Perry Owes Texas' Jobs Boom to ... the Feds

Rick Perry likes to boast that Texas' leading jobs creation rate comes from limiting taxes and government interference, but in fact many of those jobs are thanks to Washington. And thanks in particular to the military and surging federal spending—along with $25-billion in federal stimulus—government jobs in Texas have grown at twice the rate of private-sector jobs since Perry became governor, reports the Washington Post. In fact, since the recession hit in late 2007, private-sector employment in Texas has actually declined 0.6%, while public-sector jobs have increased 6.4%.

“The fact is, government doesn’t create jobs," said Perry in a speech earlier this month. But with Texas' population surging 20% over the past decade, much employment growth has come from that increase. “A lot of growth has been happening in the public sector to respond to a growing population,” said one policy analyst. “That has been an ongoing driver of our job growth.” And with state budget cuts slated to kick in later this year, experts predict Texas' unemployment rate could surge. (More Rick Perry stories.)