I don't know that much about Texas Governor Rick Perry. But from what I have heard about him, he apparently is a "champion" of states' rights, and is running the Texas Government in good fiscal conditions. He is the author of the book Fed Up!: Our Fight to Save America from Washington. I have a feeling that in reality, and outside rhetoric, Gov. Rick Perry is not an ardent champion of states' rights, nor is he a hero of fiscal conservatives or libertarians. As I have examined his role in the battle between the State of Texas vs the TSA, I have become more skeptical of Gov. Perry and have asked myself whether or not he is a friend of liberty. Some things I have come across recently about the Governor have raised and confirmed my suspicions. Robert Wenzel, a free market economist who runs a blog entitled "EconomicPolicyJournal.com", offers some observations about Governor Rick Perry:
"Despite the widely held view that Texas is in strong financial shape, the state has severe debt overhang. Since Perry took over as governor in 2000, blame for the current debt situation can be place at his feet.While not raising the sales tax in Texas (Texas has no income tax). He raised just about every other fee and tax he could think of, including a surcharge on traffic violations. He also borrowed money for road bonds and borrowed from the Federal Unemployment Trust Fund. In 2003, he launched the Texas Enterprise Fund, he quickly, in 2004, gave $20 million to Countrywide Financial, the mortgage creating machine that was a major player in subprime, no docs mortgages. Depending how it is calculated, the debt of the state of Texas could be considered as high as $269 billion, which on a per citizen basis is $10,644 and is higher than even the $9,931 per citizen debt in the state of California. In 2000, when Perry first became governor, total spending by the state of Texas was $49 billion. At the end of 2010, it was $90 billion."
More skepticism comes from Paul Joseph Watson, who asks Americans to "Look beyond the rhetoric and study what Perry has actually done in his role as Governor – he’s the ultimate globalist – his every action illustrates how he’s the diametric opposite to the image of the Tea Party populist that he attempts to portray. That’s why he’s the perfect pick for the globalists, someone who can suck in the trust of the American people only to stab them in the back upon becoming president, just as Obama did before him." Paul Watson further elaborates:
"'Speculation that Perry is the Bilderberg group’s ace card was prompted by the current political climate, which can largely be gleaned from the fact that Perry is a longtime, unwavering supporter of the NAFTA Superhighway and related infrastructure projects,' wrote AFP’s Jim Tucker earlier this month. 'These pave the way for the Bilderberg-supported North American Union (NAU) proposal that would merge the U.S., Canada and Mexico.' Perry has also given enthusiastic support to former Mexican President Vicente Fox’s efforts to turn Texas into a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants. He also aggressively promoted the Rockefeller Foundation-backed HPV vaccination campaign in Texas that has led to deaths worldwide. David Rockefeller is a prominent Bilderberger, attending each annual meeting without fail. Perry attended the June 2007 Bilderberg conference in Istanbul, Turkey, and in doing so violated the Logan Act, a United States federal law that forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments."
In relation to states' rights, under much pressure from some Texas State Representatives and anti-TSA groups like Campaign for Liberty (an organization that I proudly endorse), Governor Rick Perry has allowed a popular and controversial anti-TSA bill to be considered by the Texas State legislature during a special session. But from what I have observed, it seems that he is not highly enthusiastic or supportive of the bill, despite the fact that this anti-TSA bill incorporates an important doctrine of true federalism and states' rights: the doctrine of nullification. The doctrine of nullification is basically the constitutional principle that the Federal Government must follow the Constitution by a strict interpretation as originally intended by the Framers and Ratifiers of the document, and that when the Federal Government implements and unconstitutional policy or law, it is void and of no force. Therefore, State government under this doctrine may interpose by nullifying unconstitutional policies and laws in order to protect the rights of the citizens within the borders of each individual state. The anti-TSA bill being considered in the Texas legislature is in principle a nullification bill by declaring that TSA employees have no immunity from the Texas criminal code by simply obeying there orders from their wise overlords in Washington D.C. Again I ask, is Governor Perry really a states' right champion?
So is Governor Rick Perry a friend or foe to liberty? In my humble opinion, I think he is not. But I will let you be the judge.
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