PERRY’S TURNS TO THE OPPRESSIVE HAND…. Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) had all kinds of interesting things to say about the federal government in the Spring. In the lead up to the right-wing Tea Parties, Perry complained bitterly about how “tired” he is of the federal government. “I believe the federal government has become oppressive,” Perry said. “I believe it’s become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of its citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state.”
The governor added, “We think it’s time to draw the line in the sand and tell Washington that no longer are we going to accept their oppressive hand in the state of Texas.”
Funny, Perry isn’t saying that anymore.
Earlier this year, Texas Governor Rick Perry was one of a handful of Republican governors who refused some federal stimulus funds from President Obama’s economic recovery package on the grounds that there were too many strings attached to the money.
Now that the state is dire straits, however, Perry is asking the federal government for a loan to cover the very expenses the rejected stimulus money would have paid for.
Perry, probably thinking more about his upcoming Republican gubernatorial primary than effective government, made a very foolish call. In the Spring, he didn’t want $555 million in stimulus funds that would have simply been a grant, which the state wouldn’t have to pay back. Now, Perry may ask the federal government for a loan that could reach $650 million, which Texas will have to pay back.
When the governor announced his opposition to the stimulus money for unemployment benefits, he told Fox News, “[T]his was pretty simple for us.” Apparently, it wasn’t quite simple enough.
