At The National Press Club, Rick Perry became a born-again reform conservative.
From 2005 to 2007 more African-Americans moved to Texas than all but one
other state, that state being Georgia. Now many were coming from blue states, like New
York and Illinois and California. Many came from Louisiana, where they had lost their
homes due to Hurricane Katrina. But each one of those new residents were welcomed to
Texas with open arms. They came to a state with a booming economy. We kept taxes
low, regulations low. We kept frivolous lawsuits to a minimum. We worked hard to
educate every child.
Now let me be clear, we have not eliminated black poverty in Texas. But we have
made meaningful progress. In New York, the supplemental poverty rate for blacks is 26
percent. In California, it is 30 percent. In Washington, D.C. it is 33 percent. In Texas, it is just 20 percent. And here is how it happened. We curtailed frivolous lawsuits and
unreasonable regulations. It’s far cheaper to do business in Dallas or Houston than it is in
Baltimore or in Detroit. And those lower costs, they get passed down to consumers,
especially low income consumers in the form of lower prices.
There's a lot of talk in Washington about inequality, income inequality. But there
is a lot less talk about the inequality that arises from the high cost of everyday life. In
blue state coastal cities you have these strict zoning laws, environmental regulations that
have prevented buildings from expanding the housing supply. And that may be great for
the venture capitalist who wants to keep a nice view of San Francisco Bay. But it’s not so great for the single mother working two jobs in order to pay rent and still put food on the table for her kids.
If he had been this good during the 2012 campaign,he would have been the nominee.
