Governor's Editorials

• Monday, May 13, 2013 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  About Those Jobs, President Obama...
  Like many families and employers, President Obama has heard about the Texas success story, where we free job creators to grow their businesses and give families and hardworking taxpayers unlimited opportunity to keep more of their hard-earned money and a live a better life.
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• Friday, March 29, 2013 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  Medicaid Expansion a Bad Idea
  Of all the bad ideas related to Obamacare, depending upon Medicaid to do the heavy lifting to 'insure' Americans is about the worst of the bunch.
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• Friday, November 23, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  Saying No to a Really Bad Idea
  It’s really far past time for us to call Obamacare what it truly is: an unprecedented government overreach into every American's life, forcing higher costs onto individuals, practitioners, employers and state governments in lieu of actually fixing our healthcare system.
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• Thursday, November 01, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  Adult Stem Cells Can Revolutionize Medicine, The World
  Growing replacement organs. Spinal regeneration. Repairing cardiac tissue in the aftermath of a heart attack. These ideas have belonged to the realm of science fiction for generations, but all are now realistic goals, thanks to groundbreaking research in the field of adult stem cells.
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• Monday, October 08, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  Higher Ed Must Be Accessible For All Texans
  As interest in pursuing a college degree is increasing, state officials have to do everything we can to remove the roadblocks and enable students to pursue their dreams. That's why I'm calling for a four-year tuition freeze for incoming freshmen, so that the amount students pay when they first arrive on campus will be locked in through what should be their senior year. Not only will this help students and their families predict and plan for the cost of their college careers, it will also provide a powerful incentive to complete degrees on time.
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• Wednesday, July 11, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  We Need Real Reform, Not More Medicaid
  Expecting to extend quality health care access to millions of Americans by pressing them into the existing Medicaid system is a little like expecting to win the Indy 500 in a 1965 Chevy Corvair. It's just not the right tool for the job. A fundamental flaw in the Obama Administration's government health care plan is that Medicaid is already on the brink of failure. Dumping millions more individuals into the Medicaid mix will not save it, will not cut any costs, and will not improve overall access to quality care.
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• Wednesday, July 11, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  Expanding a Broken System is No Solution for Health Care
  In Texas, Medicaid already accounts for more than 20 percent of our general revenue spending, with that number threatening to skyrocket further in the next budgetary cycle. The president's plan promises to pay the state share of expansion for a few years. However, that "federal" money is still taxpayer financed, whether it's collected or borrowed. That flow of money will, necessarily, come to an end, and states will be left with a massive bill that can't even be estimated yet.
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• Monday, July 02, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  Tort Reform Has Done The Job It Was Designed To Do
  In 2003, Texas was facing a very real crisis, one that we met with a very specific solution. The crisis involved a dramatic drop in the number of doctors practicing medicine in our state, as we fell all the way to 44th overall in a national ranking of physicians per capita. The prime culprit behind this crisis was skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates that reflected Texas' then-status as a lawsuit haven. To remedy this, we took the bold step of instituting tort reforms to limit lawsuit abuse and bring malpractice insurance rates down to a manageable level.
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• Thursday, June 28, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  Washington Has Given Up Border, Is Now Taking On States
  Instead of sending much-needed help to border states, the federal government is sending lawyers. Instead of boots on the ground, they're delivering subpoenas. The Supreme Court's recent ruling on Arizona v. United States may mark the point when our nation truly went through the looking glass in terms of border policy. The federal government, long unwilling to adequately secure the border, has now become actively contentious in its efforts to prevent states from taking steps to secure it themselves.
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• Sunday, May 27, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  On DPS Security Records, the Media Stand Alone
  As a long-time Austin attorney who is currently serving as chief of staff for the Texas governor's office, I have long been a great admirer of both Travis County District Judge Scott Jenkins and Texas Governor Rick Perry, because both are men of integrity who have dedicated themselves to doing what they believe is right, within the roles to which the people of Texas have elected them. Yet in their public roles, that could be the only thing they have in common, as they are members of opposing political parties and hold contrasting personal views on many important policy issues. That's why it was somewhat surprising to see the editorial board of the San Antonio Express-News essentially accuse the two of working together on an issue of importance to the people of Texas. But even more than surprising, the editorial (see “Court ruling is a blow to transparency,” Express-News 5/20/12) was revealing, as it provided a perfect example of the desperate and self-serving mindset of most of today's major media outlets.
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• Friday, May 25, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  Honoring Those Who Gave All
  Honor. Duty. Sacrifice. Integrity. Courage. Loyalty. More than words, these are legacies; the legacies of every American Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, Nurse, Medic and Chaplain who was lost in service to their country. Every home, and every American family, has in some way been touched by war and been graced by a hero's legacy, something that hits particularly close to home on a day like Memorial Day.
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• Friday, May 11, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  USAF Decision Puts Gulf Coast Lives in Danger
  As Hurricane Ike neared the Texas coast in 2008, hundreds of hospital patients and nursing home residents were in harm's way, facing a difficult escape from the storm's path. That's when the C-130s of the 136th Airlift Wing based in Fort Worth, Texas, went into action. That year, for the first time in U.S. history, C-130s were utilized to help move patients to safety ahead of a storm's arrival. In all, between Hurricanes Ike and Hurricane Gustav, 800 people were airlifted to safety.
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• Tuesday, April 24, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Editorial
  An Opportunity to Strengthen the Texas Budget Process
  In less than a year, newly-elected members of the 83rd Legislature will take their seats and begin crafting the budget for the next biennium. This two-year state budget is a particularly important piece of legislation; one that can chart the course for our state for many years, even decades, to come.
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