Texas' Unemployment Situation

When the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics published their monthly regional and state employment report on unemployment for September, Texas was one of 23 states whose unemployment rate decreased, but only by .2 points(8.1%) as of October 2010. The BLS(Bureau of Labor Statistics) classifies someone as unemployed if they “do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work.” By this definition, the Bureau rashly concludes that the unemployment figure covers more than the number of people who are actually out of work.

When you read about these statistics, you wonder if everyone that is counted by these statistics is actually following by these guidelines. As we all should know in the real world not everyone follows the rules completely. Some individuals find ways to bend the rules, whether they are too lazy to do so or just given up looking for work in this economy, after having been unemployed or without decent work in more than a year. Others use the “unpaid family workers,” which includes people who worked without pay for 15 or more hours per week in a family-owned enterprise operated by someone in their household. These individuals are out of work and collect unemployment on top of being paid by their family. Whether you're following every rule or finding ways to bend them, everyone in this national economic crisis is just trying to keep their heads above water and hoping for things to take a turn in the right direction soon.

Less Negative and More Positive

What Cherish has said here is very blunt and right to the point about our politics. Now I do not watch television on a daily basis, I just usually get away from the real world through my computer and my many other multimedia devices I own. Whenever I choose to turn on the television and it happens to be during the election races, all I usually see is politicians telling us what the other politician has done wrong. I am totally with Cherish when it comes to informing the public about each politician, we would like to hear more positive statements rather than trash talking on our television sets. Although, we do need to hear the "truth" about the people we are placing our trust in, to doing what is best for our community.

The race for Texas Governor

Governor Rick Perry spoke in the same spot on the Friday before the Republican primary. Then, he was coasting in his race against U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, having found a winning theme in pushing back against the invasiveness and intrusiveness of the federal government. Now, Perry’s running against former Houston Mayor Bill White, but he makes no mention of the man considered the strongest Democratic gubernatorial candidate in recent memory. “I’ll let him do that,” Perry says to reporters. “I’m all about me and Texas.”

By November 2, 2010 if Governor Perry re-elected, which after looking at the polls he is in the lead and will be Texas’ longest standing governor. As it stands now Texas debt has gone up by two and a half times while Perry has been governor. Also, during his tenure as governor, Texas unemployment rate is now almost double what it was when he took office. Being that the state of Texas is Republican majority state it will be very hard race for White to win; even with millions his campaign has spent Perry will be backed by almost every republican in the state.

These two candidates never appeared on stage together. White was willing, but Perry refused to debate him unless he released his tax returns from his days as President Bill Clinton’s U.S. deputy secretary of energy and as the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party. White was reluctant to do so, so Perry didn't. The message, White says, is simple: “People are ready for a new governor, somebody who will run state government as a public service, not as a political machine. Somebody who’s in it for Texas, not in it for himself.”

Whether you choose to vote for either the incumbent Rick Perry or the challenger Bill White, please vote for who you think is the more honorable candidate and not just by their tags which say Republican or Democrat.