Minimum Wage Texas

Should Perry get credit for Texas economy?

Lured to Texas by reports of a resurging economy, law school graduate Ross Fishbein packed his belongings in his 2007 Nissan Sentra last month and headed south from his native New Hampshire to Austin.

"I had never been to Texas," said Fishbein, 27, who is staying with friends while he looks for work in business, government or law. "It seemed like Austin was at the top of the list for jobs."

Fishbein is not alone. People moving to Texas accounted for almost half of the 4.2 million new Texans since 2000, a 20 percent increase that means more people are demanding more goods and services, a kind of self-generating economic engine. And that influx is not just people working in low-skilled jobs. Texas is attracting more college graduates each year than the state's universities graduate.

As Gov. Rick Perry's flirtation with running for president puts the Texas economy under a microscope, there's no question jobs would be Perry's calling card in a national campaign focused on the economy. The state's longest-serving governor can say people are voting with their feet. But what do people like Fishbein find once they are here? And how much credit can Perry take for the state's economy?

Most people know of Texas' reputation for creating jobs — the cornerstone of Perry's pitch that limited government, less regulation and low taxes are the tonic for what ails the nation. Yet almost half of the state's job growth the past two years was led by education, health care and government, the sectors of the economy that will now take a hit as federal stimulus money runs out and the Legislature's 8 percent cut in state spending translates into thousands of layoffs among state workers and teachers in the coming weeks.

Also, Texas is tied with Mississippi as the nation's leaders in minimum wage jobs. And conservatives argue that Texas can do more to lower its tax burden on businesses, which is higher than the national average and states such as California and Massachusetts that have a personal income tax.

That said, experts agree that Texas, with its 10 million-plus workforce, is adding more jobs than other states. They don't always agree on the fairest way to report Texas' proportion of the nation's job growth since the recession ended officially in June 2009. The number ranges from a third to nearly half, a significant portion to be sure. And in raw numbers, Texas has no peer as it leads the nation through a slow recovery.

The state's economy added about 282,300 jobs from June 2009 through April, according to an analyis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. The state also lost 45,500 jobs during that period.

Rick Perry's Job Creation Miracle « JONATHAN TURLEY

No need to hurry to Texas, the Masters Of the Universe are bringing all those glorious benefits to the rest of the US. But it won’t end there. The teabag brigade also has offered bills in several State Legislatures to eliminate the minimum wage as well as child labor laws.

When they are done with us we will have all the job growth you could ever want . . . well except for one little thing; nobody will have the money to spend on luxury goods that are common in American households today. So there really won’t be a reason to hire all those children for a dollar a day.

While I agree that college grades are just one measure of a person’s abilities, something is wrong when a presidential candidate could muster no better than a D grade in Principles of Economics and a C grade in U.S. History. In my book, those measures along reveal enough about Mr. Perry to me suggesting that he does not belong as the leader of this Nation. A president must understand and rely upon U.S. History and he certainly must fully understand the *principles* of economics.

Average and below average performances in subjects that are critical to proper governance are simply not acceptable in today’s world economy. Historical knowledge is important to avoid similar blunders of previous leaders who also did not remember or understand U.S. History and the lessons it could/should have taught them.

With Mr. Perry, instead of voodoo economics, we will get Grade-D gawdawful economics. There will be an new Standard and Poor’s rating resulting from such a disaster: God-Offal FFF—

nal:

“So, if you want a low paying job with no health insurance, Texas is your choice.”

better than having no job at all. Market forces are at work. If the economy gets better then wages will rise and so will benefits as more companies start to hire more people.

Wages are depressed during an economic downturn and high when the economy is doing well.

So what would you rather have? A bunch of people on government support or a bunch of people working even if only for $10/hour. At the least the people working are paying some taxes and able to purchase some things.

Apartments-$715 per month – Utilities- $105 per month Income Taxes – None

10x40x4 = 1600/month. Take about 15% for taxes and SS that leaves you with around $1,360 per month take home if your wife works that gives a family 2,720 per month. Rent and utilities about $800 per month. That leaves you with $1,900 per month for food clothes and automobile. If you dont have any credit card debt, you can live on that and probably put away $100 per month if you are tight with a dollar.

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