Next Round Coming Up
On Saturday, I suggested that once Rick Perry announced his candidacy, his record as governor of Texas would be more closely examined, by the other candidates in the GOP race and (hopefully) by the media. That has begun to happen.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Gov. Rick Perry's presidential pitch goes something like this: During one of the worst recessions in American history, he's kept his state "open for business." In the last two years, Texas created over a quarter of a million jobs, meaning that the state's 8% unemployment rate is substantially lower than the rest of the nation's. The governor credits this exceptional growth to things like low taxes and tort reform.
It's a strong message. But one of the governor's signature economic development initiatives—the Texas Emerging Technology Fund—has lately raised serious questions among some conservatives.
The Emerging Technology Fund was created at Mr. Perry's behest in 2005 to act as a kind of public-sector venture capital firm, largely to provide funding for tech start-ups in Texas. Since then, the fund has committed nearly $200 million of taxpayer money to fund 133 companies. Mr. Perry told a group of CEOs in May that the fund's "strategic investments are what's helping us keep groundbreaking innovations in the state." The governor, together with the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the Texas House, enjoys ultimate decision-making power over the fund's investments.
Sounds like a pretty good idea, yes? The only problem is that Gov. Good Hair set that fund up with state money to benefit his buddies/campaign donors:
All told, the Dallas Morning News has found that some $16 million from the tech fund has gone to firms in which major Perry contributors were either investors or officers, and $27 million from the fund has gone to companies founded or advised by six advisory board members. The tangle of interests surrounding the fund has raised eyebrows throughout the state, especially among conservatives who think the fund is a misplaced use of taxpayer dollars to start with.
"It is fundamentally immoral and arrogant," says state representative David Simpson, a tea party-backed freshman from Longview, two hours east of Dallas. The fund "opened the door to the appearance of impropriety, if not actual impropriety." [Emphasis added]
Now, this story didn't appear in the "liberal" press, but in the Wall Street Journal. And Mr. Simpson isn't exactly a disgruntled liberal grousing about the rich getting richer while the poor are getting nothing, but a man backed by the Tea Party. And this is just the start of Gov. Perry's campaign.
What would be nice is if Team Blue, lead by Barack Obama, would also take note of the governor's record, pointing out some of these things. I don't see that happening any time soon. I guess they expect us to do that heavy lifting for them.
More popcorn, please.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Gov. Rick Perry's presidential pitch goes something like this: During one of the worst recessions in American history, he's kept his state "open for business." In the last two years, Texas created over a quarter of a million jobs, meaning that the state's 8% unemployment rate is substantially lower than the rest of the nation's. The governor credits this exceptional growth to things like low taxes and tort reform.
It's a strong message. But one of the governor's signature economic development initiatives—the Texas Emerging Technology Fund—has lately raised serious questions among some conservatives.
The Emerging Technology Fund was created at Mr. Perry's behest in 2005 to act as a kind of public-sector venture capital firm, largely to provide funding for tech start-ups in Texas. Since then, the fund has committed nearly $200 million of taxpayer money to fund 133 companies. Mr. Perry told a group of CEOs in May that the fund's "strategic investments are what's helping us keep groundbreaking innovations in the state." The governor, together with the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the Texas House, enjoys ultimate decision-making power over the fund's investments.
Sounds like a pretty good idea, yes? The only problem is that Gov. Good Hair set that fund up with state money to benefit his buddies/campaign donors:
All told, the Dallas Morning News has found that some $16 million from the tech fund has gone to firms in which major Perry contributors were either investors or officers, and $27 million from the fund has gone to companies founded or advised by six advisory board members. The tangle of interests surrounding the fund has raised eyebrows throughout the state, especially among conservatives who think the fund is a misplaced use of taxpayer dollars to start with.
"It is fundamentally immoral and arrogant," says state representative David Simpson, a tea party-backed freshman from Longview, two hours east of Dallas. The fund "opened the door to the appearance of impropriety, if not actual impropriety." [Emphasis added]
Now, this story didn't appear in the "liberal" press, but in the Wall Street Journal. And Mr. Simpson isn't exactly a disgruntled liberal grousing about the rich getting richer while the poor are getting nothing, but a man backed by the Tea Party. And this is just the start of Gov. Perry's campaign.
What would be nice is if Team Blue, lead by Barack Obama, would also take note of the governor's record, pointing out some of these things. I don't see that happening any time soon. I guess they expect us to do that heavy lifting for them.
More popcorn, please.
Labels: Corporate Welfare, Election 2012
posted by Diane at 3:00 AM
2 Comments:
Gov Goodhair and I are going to have a special relationship this cycle. I am perfecting the only comment I'll be leaving on blogs discussing him, for a while. it goes like this.
-caught in bed with a man by wife
-wife runs screaming off to top flight divorce firm
-wife 'massaged' by Baker/Rove/Somebody crew to be a good lil Southron lady and pipe down
-there's a twink out there somewhere with the goods; libs need to set up a fund to encourage him/them to come on down. the price can be right.
In Texas politics, as clearly stated by Karl Rove, to the victor go the spoils. The fact that it is illegal simply means they will change the laws to make it legal.
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