In his state of the state address, Gov. Rick Perry is discussing how Texas has built its economic edge, and how it will deal with its budget issues.
Our economic strength is no accident. It’s a testimony to our people, our entrepreneurs and, yes, to the decisions made in this building. Employers from across the country and around the world understand that the opportunity they crave can be found in Texas, and they’re headed our way, with jobs in tow.
People are seeking opportunity as well, and newcomers arrive every day, ready to pursue their dreams. For the sixth year running, research from Allied Van Lines showed that Texas was the top destination for relocations.
Need I go on? Well, don’t mind if I do.
Newsweek magazine had four Texas cities on their list of “Top 10 American Cities Best Situated for Recovery”, and Forbes considers our growth prospects best in the nation, based on projected increases in jobs, income, and gross state product.
In a category that really affects the bottom line for Texas families, our state leads the nation in strong home values. According to one industry analyst, the strongest appreciation in home values over the next seven months, will take place in the Houston area, the Metroplex and Amarillo.
Gov. Perry listed three reasons Texas is fairing comparatively well: the state has a low tax burden, a fair and predictable regulatory environment, and strong tort reform to minimize frivolous lawsuits. Along with a detailed discussion of border security and the Lone Star State’s battle against the EPA, Perry is also taking a strong shot at ObamaCare.
Our Medicaid population and accompanying financial burden are growing as we speak, and, in 2014, ObamaCare will cause them to explode. This Washington-centric healthcare plan puts many states on a collision course with bankruptcy.
Instead of oppressive mandates, we need solutions like block grants, and the freedom to improve health care delivery, with innovation, flexibility and local input from leaders like Senator Jane Nelson.
We most definitely do not need Washington encroaching even further on our individual liberties.
I hope you’ll support Representative Creighton’s legislation stating the simple truth – upheld by at least two federal courts, that it’s unconstitutional and wrong for the government to force someone to buy health insurance.
In this and other areas of overreach, we must be united in sending one clear and simple message to Washington: “Enough.”
The differences between Texas values and Washington’s self-serving games have never been more stark than they are right now. The federal government’s efforts to accumulate more power, by bribing us with our own tax dollars are simply unacceptable.
We must continue to call attention to the essential truth of the 10th Amendment and commit these 28 words to memory: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Our founders knew that a federal government powerful enough to run our lives would be powerful enough to rob us of our liberties. In this chamber, where so many great Texas leaders have served, we affirm the principle of state sovereignty, and proclaim without reservation that Texans can run Texas better than bureaucrats in Washington DC.
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