Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Texas Rocks...

It just does. And not only because we have a Governor who understands state's rights, but also because of this:

"...as late as October 2008 the Financial Times ranked Texas as the number one state in the U.S. for its economy in a state-by-state comparison of employment rates, gross state product grown, personal income growth and foreclosure rates. In November 2008, MSNBC in a partnership with Bizjournals, ranked five Texas metros in the top 25 as being positioned best to weather the current economic downturn as part of the 100 largest metropolitan areas experiencing strong steady growth while entering the recessionary period. Six Texas metros rank in the top 15 for the nation's biggest gains in private sector employment. Houston ranked number one followed by Dallas at number two, San Antonio at number four, McAllen-Edinburg at number nine, Austin at number 10, and El Paso at 13, according to January 2009 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the 12- month period ending in December 2008, Texas gained 153,700 jobs."

And if I may brag on Houston a bit:

Houston is the number one metropolitan area in the country for growth in private sector employment according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is also one of the top U.S. manufacturing cities according to a May 2008 report in the Manufacturer's News, and in the summer of 2008 it was named Best City to Live, Work and Play, Best U.S. City to Earn a Living, Best City to Buy a Home and Best City for Your Job by Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Forbes, and Business Week.

The Houston region is known worldwide as a major corporate center. There are twenty-six companies on the 2008 Fortune 500 list headquartered in Houston, and nineteen of the 2007 Fortune 100 fastest-growing companies are headquartered there. In addition, the region provides an excellent environment for startup and small- and mid-size companies.

Why do all these companies come to Texas? It's pretty simple. We don't over regulate, we give economic and tax incentives to business instead of punishing them, and there are plenty of able bodied educated hardworking Texans ready to work.