An Inadvertent Truth

Often in politics an individual's core beliefs may not benefit their position if exposed to the light of day. It is unfortunate but true. If they told us what they really intend for our future we would not tolerate them. Occasionally however their core is so ingrained that they blurt it out without realizing.

Read this from former Dallas mayor, now Obama minion, Ron Kirk:

Texas Secession Not Funny

It was several months ago, but apparently it is now Kirk's job to refresh our memory since Gov. Rick Perry swept the ill-advised candidacy of Sen. Kay Hutchison into the dustbin of history Tuesday. Kirk is supposed to caution us about a nut-job. Perry, in a stump speech, pointed out that Texas was doing better than most states in the recession and we might benefit from invoking the secession clause of our original agreement on admission to the union. An independent state of Texas has a certain resonance, doesn't it.

Did you catch the Kirk stumble?

The appeal to racism might be standard fare from the administration, but that isn't it. There's nothing racist about TX independence.

The comment about joblessness is specious. The nation's unemployment rate is hovering at 10% and Texas is roughly two percentage points lower and has been throughout. That's a false hood, but it isn't the underlying philosophy which drives him.

"I wish those of you in the press would then ask, even though it's tongue in cheek, so what does this mean then, for a state that unfortunately ranks in the bottom, investment in education and health care for our kids, leads the nation in the number of people of unemployed, and you want to pull out of the country?" he said.

The education canard is one that I examine in my State & Local Government class regularly. Spending doesn't equate with quality education and comparisions of state per capita spending don't compensate for vast differences in cost-of-living between regions. More talking point drivel.

No, the real slip up is the admission that the Washington goal is a culture of dependence. Washington will provide and we will be under their control. All good things come from the benevolence of our federal government. They dole it out and we are thankful in return.

Mr. Kirk seems to ignore the reality however.

If Texas were to secede we would then have 24 million people who did not have to bear the burden of federal taxation, regulation and restriction. We could use Texas money to fund our schools, our roads and our Medicare. We would not have to beg Washington. Our state taxes would rise but we would no longer have federal taxes. We would be in control and I've got to believe we could administer the situation more efficiently.

We could use our money to build our businesses, grow our economy, conduct our trade and market our products. We could use our own funds to build our roads when and where we need them. We could drill for our own oil, recover our own natural gas, refine our own fuel and generate our own power without restrictions from California eco-freaks.

Mr. Kirk forgets that the money which Washington supplies to Texas comes from Texans in the first place. That is the inadvertent truth which he has let slip. We don't want or need dependence upon his largesse.