Gilbert Slams Perry For Making Light Of Texas’ Economic Plight

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Calls Perry’s Recession Remarks “Out Of Touch” And “Irresponsible”

TYLER— Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hank Gilbert (D-Whitehouse) today called on Texas Gov. Rick Perry to immediately apologize to the more than 62,000 Texans who lost their jobs last month for remarks he delivered to a Houston business group on Thursday in which he said he responded to someone who asked about the current recession by asking, “We’re in one?”

“The answer is ‘Yes,’ Governor,” Gilbert said.  “Texas and the nation are in the midst of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, and just this week your administration announced that the number of jobless Texans is at a 22-year high.  Those men and women deserve better than a governor who smirks ‘Recession? What recession,’” Gilbert continued.

“This man is oblivious to the plight of everyday Texans and has no idea of the economic hardships facing working families in this state. He has no clue what is going on in Texas. It makes me wonder if he has even bothered to climb out of the utopian fog he is lost in to look at the jobless numbers the Texas Workforce Commission put out last week,” Gilbert said.

In spite of record unemployment during June, July, and August of 2009, Perry continues to pretend that Texas is not in a recession, and that our economy is doing fine.

“This governor has the worst unemployment record of any governor in Texas since the 1970s. More people were unemployed during Governor Perry’s administration than any time since 1986 and 1987 when the oil and real estate markets collapsed. His record keeps getting worse. Our jobless numbers for June, July and August of this year are the worst we’ve seen in decades. They are off the charts,” Gilbert said. “I’ve heard of wearing rose-colored glasses, but this is ridiculous. Rick Perry must have on a virtual reality helmet.”

Gilbert said Perry should be ashamed of making light of the plight of Texans and ignoring the fact that the Texas economy is in a downward spiral. It is just disgusting,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert said Texas faces enormous challenges that won’t be met until state leaders take steps to fix the financial crisis that is hurting tens of thousands of middle-class families and small businesses in our communities.

“A good first step would be for Governor Perry to apologize to those who have lost their jobs even as they continue to foot the bills for his $10,000-a-month luxury home in Austin,” Gilbert said.

FACT SHEET: Rick Perry’s Recession

The number of Texans without a job has hit record numbers in the past several months:

Job Loss in Rick Perry’s administration has been the worst Texas has seen since the 1970s and 1986 and 1987:

(Texas LMCI TRACER Generated graphic, with modifications to highlight Perry’s years as governor)

Texas ranks 7^th in among the states in the percent of our children living in poverty^[2]

Texas ranks 3d among the state in terms of the percentage of our population living below the Federal Poverty Level^[3]

Texas ranks 3^rd among the nation in terms of the percent of our population with food insecurity.^[4].

Texas ranks third in the nation in terms of the percent of women in our population living in poverty. ^[5].

^[1] Figures are not seasonally adjusted. Source: Texas Workforce Commission

^[2] U.S. Census Bureau, R1704. Percent of Children Under 18 Years Below Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months, 2007

^[3]Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts Online

^[4] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Household Food Insecurity in the United States, 2006 (November 2007) at Table D-1.

^[5] U.S. Census Bureau, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2006, Table 4b, Reported Voting and Registration of the Voting-Age Population, by Sex, Race and Hispanic Origin, for States: November 2006