Rick Perry Loves the People
Unwilling to let his GOP buddy take all the grandstanding, Governor Big Hair has officially (via press release at least) turned down the stimulus unemployment insurance money, as having too many strings attached. This is broadly seen as a thumb-in-your-eye gesture at Kay Bailey who’ll be giving old Rick a run for his money next year in the Texas Republican Primary. Speaking in Houston, the gub let us know he’s with us.
I am here today to stand with Texas employers and the millions of Texans they employ to resist further government intrusion into their businesses through an expansion of our state’s unemployment insurance program.”
To be clear he’s standing with us on refusing lots and lots of federal money for the unemployed. Way to put the people before your political aspirations.
I’m mixed on this move by Perry.
Supposedly it only affects “unemployed” people who are holding out for a new part-time jobs, and people who are unemployed because their spouse relocated to a new job. In both cases, it sounds like the individual might have voluntarily have left their previous job or left it out of their necessity rather than their employers…
In 2008, 20 percent of out-of-work Texans were eligible to collect benefits, according to the U.S. Labor Department. That is a highest eligible percentage of people of any state in the U.S.. These funds would increase that number, and increase the cost of insurance for business. I’m not saying businesses would leave the great state of Texas over this, but it doesn’t help our case for bringing new business here…
I’m not a Perry advocate, and I do believe this move was politically motivated, but I don’t necessarily think it is a bad move for the State of Texas as a whole.
BTW… I love the “Governor Big Hair” reference.