New York Times Opinion Pages 7/18/11If Texas Gov. Rick Perry runs for president, he likely will center his campaign on the supposedly booming Texas economy. The governor has no shortage of positive economic data to boast about. But the state’s business-friendly environment comes at a cost: low-wage jobs, underfinanced schools and tattered social services.
Texas now leads the nation in minimum-wage workers. That has only worsened our income inequality.
The Texas economy has performed well compared with the rest of the country. The state added more than 211,000 jobs in 2010, accounting for a large slice of the nation’s employment growth. The 8 percent unemployment rate is high, but below the national average. Governor Perry deserves some credit for the growth. He’s the state’s most visible economic cheerleader. And his economic development program, which doles out public money to companies that move operations to Texas, has brought in tens of thousands of jobs.
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Much of Texas’s recent growth is the result of adding low-wage jobs. Of the 211,000 jobs added last year, 37 percent (or more than 76,000) paid at or below minimum wage, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Texas now leads the nation in minimum-wage workers (550,000 in all). That hasn't improved our income inequality. Despite the good economy, Texas remains a state of extreme wealth and desperate poverty.
Don't move to Texas if you're looking for a good paying job.
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