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HOW TEXAS CAN SAVE AMERICA FROM WASHINGTON |
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Written by Governor Rick Perry
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Thursday, 17 September 2009 |
As the federal government continuously churns out ideas and policies that
drive our nation deeper and deeper in debt, citizens and taxpayers are right to
be worried.
From federal "stimulus" bills that force state governments to change laws,
raise taxes and increase spending, to cap and trade proposals that will run our
energy industry into the ground, to emerging plans for an unprecedented and
unsustainable expansion of government health care, it is clear that the swollen
river of our federal government has overflowed its banks.
Washington is increasingly out
of step with folks out here in flyover country who do not share the
inside-the-Beltway belief that a benevolent, all-knowing government can expand
and encroach without limit, because individual Americans simply cannot be
trusted to make right choices.
This mindset has driven the explosive growth of the size, spending and
intrusiveness of the federal government. Our founding fathers would be appalled
at the way their successors are ignoring individual liberties, contemplating
more tax increases, and interfering further into private enterprise.
Washington bureaucrats must be
reminded that America
is not some windowless laboratory where they can tinker with theories with no
regard to consequences. Real harm is resulting from policies that are
disastrous for America's
future, bankrupting our country, and mortgaging our children's future.
Fear of this emerging future and frustration with an administration run amok
are fueling the resurgent interest in the 10th Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution. "We the people" are standing up and demanding an audience.
It drives the talking heads crazy, but I'm proud of those level-headed
Americans who are pushing back through the growing TEA Party movement.
This groundswell of classic American activism is giving citizens a conduit
for their beliefs and sending a clear message they will not stand idly by as Washington
spends their tax dollars and limits their freedoms with increasing arrogance. I
predict that our increasingly frustrated national electorate will look to the
states for answers, starting with Texas.
The success of the Lone Star
State has proven that the journey
to a desirable future begins with fostering individual liberty and encouraging
personal responsibility while celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit. Our
relative economic strength is proof that people thrive when given the
opportunity to strive with minimal government interference.
In 2003, our Legislature's first order of business was tackling a $10
billion deficit. Fortunately, conservative leadership principles prevailed and
we cut spending to right our listing ship of state.
Six years later, Texas has a
balanced budget with money set aside to cover contingencies and leads the
nation in exports, Fortune 500 companies and economic vitality. At last check,
our unemployment rate was nearly two points below the national average.
Because Texas leaders not only
cut spending but also pushed through tort reform and began sensible investments
in job creation, our state is in much better shape than just about any other.
Our reformed legal system has not only protected employers from frivolous
lawsuits, it has also increased access to healthcare for our citizens while lowering
their overall costs.
This continued application of proven, conservative fiscal principles and
unapologetic embrace of individual liberty has created a magnetic pull on
business owners and citizens looking for a fresh start. We haven't been adding
roughly one thousand people to our population every day solely because of our
great live music and barbeque.
That certainly doesn't hurt, but folks are more attracted to a climate where
people know they can not only risk their capital with a chance for a good
return, they can also enjoy a quality of life that is unreachable in most other
states. People come to Texas for
the modern version of the classic American dream.
Our success notwithstanding, you won't catch Texas
resting on its laurels or abandoning its principles. During our recent
legislative session, we turned a few heads when we refused federal unemployment
funds that would have mandated increased taxes over the long term and more
government expansion.
We also cut taxes for 40,000 small businesses, knocked out legislation that
would have opened the door to frivolous lawsuits, and passed bills that will
improve education by bolstering our universities and increasing accountability
in our public schools.
I'm pleased that a number of other states are taking a similar tack by
drawing clear lines and standing on proven conservative principles. Fortunately
for their citizens, leaders like Bobby Jindal of Louisiana
and Haley Barbour of Mississippi
are also standing tall in the face of a metastatic federal bureaucracy. We can
only hope that more states will follow suit and pursue reforms that actually
work.
Barring the unforeseen and unlikely event that the powers-that-be in Washington
wake up and change their approach, people will continue to press for limited
government, endure in their belief in the power of the individual, and cast
their lot with the protections of the Tenth Amendment.
Hopefully, exercising our speech rights guaranteed by the First Amendment
will finally rouse Washington
from its slumber and bring our nation out of this recession, strengthen our Union,
and chart a course to long term prosperity and opportunity for all.
Rick Perry is the
Governor of Texas.
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