When Rick Perry told the Des Moines Register he felt "called" to run for president, he wasn't exactly the first Texan to claim a landline to god. George Bush famously related to Mahmoud Abbas that god had told him to invade Iraq and that if Abbas didn't act quickly on a peace plan for the Palestinians god might give Bush other jobs. When it comes to sorting through presidential timber, god's judgment appears to show some weaknesses. Whether she likes it or not, the Christian god is getting credit for a lot of weird things down here in the Lone Star state.
As the legislature was trying to figure out how to deal with a $27 billion dollar budget deficit, Governor Rick Perry made it an emergency measure to pass a sonogram law. The legislation, which was successful, requires women to undergo a sonogram if they are seeking an abortion. The doctor is then forced by the law to describe what he sees and to ask the woman if she wants to examine the sonogram or hear the heartbeat. At the signing ceremony, Perry brought in the bill's senate sponsor, Republican Dan Patrick, who told reporters this wasn't about politics and it was a "god" issue. A few dozen pro-life types had been invited to the governor's reception room and one of them asked Patrick if there was anything that could be done for the women who had already "killed babies with abortions."
"The good news, the good news," Patrick was almost weeping as he repeated the evangelical phrase, "is that there is hope of redemption for those women through the blood of Jesus Christ."
The church (Christian) and the state are Siamese twins in Texas.
Patrick, who has been an instrumental ally for Perry's more extreme political accomplishments, walked out of the Texas Senate Chamber when it started its daily session with its first Muslim invocation in state history. The man who led the drive to have government intrude in the lives of women with problem pregnancies, is, like Sarah Palin, is a former sportscaster. Not too many years ago Patrick painted himself and a room blue and put on a big blue foam hat to yell at the TV during Houston professional football games. (Culture czar in a Perry administration?)
Perry, though, had already demonstrated a facility for messing with the lives of young women. In 2007, he signed an executive order requiring all sixth grade girls to get a shot vaccinating them against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer. The governor, however, was being neither thoughtful nor progressive; he was being politically expedient. Merck manufactured the vaccine and the pharmaceutical company's lobbyist at the time was Mike Toomey, a Perry friend who has made millions getting the Texas legislature to bend to corporate will. Unfortunately, in this case, Christian conservatives wailed against the governor's order and the legislature tossed it out. One GOP lawmaker even asked, "Does the governor think my daughter is a slut?"
The HPV rule was a perfect vehicle for Perry's religious and political beliefs. He was able to cloak the intrusive nature of the bill under the guise of caring about young people while also making a lot of money for his lobbyist friend and a major drug company, which was likely to deliver large donors to any presidential campaign. Perry exhibits, as do many of his conservative consorts, a most fundamental of all contradictions: They are able to stand on stages and howl about government intruding in our lives and businesses but are quick to use the power of government to intrude when it serves their politics and profits.
These political expressions of god and faith, and, in Perry's case, Jesus, conveniently ignore "the least amongst us." Perry and his politics are determined to protect a child in the womb but they don't do a hell of a lot for that kid once he or she starts walking in the world. According to the Texas on the Brink report, produced by State Senator Elliot Shapleigh and the Legislative Study Group of the Texas House of Representatives, the land south of the Red River has the highest percentage of children without health insurance of any state in the union. In fact, 6.1 million people, 28 percent of the state's population, the largest share in the U.S., is uninsured. We are also 4th in the percentage of children living in poverty and 34th when it comes to full immunization.
There is no argument to be made that Rick Perry does not own this grim real estate. He has been governor for more than a decade. The fact that Texas ranks 50th among people over 25 with a high school diploma is his problem as much as it is the electorate's that put him into office. Texas on the Brink indicates we are 45th in SAT scores and the way we got there is because Texas ranks 47th on the amount of money it spends on each public school student. Things will, however, get worse. To balance the state's $27 billion dollar budget deficit, (why does that exist if we have made most of America's new jobs?) Perry and the legislature cut $4 billion dollars from the two- year budget. An additional $1.4 billion was eliminated by ending grants for pre-kindergarten and at risk students while also reducing state contributions to teacher pensions and health care. A teachers' group called the educational budget cuts a "planned failure" for children.
If you happen to be an ethnic child in Texas, you are in a tough situation living under Perry's Lone Star. 66 percent of Latino children and 59 percent of black children live in low-income families, compared to 25 percent of white children. Texas offers almost no help to change these circumstances. Parents making even poverty level incomes do not qualify for Medicaid under state standards, if they have two children and earn more than $4,942.70 in one year, (less than $100 bucks a week for those of us slow with math). This is a big problem when 4.26 million people, almost a fifth of the state's population, lives in poverty.
This, then, is Rick Perry's theology: by word you can claim to be a man of faith and care for others but by actions your truth is known. Texans have always been slightly deranged in terms of their politics but we are now almost certifiable with our continued election of Perry. What the rest of the country will learn with his political ascension is clearly described in the movie Blood Simple. The Coen Brothers' 1984 film is about a Texas bar owner who is convinced his wife is cheating on him. The opening monologue explains the Texas social and political ethos.
"Now in Russia, they got it mapped out so that everyone pulls for everyone else-- that's the theory, anyway. But what I know about is Texas...And down here... you're on your own."
Also at: http://www.moorethink.com
Follow James Moore on Twitter: www.twitter.com/moorethink
If God is responsible for what happens in the State of Texas, she must also be responsible for this year's horrible drought.
If the Devil is responsible, then God didn't stop him from doing it. So, either God didn't care enough about Texas to stop the Devil, or the Devil is stronger than God, or neither one of them cares a whit about what goes on in Texas, or only the Devil cares about what happens in Texas.
Rampant pollution and business deregulation
widespread corruption and religious based government
low wage jobs and a large population without healthcare coverage
I hope Rick Perry runs for President so he can bring all that to the rest of nation. (Insert icon for sarcasm here)
Then again, a lot of GOP voters support a woman's whose own husband was a member of the secessionist Alaskan Independence Party (or whatever its called), so it appears they are kinda flexible on the "United" part of the United States.
Later that year, the wrestling coach asked me to lose a tournement match so one of his good old boys could advance further. I could have graduated early since my transfer credits from an eastern school were so much more that what was required in Texas. I worked in a pizza parlor that could not serve beer because our wall was on the line between a "wet" and "dry" zone. My high school's mascot was a rebel and our symbol was a confederate flag. In lieu of detention, one had the option of getting swats from the vice principal from a paddle with holes drilled in it. We had no school buses but there were some hitching posts by the parking lot to tie up horses. Although I met a lot of nice people and students there, I couldn't wait to escape back to civilization. I now live in Texas again and am sorry to say that outside of the large urban areas, there are still areas where not that much has changed.
http://www.buffettworld.com/albums/a1a/dallas/
American workers fired all over the country and the companies' MFG moved to Mexico with a corpoarte office/staff in texas. . This was how Mitt made his money(another Job Creator..lol).
Its the place where goods/material are passed to Mexican factory workers and the finished goods come back in for sale and distribution in the U.S..
U.S, Texas side Border MFG however dispappered.The race to the bottom continues...
Regards
Regards
not *reson* (typo fixed )
The job creation is job relocations from other parts of the country, induced by not having to pay taxes and thus texas' huge deficits now, the largest in the country. Its the race to the bottom which American business love and the ability to bribe local governments is the std way of getting things done. Very 3rd world.
Of course business loves 3rd world low wage countries.. this is news? The job growth as a percent of the population growth is dismal and they were late to the recession, bouyed up by the oil prices that killed other states economies.
Living is cheap due to house prices which never boomed because there is always another cow pasture to develope.
Texas is the Repug economic 3rd world model however. Low wages, no healthcare and unlimited polution and corruption with the state being run by Southern Baptist.
Regards
The Golf and yacht Club I owned, was zoned as inappropriate by the City with all other golf courses, because they did not want people playing golf and drinking beer on Sundays after the local Baptist deacon became mayor.. I kid you not. On the otherhand no one will play gold in texas at a dry golf course.. just like the tea party, lgic , reason and reality are on existant.
Regards
And I held lots of charity evenst and gave 100% to Charity where the Church Carity events well half goes to the church and the local Baptist Mister siad and iwas hurting them.
Regards
Is that REALLY true? Or are you just shoveling out lots of "bull"?
;-)
You dont have to go far to be in another rice patty( no rice growing, just collecting pay for not growing rice) or cow pasutere .
Regards