Texas Governor's Race
We have a primary here on March 2nd for Governor. Rick Perry is up for re-election this year and he's being challenged by Senator Kay Baily Hutchinson and Debra Medina, a political newcomer that's being called the Tea-Party candidate.
Before I get into what brought me here today ... let me say this. Rick Perry irritates me for a number of reasons; property taxes, land grab deals, Gardasil, and his seeming conservative switch that turns on when an elections looming. That being said ... Texas is in pretty good shape financially, regardless of what Debra Medina said on Mark Davis's show last week.
We're weathering the recession better than some of our sister states, unemoployment is hovering aruond 8%, with 6.9% in Austin, 8.3% in Dallas. Not great numbers, but better than 14.6% in Michigan, or 12.1% in California. In fact, California's population has long been moving West, many of them have relocated to Colorado and Texas for the favorable job climate, and lower (or non-existent) income tax.
We also have more businesses moving corporate headquarters to our area than other states. At present, more Fortune 500 companies are in Texas than are in New York. This is almost solely due to our favorable tax environment for corporations, and businesses have an easier time getting employees to move when they tout our low cost of living.
We did not suffer the huge housing sways that are killing California and Florida (though we have a lot of foreclosures based on loans that were given to those that should not have qualified). But our housing prices have remained fairly stable. Last I checked, our home prices had dipped 3-5%. Not awesome, but not unrecoverable.
Now, I do not attribute all of this to Perry. He is not my favorite and I'd like to see a different candidate.
But not Kay Bailey Hutchinson. K-B represents almost everything that I think is wrong with the Republican party in Washington. She votes for all these stimulus packages based on "if we don't act we'll die" chicken little scare tactics, and then swears she's a fiscal conservative.
In the words of Eliza Doolittle: "Don't waste my time, show me!"
And she can't do that.
I feel like she's running for President too. So that doesn't help her cause in my view.
Which brings me to Debra Medina, whom I know very little about. They are calling her the Tea Party candidate. She's running as a fiscal conservative and talking nonesense about how bad the economy is in Texas, and how bad our budget is. When asked to explain, she said that with current spending we will be in debt soon.
Yes, yes dear. Let's get that cart back behind the horse, thanks.
But she's really stepped in it today. Today on the Glenn Beck show she pretty much said that she's a 9/11 Truther, and said that she thought good questions were being asked about the governments role in 9/11.
UGH. It's painful to listen to. After she hangs up, Glenn Beck pretty much rights her off and says he'll have to look at K-B and that Rick Perry is a really handsome guy.
From Red State:
Irregardless of the tea parties -- Medina's toast. I can't wait to hear what Mark Davis says tomorrow morning about this, because he was far in her corner. Not necessarily because of her individual beliefs, but because he's large into the Tea Party movement. Which I like don't get me wrong. Anything that gets conservatives away from the divisive social issues that put wedges between us and cause our government to go all Liberal Spendy on us, well that's a good thing. Fiscal conservatism good. Liberal spendy bad.
My main reason to not vote for her (Medina) was her lack of experience. I won't vote for Kay because I really, really, really have a large distaste for Senators. I'd like to see her give up her seat to try this Governor thing full on (a new Senator! YEAH!), but I don't see that happening. That, is another reason I don't like her. She wants to be a politican, anywhere, no matter where. Washington or Texas, it doesn't matter.
I like John Cornyn, and I like Congressman Burgess. I mistrust Rick Perry, but he's kept my state running in a style that's helping us weather the storm. There are a lot of things I'd like changed (no gardasil for 12 year olds, no landgrab for the train, and quit lying about property taxes! They are going to be high because we don't have income tax - quit saying you're going to lower them when you don't have the slightest intention to!) but for the most part ... he's okay.
And again, I don't know everything there is to know about this race yet. But I think Medina's performance on Glenn Beck pretty much solidified her place at the bottom of the political pile. Somewhere, K-B is smiling.
Before I get into what brought me here today ... let me say this. Rick Perry irritates me for a number of reasons; property taxes, land grab deals, Gardasil, and his seeming conservative switch that turns on when an elections looming. That being said ... Texas is in pretty good shape financially, regardless of what Debra Medina said on Mark Davis's show last week.
We're weathering the recession better than some of our sister states, unemoployment is hovering aruond 8%, with 6.9% in Austin, 8.3% in Dallas. Not great numbers, but better than 14.6% in Michigan, or 12.1% in California. In fact, California's population has long been moving West, many of them have relocated to Colorado and Texas for the favorable job climate, and lower (or non-existent) income tax.
We also have more businesses moving corporate headquarters to our area than other states. At present, more Fortune 500 companies are in Texas than are in New York. This is almost solely due to our favorable tax environment for corporations, and businesses have an easier time getting employees to move when they tout our low cost of living.
We did not suffer the huge housing sways that are killing California and Florida (though we have a lot of foreclosures based on loans that were given to those that should not have qualified). But our housing prices have remained fairly stable. Last I checked, our home prices had dipped 3-5%. Not awesome, but not unrecoverable.
Now, I do not attribute all of this to Perry. He is not my favorite and I'd like to see a different candidate.
But not Kay Bailey Hutchinson. K-B represents almost everything that I think is wrong with the Republican party in Washington. She votes for all these stimulus packages based on "if we don't act we'll die" chicken little scare tactics, and then swears she's a fiscal conservative.
In the words of Eliza Doolittle: "Don't waste my time, show me!"
And she can't do that.
I feel like she's running for President too. So that doesn't help her cause in my view.
Which brings me to Debra Medina, whom I know very little about. They are calling her the Tea Party candidate. She's running as a fiscal conservative and talking nonesense about how bad the economy is in Texas, and how bad our budget is. When asked to explain, she said that with current spending we will be in debt soon.
Yes, yes dear. Let's get that cart back behind the horse, thanks.
But she's really stepped in it today. Today on the Glenn Beck show she pretty much said that she's a 9/11 Truther, and said that she thought good questions were being asked about the governments role in 9/11.
UGH. It's painful to listen to. After she hangs up, Glenn Beck pretty much rights her off and says he'll have to look at K-B and that Rick Perry is a really handsome guy.
From Red State:
I’m not going to go so far as to claim Medina is a troofer. She is, I think, merely a panderer and demagogue who has seized upon the Tea Party movement as a means to achieve elective office. It is cheap, tawdry, banal, pedestrian, and a whole string of similar adjectives.Absolutely. The writer goes on to say that the Tea Party folks are gonna need to find candidates that actually support their positions rather than waving around anyone that will get behind their cause. Because some people are just doing it for the publicity and the chance to break through the incumbancies.
Irregardless of the tea parties -- Medina's toast. I can't wait to hear what Mark Davis says tomorrow morning about this, because he was far in her corner. Not necessarily because of her individual beliefs, but because he's large into the Tea Party movement. Which I like don't get me wrong. Anything that gets conservatives away from the divisive social issues that put wedges between us and cause our government to go all Liberal Spendy on us, well that's a good thing. Fiscal conservatism good. Liberal spendy bad.
My main reason to not vote for her (Medina) was her lack of experience. I won't vote for Kay because I really, really, really have a large distaste for Senators. I'd like to see her give up her seat to try this Governor thing full on (a new Senator! YEAH!), but I don't see that happening. That, is another reason I don't like her. She wants to be a politican, anywhere, no matter where. Washington or Texas, it doesn't matter.
I like John Cornyn, and I like Congressman Burgess. I mistrust Rick Perry, but he's kept my state running in a style that's helping us weather the storm. There are a lot of things I'd like changed (no gardasil for 12 year olds, no landgrab for the train, and quit lying about property taxes! They are going to be high because we don't have income tax - quit saying you're going to lower them when you don't have the slightest intention to!) but for the most part ... he's okay.
And again, I don't know everything there is to know about this race yet. But I think Medina's performance on Glenn Beck pretty much solidified her place at the bottom of the political pile. Somewhere, K-B is smiling.
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