Gone To Texas

[Gipper]

What Texas can teach us

By: Michael Barone 05/26/11 4:33 PM

If you want to see a place where the private sector in America has been booming and generating jobs, you should look at Texas. That’s my take from these absolutely fascinating numbers compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics figures by The Business Journals, tracking the increase or decrease in private sector jobs in the ten years between April 2001 and April 2011. Any precise ten-year period is somewhat arbitrary, of course, since the two endpoints can fall at different points in the business cycle, and so picking different starting and end points will produce different pictures. But the numbers here look pretty unambiguous.

In those 10 years, Texas gained 732,800 private sector jobs, far ahead of the number two and three states, Arizona (90,200) and Nevada (90,000). The nation overall lost more than 2 million private sector jobs, with the biggest losses coming in California (623,700), Michigan (619,200) and Ohio (460,900).

Texas’s gain was also impressive as a percentage of jobs at the beginning of the period. Texas had job growth of 9%, more than any other state except much smaller North Dakota (19%), Alaska (17%), Wyoming (16%), Montana (12%) and Utah (10%). The biggest losers in percentage terms, by far, were Michigan (16%) and Ohio (10%).

Obviously Michigan and Ohio were hurt by the parlous condition of the Detroit-based auto firms and other manufacturers; North Dakota, Alaska, Wyoming and Montana were helped by local oil, gas and coal booms. Texas and California are both too big to be explained by just local factors.

The lesson of the previous decade seems clear: if you take a previously prosperous and creative state and subject it to high taxes and intrusive regulations, it loses 5% of its private sector jobs; if you take a previously somewhat less prosperous and creative state and govern it with low taxes and light regulation, it gains 9% more jobs, even as the nation’s economy is suffering.

I’ve explored previously this contrast between our two largest states. Here’s another set of numbers about our second and third largest states that tells a story about what has happened over a longer period of time. In 1970 New York had 18 million people. In 2010 New York had 19 million people. In 1970 Texas had 11 million people. In 2010 Texas had 25 million people.

Don’t tell me public policy doesn’t account for much of the difference.


Read more at the Washington Examiner: What Texas can teach us | Michael Barone | Beltway Confidential | Washington Examiner

You would think those idiot progressives in DC would know this. But, since they are idiots, they are not capable of learning anything.

Had BO and the Ds learned from Texas, Reagan, Coolidge, the Great Depression, etc....they would know the private sector can't prosper when it is punished by foolish progressive policies.

Smart public policy and progressive policies are polar opposites.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

You would think those idiot progressives in DC would know this. But, since they are idiots, they are not capable of learning anything.

Had BO and the Ds learned from Texas, Reagan, Coolidge, the Great Depression, etc....they would know the private sector can't prosper when it is punished by foolish progressive policies.

Smart public policy and progressive policies are polar opposites.

Minnesota has one of the better econs, and Use to be always near top in education and health care...of course both of those things slipped...when some conservative took office for 8 years.

But if you want to talk about who is a idiot...take a look at the person who thinks the whole econ of Texas is based on Conservitive policy.. never mind that there are a huge amount of factors that go into a states econ..some have nothing to do with that..( large amounts of Oil..always a nice help) Large coastline for shipping , nice as well. But there are also things...and I know this will hurt your head....but thinks more important then how much money the private sector can make in a state....like having a good education system, a state where people can learn and view many types of culture and art, access to health care, being able to go outside and not hack up a lung do to the poor air... I am sure people in Texas may think its fine...but ask someone from a state with clean air about going there..they hack like crazy and have a hard time even breathing the air....

I would take my "progressive" Minnesota any day ( note by progressive I mean pre Pawlenty lowering our health care and education rankings by stealing funds from schools to "borrow" to balance the debt..( and pass it on to the next guy)

 

[Centrehalf]

..being able to go outside and not hack up a lung do to the poor air... I am sure people in Texas may think its fine...but ask someone from a state with clean air about going there..they hack like crazy and have a hard time even breathing the air....

This is a cheap shot. This problem has nothing to do with man-made pollution, it has to do with weather patterns and terrain features. There's nothing they can do to stop this from happening.

..but thinks more important then how much money the private sector can make in a state....like having a good education system, a state where people can learn and view many types of culture and art, access to health care..

Agree. Well said.

 

[steveox]

Texas taught us to vote for a jackass named George W Bush.

 

[Mare Tranquillity]

Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born - Ronald Reagan

Anti-abortion sentiments are only expressed by persons who have themselves been born.

 

[Gipper]

Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born - Ronald Reagan

Anti-abortion sentiments are only expressed by persons who have themselves been born.

Oh my Sweet Mare...how I have missed you...so...

Your post is most...oh how should I say...ignorant in a nice way...

But, forgive me for that and forgive me for forgetting you think killing the unborn is a wonderful thing...

I guess you would rather have been aborted by your Momma.

 

[Mare Tranquillity]

Oh my Sweet Mare...how I have missed you...so...

Your post is most...oh how should I say...ignorant in a nice way...

But, forgive me for that and forgive me for forgetting you think killing the unborn is a wonderful thing...

I guess you would rather have been aborted by your Momma.

I'm not a believer in big government like you are, Griper, I don't think that it's the business of government to tell women what to do with their bodies. I realize that you do favor big government in the homes and doctor's offices of the land, it's just one of the many ways in which we diverge.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

This is a cheap shot. This problem has nothing to do with man-made pollution, it has to do with weather patterns and terrain features. There's nothing they can do to stop this from happening.



Agree. Well said.

you don't think all the oil refinery's have anything do do with it?

 

[Centrehalf]

you don't think all the oil refinery's have anything do do with it?

No. The haze problem you mentioned exists primarily in East Texas. Swampy terrain combined with a lack of wind during the day-time in the summer months causes this. In West Texas some people who visit that area confuse allergens with air pollution, although that's not the same problem. You have to remember that East Texas is part of the Bayou and there's a lot of crud in the air that has nothing to do with industry. I lived in Texas for 6 years and the only time I ever saw drilling rigs is when I made a business trip to Odessa. There were none anywhere near my home in the DFW Metroplex. The refineries weren't near my home either.

 

[Gipper]

I'm not a believer in big government like you are, Griper, I don't think that it's the business of government to tell women what to do with their bodies. I realize that you do favor big government in the homes and doctor's offices of the land, it's just one of the many ways in which we diverge.

Oh Mare....you are most confused like most pro-baby killers.

Life should be protected at all costs by government. Remember that little statement..."Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...??????" When you baby killers kill babies, guess what? You prevent life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and doing so just for convenience. Most sickening.

The pro baby killers have much in common with the Nazis and they do not even know it.

So, I believe protecting life over INCONVENIENCING women who somehow in this day and age have sex resulting in an UNWANTED pregnancy. You chose murder for convenience. Most illogical.

 

[pocketfullofshells]

Oh Mare....you are most confused like most pro-baby killers.

Life should be protected at all costs by government. Remember that little statement..."Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...??????" When you baby killers kill babies, guess what? You prevent life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and doing so just for convenience. Most sickening.

The pro baby killers have much in common with the Nazis and they do not even know it.

So, I believe protecting life over INCONVENIENCING women who somehow in this day and age have sex resulting in an UNWANTED pregnancy. You chose murder for convenience. Most illogical.

life should be protected at all cost...unless ..

you can't afford health care
you can't afford food
you can't afford a place to live
some nation as nice oil reserves and Neocons have wanted to invade it for years....

 

[nobull]

life should be protected at all cost...unless ..

you can't afford health care
you can't afford food
you can't afford a place to live
some nation as nice oil reserves and Neocons have wanted to invade it for years....

"The number of poor people who can't afford food/housing for their children is a lot smaller than it used to be -- thanks to capitalism. Capitalism didn't create malnutrition, it reduced it. The globalization of capitalism from 1950 to the present has increased annual average income in the world to $7,000 from $2,000. Contrary to popular legend, poor countries grew at about the same rate as the rich ones. This growth gave us the greatest mass exit from poverty in world history.

"In general, I'm against big government, but I would support a massive emergency federal program to teach logic to liberals."

 

[Gipper]

"The number of poor people who can't afford food/housing for their children is a lot smaller than it used to be -- thanks to capitalism. Capitalism didn't create malnutrition, it reduced it. The globalization of capitalism from 1950 to the present has increased annual average income in the world to $7,000 from $2,000. Contrary to popular legend, poor countries grew at about the same rate as the rich ones. This growth gave us the greatest mass exit from poverty in world history.

"In general, I'm against big government, but I would support a massive emergency federal program to teach logic to liberals."

Well...yes.

This again is the problem America faces. Liberals are completely illogical including Obama and his party. They refuse to cut government spending and reform entitlements, while demanding tax increases on the wealthy and corporations, which will only push the economy further into recession and cause MORE unemployment. Resulting in less revenue to the Treasury, increasing the deficit, and continuing the spiral downward.

How do we find common ground with illogical people? Or, could it be, the Left is not illogical. Maybe their leadership wants to destroy our system as is proposed by their heroes Cloward and Piven.

 

[Mare Tranquillity]

Oh Mare....you are most confused like most pro-baby killers.

Life should be protected at all costs by government. Remember that little statement..."Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...??????" When you baby killers kill babies, guess what? You prevent life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and doing so just for convenience. Most sickening.

The pro baby killers have much in common with the Nazis and they do not even know it.

So, I believe protecting life over INCONVENIENCING women who somehow in this day and age have sex resulting in an UNWANTED pregnancy. You chose murder for convenience. Most illogical.

I understand that YOU don't want to have any responsibility for the unwanted babies of others, you don't want there to be universal health care for all children up to the age of 18, and why should you have any responsibility since it's not your fault that unwanted babies are born?

However, if unwanted babies are NOT your responsibility or your problem, why are you so all fired up to have the US government (or State) force other people to obey YOUR beliefs about the sanctity of unborn life? It ain't your problem, STFU.

I don't think you can have it both ways, Griper, either you have a responsibility to the unborn's welfare or you don't. Funny how right wingers sometimes want to ram their beliefs down the throats of others with a big-government stick.

 

[ThisTooShallPass]

As a resident of Texas, I can affirm that it is in fact a truly terrible place to live... at least the part that I live in.