by John Zienkosky

Created on: April 28, 2009

There is a lot of misinformation surrounding the position Governor Perry of Texas has taken concerning the acceptance of Federal Aid. Many people believe this issue first arose at the nationwide "Tea Parties"; it did not. Many people believe that this issue centers on a Republican Governor thumbing his nose at a Democratic President; it does not.

The issue of rejecting Government stimulus money to the state of Texas began with the introduction to the Texas Legislature of HCR 50, a resolution reaffirming states rights as outlined by the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Resolution was announced by Governor Perry in a press conference on April 14th, 2009. A bi-partisan group of legislators are surrounding the podium as Governor Perry announces the Resolution. Here is a quote from Governor Perry's announcement:

"I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state. That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states' rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union."

After this show of support for HCR 50, the Texas Senate turned around on April 20th and voted to accept $555 million in stimulus money for unemployment. The vote was 19-11 in the Texas Senate. When asked by a reporter the reasoning for going against the Governor on this, Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville said, "It's always difficult to go against our friend, the governor, but in this case I think there are some compelling reasons to do so." Those "compelling reasons" are outlined somewhat for us by the bill's sponsor, Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, who sponsored the bill to accept the funds. Eltife said that the bill would mean that Texas would only have to borrow 1.5 billion dollars from the Federal Government instead of 2 billion which would result in a savings of $80 million in interest. He also stated that the Texas unemployment fund was due to run out later this year and that it was only fair to employers in Texas that their burden should be eased by the passage of this bill. I had occasion to speak with a small business owner in Dallas that stated it was more important to them that the legislature

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>