Aid Per Pupil in Average Daily Attendance – 47th
- Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores – 45th
- % of Population 25 and Older with High School Diploma – 50th (RTOL- No wonder 48% of the jobs Rick Perry claims credit for are minimum wage jobs!)
- High School Graduation Rate – 43rd
- Per Capita State Spending on State Arts Agencies – 43rd
- Birth Rate – 2nd
- Percent of Uninsured Children – 1st
- Percent of Children Living in Poverty – 4th
- Percent of Population Uninsured – 1st
- Percent of Non-Elderly Uninsured – 1st
- Percent of Low Income Population Covered by Medicaid – 49th
- Percent of Population with Employer-Based Health Insurance – 48th
- Total Health Expenditures as % of the Gross State Product – 43rd
- Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health – 50th
- Per Capita State Spending on Medicaid – 49th
- Health Care Expenditures per Capita – 44th
- Physicians per Capita – 42nd
- Registered Nurses per Capita – 44th
- Average Monthly Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Benefits per Person – 47th
- Percent of Population Who Visit the Dentist – 46th
- Overall Birth Rate – 2nd
- Teenage Birth Rate – 7th
- Births to Unmarried Mothers – 17th
- Percent of Women with Pre-Term Birth – 9th
- Percent of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance – 50th
- Rate of Women Aged 40+ Who Receive Mammograms – 40th
- Cervical Cancer Rate – 11th
- Percent of Women with High Blood Pressure – 16th
- Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester – 50th
- Women’s Voter Registration – 45th
- Women’s Voter Turnout – 49th
- Percent of Women Living in Poverty – 6th
- Mortgage Debt as Percent of Home Value – 47th
- Foreclosure Rates – 10th
- Median Net Worth of Households – 47th
- Average Credit Score – 49th
- Retirement Plan Participation – 47th
- Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions – 1st
- Amount of Volatile Organic Compounds Released into Air – 1st
- Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Water – 1st
- Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Air – 1st
- Amount of Hazardous Waste Generated – 1st
- Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Air – 5th
- Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Water – 7th
- Number of Hazardous Waste Sites on National Priority List – 7th
- Consumption of Energy per Capita – 5th
- Workers’ Compensation Coverage – 50th
- Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Poor – 9th
- Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Middle Class – 5th
- Homeowner’s Insurance Affordability – 46th
- Number of Executions – 1st
A stunning list of achievements huh?
In particular one article I read the other day that I found particulary good reading was from Texas Kaos: The Success of Rick Perry. In it we learn that Governor Rick Perry….
"….earned a D in The Principles of Economics while an undergraduate at Texas A&M University. As the Governor of Texas for the past ten years his so called fiscal conservative economic policies managed to rack up a $27 billion budget deficit."
"…His brilliance also lies in the Governor’s ability to fool voters by whipping them into frenzies about secession, bashing the "evil doing" government and by fomenting fear, unrest and anger over social wedge issues and culture wars that have absolutely nothing to do with the complex financial challenges that continue to undermine the U.S. economic security."
"…what on earth would a life long politician who never held a job outside politics know about U.S. and global defaults and credit ratings? After all Rick Perry himself ran his own state’s fiscal house into the ditch. And the Governor essentially outsourced his fiscal responsibilities and duties to the next legislative session. After the 2012 elections of course."