Deficit-ridden Texas no longer laughing at California

As I travel around the world, when people find out I live in Texas, I’m usually in for a lot of ribbing. Questions range from “Where are your cowboy boots?” to “Where do you hide the gun?” For the record, I don’t like cowboy boots and I don’t have a concealed weapons permit which probably makes me a member of the minority in Texas.

But, due to some perverse sense of pride, I get irritated when outsiders make fun of Texas and act like we’re all just a bunch of out of control cowboys. I try to explain how Texas isn’t exactly like the popular image portrayed in movies and TV shows. I then try to explain how Austin is even more different. But events often conspire to undermine my best attempts.

With Gov. Rick Perry’s pursuit of a Tea Party Republican utopia based on low regulation, low taxes, pro-business policies, and tough, conservative spending decisions, we have given others more ammunition with which to make fun of us. As detailed in Elias: Deficit-ridden Texas no longer laughing at California, the policies aren’t working in Texas as well as Rick Perry proclaims (in other words, they’ve failed!). And based on the reports I’m reading, I’m still not sure the governor or the state legislature really gets it. As one of the commentors to the Elias article says about our estimated deficit of $25.2 billion,

A typical example of what happens when something complex like budgeting is given to pot-bellied stupid red neck cowboys.

Gov. Perry, has demonstrated his firm grasp of the seriousness of the situation by what he has declared as emergency items for the 82nd Texas Legislature:

• strengthening private property rights
• abolishing sanctuary cities
• legislation to require a voter to present proof of identification when voting
• legislation to provide for a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution
• legislation that would require a woman to undergo a sonogram before electing to have an abortion

These are clearly the most important issues for Texas. The $25+ billion dollar deficit clearly isn’t important nor is the proposed $5 – 10 billion dollar cuts to the education system… or how about the high levels of pollutants released into the Texas environment.

These issues all require Gov. Perry to admit his past policies are flawed and, more importantly, would require Gov. Perry to go up against those wealthy Texans that support his campaigns. Not something a smart politician would do and, make no mistake about it, Gov. Perry is an astute politician.

One of my biggest frustrations with George W. Bush was his tendency to over-simplify complex issues and come out with a Fox News sounds bite. I would like to think Gov. Perry is smarter but his recent behaviour just reinforces the view that he is a G. W. protegé and has trouble understanding complex issues.