Public Sector Added to Texas Job Boom

[alp227]

Source: The Wall Street Journal

DALLAS—As Texas Gov. Rick Perry ponders a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Texans weighing his economic legacy are debating the role played by a long boom in government jobs—and the possible bust ahead.

Texas has enjoyed the most robust economy in the U.S. during Mr. Perry's decade as governor, which is one reason his potential candidacy is attracting national attention. The Lone Star State gained more than a million jobs since the end of 2000, while the U.S. has lost almost 1.5 million, according data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

About 300,000 of the new Texas jobs were in government. Well over half of them, fueled by the surging population, were at public schools. Employment in the state's public sector has jumped 19% since 2000, compared with a 9% rise in the private sector.

Now layoffs loom. State budget cuts, championed by Mr. Perry to address a big budget shortfall, are prompting school districts around the state to lay off hundreds of teachers and other workers going into the school year starting next month.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903999904576470232177476242.html

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Found this via FAIR.org blog: "The Secret of Rick Perry's Texas Jobs Miracle? Government Jobs."

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cirque du So-What]

2. The corporate media are finding it harder to prop up the RW's blatant lies

although I happened to notice a recent USA Today with a headline that said something like, 'Need Work? Move to Texas.' I'm guessing the Gannett fishwrap failed to mention that about 1/3 of new jobs created during the past decade were in the public sector.

[Rozlee]

5. And they failed to mention the humongous deficit Perry has run up in Texas

that might result in firing thousands of teachers, closing hundreds of nursing homes and denying loans to students. Much of the so-called "Rainy Day Fund" has already been spent on past budget shortfalls and fuzzy math has made it look like it'll keep the state deficit from going the way of California in the future. Perry has really screwed up this state royally, but Rethugs have made it look like they can pull it out of the fire. They can't. And the bean counters in Washington are rubbing their hands with glee waiting to see if he throws his oversized hat in the ring.

[Downwinder]

3. Consider the source of the article, The Wall Street Journal.

Fox in print.

[alp227]

4. Consider the reference to this article, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting.

A frequent critic of Fox News and the corporate media in general, from a progressive standpoint.

[Roland99]

6. Every Republican's mantra: Do as I say, not as I do.