Washington Could Learn From Texas

From Gov. Rick Perry at The Washington Times:

In Texas, we have long based our approach on individual liberty and initiative, believing that families, entrepreneurs and individual citizens deserve the opportunity to strive and succeed -- with minimal government interference. After regular, 140-day legislative sessions every two years, Texas lawmakers go home to live under the laws they pass.

Limited time at the Capitol not only requires state leaders to focus on the essentials, it also reduces the mischief unrestrained government can do. Limiting state government in Texas has led to balanced budgets, low taxes, a predictable regulatory climate and a fair legal system.

For example, our just-concluded legislative session yielded a balanced state budget, tax relief for 40,000 small businesses, and it left $9 billion unspent for future state needs.

States that have overspent, overtaxed and overregulated have seen greater deficits, job losses and even population loss. Texas proves that fiscal discipline, lawsuit reforms and prioritizing accountable public education can create huge dividends for citizens, taxpayers, employers and government.

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America's Founders would be appalled at the way their federal successors are riding roughshod over individual liberties, contemplating even more tax increases and intruding further into private enterprise.

Who among them could have imagined federal appointees calling the shots at banks and manufacturers, a budget deficit topping $1.7 trillion and an army of federal auditors descending on nearly every community in America to rifle through the drawers of anyone using stimulus dollars? Who today thinks that Congress and the Obama administration's big-government plans are the best choice for our personal health care decisions?

Because Texas has balanced budgets, low taxes, a predictable regulatory climate and a fair legal system, people are flocking here for jobs. And why shouldn't they? In 2007/08 nearly half of ALL jobs in AMERICA were created in the great state of Texas. In 2007 Texas exported more goods than any other state. Chief Executive Officer magazine recently named Texas the Best State to Do Business for the third year in a row.

What Texas understands that Washington doesn't, is that low spending means low taxes. Low taxes means more business. More business means more jobs.

If Washington D.C. would follow Texas's example, then we could all see a growing productive economy.