In her article “The State of Texas and Local Government”, Breona comments about the current economic conditions in Texas which we have spent a great deal learning and writing about this summer. She points out that Texas is no exception to the economic suffering the country has faced, and cites the billions in budget deficit while proposing to raise revenue in the correct areas rather than continuing to cut spending. She closes by emphasizing the impact that the budget cuts will have on healthcare and the education system and stresses the personal levels at which Texans will be affected.
I completely agree with Breona about these issues, and would even say she is perhaps giving Rick Perry too much credit for seemingly keeping Texas immune to the recession. I never bought the so called “Texas Miracle” because the facts and statistics prove that Texas truly is in no better condition than any other state. Texas has the 23rd lowest unemployment rate at 9%, is the leader in proportion of residents making minimum wage, and has more uninsured people than any state. Are these things we should really be proud of? I think not. Furthermore, while the rest of the country seems to be on the mend having an average of 5% increase in weekly wage since 2007, Texas seems to regress after deciding on these current budget cuts and having an increase in wages of only .6% since 2007. Because of this, I am unsure what makes Breona believe Texas has “thrived” with job opportunities, 37% of which were minimum wage jobs that were in the small job spike Perry often brags of.
Like Breona, I think raising revenue in the right areas is the way to get us out of this hole. The state cannot afford budget cuts due to the already high unemployment numbers and continued shortcomings of the Texas school systems. I completely believe that residents would rather pay a bit more in taxes to see things fixed rather than save a few bucks to watch the situation worsen. In terms of those “right” areas to raise revenue, I have always thought a tax on carbon emissions and chemical waste would be a fabulous method to raise the state’s revenue while giving the environment a chance to heal itself. We have a plethora of rich oil companies polluting the environment that could easily afford to give a little back to the government for the damages they make.
Either way, if there’s one thing I’ve learned this semester, it is that Texas is in ok shape, but far from perfect. And most importantly it seems to be on a downward slope after recent executive decisions regarding these budget cuts. Texas is a fabulous place to live, but it needs to make a 180 degree turn if it wants to maintain what its residents speak so proudly of.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Stage 7: A Miraculously Bogus Miracle
The Governor’s plans to run for president in the next election are undoubtedly one of the prime headlines in Texas politics these days. Speculation of his campaign has lead people to believe he will run with the highly publicized “Texas Miracle” as his pitch and how Texas managed to escape the recession as the rest of the country suffered. But wait a minute, can we really look right now at the condition of our state compared to the rest of the country and call it a miracle? In my opinion, heck no.
All it takes is just a walk up and down the drag here in Austin to get a taste of the poverty that persists in this state. Contrary to national belief, the economy is doing very poorly here as proven by a plethora of statistics. Texas’s current unemployment rate is about 9% which puts it in the middle of the pack with only 23 states having a lower rate. And while the rest of the country’s rates are decreasing, Texas’s continues to go up. Texas remains the leader with the greatest proportion and number of residents making minimum wage, and of that small spike in job growth that Perry often brags of, 37% of those jobs are at minimum wage or below. Not to mention that any of the roughly 1 in 10 people unemployed in Texas would call it their own “miracle” just to get one of those jobs. To put things in even better perspective, over the last 4 years weekly wages have increased by only .6% in Texas whereas they have increased 10% in California and over 5% nationally.
The numbers themselves prove that Texas is no exception to the tough times the country is facing. And while the rest of the country is on the mend, Texas seems to continue to regress. The billions of dollars in the recent budget deficit, which is expected to reach 27 billion in the upcoming year, will only increase unemployment rates with unavoidable layoffs. Having the highest proportion of uninsured people in the country at 25%, Texas will only increase this lead as Perry attempts to rid medicare by privatizing it.
Sure, the Governor seems like a nice guy with a good voice and all and probably good intentions, but any of the thousands of people that line up each evening at homeless shelters will tell you that the “progress” he has made for Texas in the last decade is bogus. The people of the United States deserve the know the truth about this presidential candidate’s miraculous claims before decide who to support. And unfortunately for Perry, besides this phony “Texas Miracle”, I don’t see much going in his favor.
Sources:
http://texaskaos.com/diary/6972/rachel-maddow-debunks-rick-perrys-texas-miracle-myth
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/03/governor-perrys-texas-economy_n_917460.html
All it takes is just a walk up and down the drag here in Austin to get a taste of the poverty that persists in this state. Contrary to national belief, the economy is doing very poorly here as proven by a plethora of statistics. Texas’s current unemployment rate is about 9% which puts it in the middle of the pack with only 23 states having a lower rate. And while the rest of the country’s rates are decreasing, Texas’s continues to go up. Texas remains the leader with the greatest proportion and number of residents making minimum wage, and of that small spike in job growth that Perry often brags of, 37% of those jobs are at minimum wage or below. Not to mention that any of the roughly 1 in 10 people unemployed in Texas would call it their own “miracle” just to get one of those jobs. To put things in even better perspective, over the last 4 years weekly wages have increased by only .6% in Texas whereas they have increased 10% in California and over 5% nationally.
The numbers themselves prove that Texas is no exception to the tough times the country is facing. And while the rest of the country is on the mend, Texas seems to continue to regress. The billions of dollars in the recent budget deficit, which is expected to reach 27 billion in the upcoming year, will only increase unemployment rates with unavoidable layoffs. Having the highest proportion of uninsured people in the country at 25%, Texas will only increase this lead as Perry attempts to rid medicare by privatizing it.
Sure, the Governor seems like a nice guy with a good voice and all and probably good intentions, but any of the thousands of people that line up each evening at homeless shelters will tell you that the “progress” he has made for Texas in the last decade is bogus. The people of the United States deserve the know the truth about this presidential candidate’s miraculous claims before decide who to support. And unfortunately for Perry, besides this phony “Texas Miracle”, I don’t see much going in his favor.
Sources:
http://texaskaos.com/diary/6972/rachel-maddow-debunks-rick-perrys-texas-miracle-myth
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/03/governor-perrys-texas-economy_n_917460.html
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