While I was growing up, my dad was able to financially support our family of seven with just his job in pharmaceutical sales. In the late 90's, however, I remember him getting laid off for the first time by a company that he had been working with for nearly ten years. Subsequently, he eventually got a similar job, but with a lower title, with another company. In the year 2000, I was eight years old, and still in the second grade when Governor Rick Perry took office. Throughout this time, my dad kept falling out of luck with work and went through numerous jobs because of constant layoffs due to budget cuts or company shrinkages. Although he had more than twenty years experience in his field, it seemed he was rendered completely incapable of finding a lasting employment opportunity within his field.
By 2004, my dad was no longer on a salary or in his field of interest, but settled for sales representative positions for various retail opportunities. Although my dad stayed with a few companies for a duration of time, his compensation was not making up for the mortgage, nor was he receiving benefits. Now, he is miserably unemployed with no insurance, receiving nearly expired unemployment benefits, and can not even find a job in retail. Why I think negatively of Rick Perry as Governor and as a Presidential candidate is because he seems to embellish a fact that is only half way relevant to the employment situation here in Texas.
To exaggerate, Rick Perry brags about Texas "being the 'epicenter of job growth'," (cnn.com) which is not only true, but will further be supported as "employment in Texas is forecasted to expand 2.9 percent annually through 2015" (msnbc.com). The hole in this statement, although being true, is the fact that population here has been swiftly rising and "Texas can't create jobs fast enough to keep up with its rapidly growing population" (cnn.com). So, while Perry applauds half the truth about our job growth, it seems he does not pay attention to the fact that "many of the positions that have been created are on the lower end of the pay scale," (cnn.com) and "many don't offer health benefits" (cnn.com).
Having witnessed the struggles my dad has been through, I feel strongly about Perry neglecting these more specific facts before the nation's public eye. Conclusively, it seems he is trying to gain more votes while embellishing on one statistic that does not summarize the actuality of Texas employment. Being a Presidential candidate for the 2012 election, I feel that Governor Perry should at least publicly recognize the percentage of Texas citizens that are being affected by the fact that we "[lead] the nation in minimum-wage jobs" (cnn.com) while he boasts about our seemingly prosperous job growth.
Citations
Luhby, Tami. "Rick Perry and His Texas Jobs Boom: The Whole Story - Aug. 12, 2011." CNNMoney - Business, Financial and Personal Finance News. Cable News Network, 12 Aug. 2011. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. <http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/12/news/economy/perry_texas_jobs/index.htm>.
Badenhausen, Kurt. "Texas Tops the List of the Best States for Jobs - Business - Forbes.com - Msnbc.com." Msnbc.com - Breaking News, Science and Tech News, World News, US News, Local News- Msnbc.com. MicroSoft National Broadcasting Company, 2 Dec. 2011. Web. 9 Feb. 2012. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45527495/ns/business-forbes_com/t/texas-tops-list-best-states-jobs/>.
No comments:
Post a Comment