Rick Perry's Texas depends more and more on federal government

[sonias]

http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/02/rick-perrys-tex.html">Dallas Morning News Opinion blog 2/23/10
Rick Perry's Texas depends more and more on federal government

Which of the following revenue sources has grown the most since Rick Perry became governor?

A. Sales tax, driven by a strong economy.
B. Natural gas production tax revenue, driven by a strong economy and the Barnett Shale discovery.
C. Federal income.

The answer is C, though you'd never know it from listening to the rhetoric from the governor. Rick Perry is trying hard to capture the anti-Washington mood of voters, and he likes to argue that he is turning away federal dollars because, by golly, we Texans are independent and can solve our own problems. Problem is, the numbers just don't support that assertion.

Compare the 2009 revenue for the state of Texas with the 2000 revenue, and you'll see something you might not expect from a state that is led by someone who is sypathetic to secessionists. Federal income has grown 108.53 percent since 2000, more than double the revenue growth of taxes (50 percent). That means the Texas miracle is producing half as much revenue growth as reliance on federal dollars. As a portion of the state's total revenue, taxes actually decreased by 6 percentage points while federal dollars increased by 7 percentage points.

That means Texas relies more on federal dollars and less on its own taxes than it did when Perry took office. Put another way: Texas is less independent than it was when the governor took office, not more.

Oh but Perry hates Washington D.C. He trashes Obama almost weekly while at the same time holding out his hand for money.

:puke: on Perry.


Sonia

[tammywammy]

1. Great link

I'm spreading it around! Thanks Sonia!

And also recommended.