Rick Perry: Interior Department A New Government Agency He Would Cut

Texas Gov. Rick Perry named a different government agency he would cut as president in an interview on a Savannah, Georgia radio station Friday morning.

"Three right off the bat, you know, Commerce, Interior, and Energy are three that you think," said the Republican presidential candidate to WTKS-AM when asked what he would cut.

Perry later on in the interview talked about the Department of Education, when asked whether he'd do away with it.

"They are blackmailing states with our own money, basically saying here is the national test, and here are the national standards you're going to put into place," Perry said. "One size fits all doesn't work. Well maybe it does in gym socks but it sure doesn't in how we educate our children."

Perry has said previously that he plans to close the Departments of Commerce, Education and Energy -- but not Interior, until now. Perry's spokesman said it "shouldn't be surprising" that the governor is now talking about cutting another agency, however.

In a Nov. 9 debate, Perry infamously struggled for 55 seconds -- which seemed like an eternity -- to name a third agency of government he would cut. "It's three government agencies when I get there that are gone: Commerce, Education and the um, what's the third one there. Let's see," he said. He then looked to his rivals for help. When moderator John Harwood pressed him, Perry said, "The third agency of government ... . I would do away with the Education, the um, Commerce, and let's see. I can't think of the third one. I can't. Sorry. Oops."

Perry recovered in a Jan. 8 debate. "Let me answer the question that you asked earlier: What would be the three areas that you would make some reductions and people would feel some pain," he said. "And I'll tell you it would be those bureaucrats at the Departments of Commerce and Energy and Education." He held up three fingers in triumph and the audience cheered and applauded. His rival, Rick Santorum, also held up three fingers for Perry.

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Comments

[David305]

11:46 PM on 01/19/2012

Gee I wonder what would happen if we elected a cowboy for President? Oh wait...

[geo m]

02:51 PM on 01/19/2012

Rick Perry HAS been cut ....MORON

[Giggie]

01:41 AM on 01/19/2012

I heard that Texas schools are one of the worst in the country under perry. Yeah, cut the department of education maybe perry can hold a prayer rally for good schools.

[donkanard]

05:26 PM on 01/16/2012

Does anyone think that Mitt Romney will win against Obama? I think he has one heck of a good chance to get independents and some Democrats.

[tahitiboy]

01:29 AM on 01/18/2012

Don't dream, Mitt's hopeless and will only get far right GOP votes.

[vobox3343]

04:51 PM on 01/16/2012

Test Perry. You'll find he's dumber than a door nail

[wulfire]

03:58 PM on 01/17/2012

Rick Perry. Product of the Texas State scoo' system. Nuff said there.

[RetiredVET6576]

04:23 PM on 01/16/2012

Regardless of Perry's ill thought out ideas, eliminating the Department of Education is one that should be totally implemented. It wastes money on National Testing and trying to set standards for everyone and forcing the school district into these tests to get the students into college. The unfortunate part of this idea is there are many students who are more interested in the physical labors and need to be introduced into trades like construction equipment use and maintenance, Building homes and iron work for larger structures, welding and electrical wiring. The Department of Educations is a money boondoggle for the states. It would save the U.S. Government billions and billions and be able to pay down the national debt at the same time.

[sjj734]

01:19 AM on 01/17/2012

The testing came about from Bush's 'No child Left Behind'. While I agree that the testing is ineffective and a waste of money, setting national standards is not a bad thing. It merely sets a minimum standard, schools can customize their curriculum as long as the standards are met. The standards are usually set as minimum number of years of instruction for core subjects. IE: 2 years of math, 4 years of english, etc.

While I don't think eliminating the entire department is a good idea, getting rid of the tests and streamlining the department are good ideas.

[RetiredVET6576]

01:11 PM on 01/17/2012

Thank you for the last statement.

[tahitiboy]

01:35 AM on 01/18/2012

Geez, yes let's get rid of The Dept of Education. Same with Transportation so we can drive on dirt roads instead, and EPA so we can drink mud water and breath car fumes, oh and Welfare so that we can have more homeless people on our streets. OH BTW, ever noticed that most of America's doctors, engineers, bankers, professors are immigrants, hmmm I wonder why???? OH YEAH... They're educated........

[med1067]

09:29 AM on 01/16/2012

It takes the whole state of Texas to raise the village idiot and elect him governor.

I speak for the other 49 states: Mr. Perry, go back to Texas. We don't want you running the country.

[Tara Hunkoff]

11:25 PM on 01/16/2012

Please don't send him back to Texas. It took us forever to get the cow manure off the carpets.

[Naithom]

03:16 AM on 01/16/2012

Given the fact that one of his "Exemplary" elementary schools was just caught cheating on test scores, I don't doubt he's scared of national tests.

[been2there]

04:58 PM on 01/15/2012

Well, of course he doesn't want Texas schools to have to be held to the same standards! He doesn't want educated citizens--they would vote him out like a shot!

[cdterm47]

09:37 AM on 01/15/2012

The Educational System K-12 is a failure. The college system is much too expensive with too much overhead. Thus, a modified European model may be in order that DOES REQUIRE NATIONAL TESTS. Rather than SAT's , or with them, students graduating grade 12 may take a test. Those scoring at a level set by the test makers are eligible for college. Those who do not simply take the test over or find employment. PHASE II would be akin to the Graduate Record Exam. This would be a test of how well a student mastered his/her major in College. Pass it and graduate. Do not pass it and drop out or hit the books again.

THESE SUGGESTIONS WILL ONE CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY AT K-12 AND DRASTICALLY CUT COLLEGE COSTS since those who are self taught or whatever may take the tests should they feel confident in passing them. They pass the test then they get the degree.-- pure and simple. Demand for boutique courses will dry up and both resources and funds can be concentrated on needed majors.

[94613]

06:38 AM on 01/15/2012

Mr Part-Time Governor quips, "Mistakes, I've made a few". Dementia may effect people at this age, give Rik a break. Texas is made for lovers, happiness is a warm gun. Hi'Oh Tonto, Away....

[chaya]

10:08 PM on 01/14/2012

Wow, Perry's four years would sure be a lot of fun. Campgrounds and national parks would turn into unusable trash heaps without services, wildfires and tree-killing pests would run unchecked (burning down all those rich-peoples' retreats and "rancheros"), national monuments would be closed, foreign countries would rush in to create vast open-pit mines, robbing US resources and leaving nothing but toxic waste behind, fishermen would have nothing to catch, hunters would have nothing to shoot, grazing lands would turn barren and eroded, populations of black bear, grizzly, and wolves would explode. No more Yellowstone or Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Arches, or Mesa Verde, no Yosemite. Roads to the beautiful mountain parks would deteriorate until no one could even get to them anymore--at least until the developers move in and cover them with McMansions. No more tourists and no more tourism jobs.

Wow! The guy's a genius!

[noodles865]

05:46 PM on 01/14/2012

what happens if thee is no educational body?I'll tell you- all schools even public will be able to teach whatever and however they please.the standards would be gone but there would be millions of kids who will never go to college and make it to graduation unless its a state run and will never be hired.science will be done away with especially in some areas of the country.history will be rewritten and our children will flounder in and on the world stage.creationism will be in our text books as fact and part of science.we should get our text books chosen for by the federal government not by the largest school systems buying them.our school system is in trouble but it needs to be remastered not dissolved.who and what people do you think, would benefit most from having no standards, they certainly don't represent my world view or those of the children I'm closest to.WE need to get creative many kids have the smarts but don't test well.kids who are hungry afraid or their families are in crisis don't most of the time do well in school.good teachers need to be paid better and no gauntnesses of a job after 3yrs.no other job in the U.S. has that benefit the unions is this case are bad for kids no doubt in my mind.

[blindjester]

08:43 PM on 01/14/2012

What are you talking about? No standards?

Common core is new. Until about a year ago, every district had it's own standards. That's the norm for 99.9% of US history.

[noodles865]

09:16 PM on 01/14/2012

the article was about and I heard him speak about getting rid of all standard testing and over site I said IF there were no standards and every town chose exactly what they wanted to teach.common core would be out the window if there were no testing, schools would not be forced to teach subjects if they wanted grants and the eligibility for high school student trying to get into college per the sats

[murfiani39]

11:20 AM on 01/15/2012

where are the statistics (real) that the common core will work.. Just another scheme to make money off of education. And how will states like texas, florida, miss, alabama going to rate against northern schools like nh, vt,mass, ny, .. looks to me like states that value education will succeed but other states will become third world nations in education .

[blissfully zen]

05:31 PM on 01/14/2012

I sickens me to think that anyone here is still an Obama follower, despite all the real negative change that has happened in his term. There has been no downward progress from Obama; any real benefits that have trickled down to the working class. All Obama has done is to secure the fortunes of the top 1% even more while making life harder for the middle-class and lower working-class citizens.

Even sadder is, the best we have to look for to replace Obama is the current Republican line-up no better than Obama. No matter what though, Obama has to remain a 1-term president. However, I don't believe Gingrich, Romney, Perry, or Santorum any better candidates for the right job; their only in it for the wrong reasons.

Only Ron Paul has demonstrated a radical idea to change the government back to "less government," which I believe is what we really need right about now. We need to stop the over-spending madness in Washington for a bit, cool off, and restrategize or economic position here first, and then develop real infrastructure and jobs in our country if we are ever going to rebuild this mess we are in. Sadly, Obama has done nothing to promote real growth in our Country.

Ron Paul may not seem like the best candidate to become president, but I'd pick him over the others in a heart beat. He's the only one that speaks for the working class.

[been2there]

05:00 PM on 01/15/2012

More affordable health care, millions of jobs saved, more jobs being created--these things are not good in your view?

[Naithom]

03:54 AM on 01/16/2012

RP doesn't speak for the working class.

If someone of color walks into a business, RP believes that even though the business utilizes public utilities and gets tax credits, that they should be able to discriminate against them. Hardball, MSNBC, 3 May 2011

He doesn't believe that people have a right to healthcare because that's the fruit of the doctor's labor. All Things Considered, NPR, July 25, 2007

He's suggested that he would be willing to appoint judges who would reverse the stand that Social Security, a program which has kept millions of elderly from poverty, was Constitutional under Article I, Section 8, a decision that has been in place since 1937. He equated it to slavery. Fox News Sunday, 15 May 2011

The middle class were the ones who paid the price when Glass-Steagal was removed because Wall Street was able to pull the same stunts they pulled before the Great Depression. That's what deregulation of businesses got us. And when businesses closed and people were laid off their money for retirement had to be used just to survive and they couldn't afford health insurance. And here's Dr. Ron Paul telling folks to beg door to door and tough luck having money to live on when you are too old to work.

Yeah, he's really great for the worker.

[Rational Thought Plz]

05:21 PM on 01/14/2012

Either national tests aren't really that great of an indicator, or I am one heck of an underachiever.