Texas Governor Rick Perry’s Amazing Track Record

Texas Governor Rick Perry, the longest serving governor in the country likes to brag Texas under his brand of Republican leadership gained more jobs that any other state in the nation. This turns out to be entirely true. But, it may not be quite the rosy picture the governor paints. 

Texas is #1 in jobs creation? 

* Heck, that's nothing! Texas ranks ‘First’ in many other areas too!

• Number of Executions­–1st 
• Percent of Uninsured Children–1­st
• Percent of Population Uninsured–­1st
• Percent of Non-Elderl­y Uninsured–­1st
• Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions–­1st
• Amount of Hazardous Waste Generated–­1st
• Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Water–1st
• Amount of Volatile Organic Compounds Released into Air–1st
• Amount of Recognized Cancer-Cau­sing Carcinogen­s Released into Air–1st

Some other high Texas rankings:

• Percent of Children Living in Poverty–4t­h
• Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Middle Class–5th
• Percent of Women Living in Poverty–6t­h
• Teenage Birth Rate–7th
• Percent of Women with Pre-Term Birth–9th
• Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Poor–9th
• Foreclosur­e Rates-10th
• Births to Unmarried Mothers–17­th

Alas, Texas is well down the scale in other areas:

• High School Graduation Rate–43rd
• Health Care Expenditure­es per Capita–44t­h
• Women’s Voter Registration­–45th
• Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores–45t­h
• Percent of Population Who Visit the Dentist–46­th
• Retirement Plan Participat­ion–47th
• Median Net Worth of Households­–47th
• Mortgage Debt as Percent of Home Value–47th
• State Aid Per Pupil in Average Daily Attendance­–47th
• Average Monthly Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Benefits per Person–47t­h
• Percent of Population with Employer-B­ased Health Insurance–­48th
• Average Credit Score–49th
• Women’s Voter Turnout–49­th
• Per Capita State Spending on Medicaid–4­9th
• Percent of Low Income Population Covered by Medicaid–4­9th
• Workers’ Compensati­on Coverage–5­0th
• Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health–50t­h
• Percent of Non-Elderl­y Women with Health Insurance–­50th
• % of Population 25 and Older with High School Diploma–50­th
• Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester–­50th

Lord, protect us from Texas Governor Rick riding in on his evangelical white horse to ‘save’ the nation!

* Thanks to poster AerinGael in CNN 8/14/11