Skeptic Project

by Steven D
Mon Apr 18th, 2011 at 04:22:22 PM EST

Oh the irony. Not so long ago Governor and Presidential hopeful Rick Perry was all ready for Texas to secede from the Union because of the Obama's out of control spending.

The money quote:

“We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it,” Perry said. “But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot.”

He's also suggested that states have the right to "secede" from the Federal Government's Social Security program if they want to do so:

Freshly reelected Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) just isn't ready to give up on the secession talk that made him a topic of conversation last year. Taking a national victory lap after his election to an unprecedented third term this week, Perry is out talking up his new plan to break up the union, kind of: It's time, he says, to let states opt out of Social Security. [...]

His new suggestion is not to split Texas from the other 49 states, but rather to give it the option to secede from the national pension program that has defined retirement in the country for 75 years.

"When you look at social security, it's broke," Perry told the hosts of MSNBC's Morning Joe this morning. "My kids, 27 and 24, they know this is a Ponzi scheme."

One way out of this mess, in Perry's mind? Just abandon Social Security altogether and let the states handle it. Texas (of course) has already fixed Social Security's problem, Perry says, so why should it be saddled with paying the Ponzi debts of every other sucker?

"Why is the federal government even in the pension program or the health care delivery program?" Perry asked. "Let the states do it." [...]

Perry is currently on a national tour touting his book Fed Up! which is focused on the many ways the federal government should, in essence, get off the backs of the 50 states. The tools of federal tyranny Perry describes would be at home at any tea party rally: In a nutshell, taxes are too high, the EPA is too nosy and the health care reform law is an existential terror.

It all goes back to the Founding Fathers, Perry says.

"They did not believe that all of us would be alike, and they really didn't like centralized government and mandating down to these states how to act, how to look," he told NPR.

Yet, now that out of control wildfires have destroyed 1.5 million acres in Texas, Governor Perry is suddenly willing to let the government bail Texas out by accepting disaster relief from the Federal Government. I guess it's okay for the Feds to be in the Texas wildfire bailout business, even if its constitutionally wrong to offer economic stimulus money, or provide Social Security and Medicare, to Texas citizens:

(Reuters) - Texas Governor Rick Perry has requested a Major Disaster Declaration for the entire state, as brush fires which have burned more than 1.5 million acres continued on Monday. The fires have been whipped by 60-mile-an-hour wind gusts and fueled by brush dried out by record low humidity.

"Texas is reaching its capacity to respond to these emergencies and is in need of federal assistance," Perry said in a statement on Monday.

"I urge President (Barack) Obama to approve our request quickly so Texans can continue receiving the resources and support they need as wildfires remain an ongoing threat."

Funny how these Tea Party hypocrites and demagogues change their tune whenever it suits them. "To hell with the Union" they declare. "We don't need your stinking stimulus money nor your socialized "pensions" and health care."

But then this spring massive wildfires break out, and Texas doesn't have the resources to go it alone like the rugged individualists that Rick Perry claimed they were. Suddenly Governor "Seceding from the Union is always an Option" Perry sings a different tune. Suddenly he crawls begging to president Obama, a man he has personally disparaged numerous times, and now demands federal assistance for a "state problem."

I mean where in the Constitution does it say the Federal Government can interfere in state concerns and provide federal disaster relief? Isn't this just as unconstitutional in your view, Governor Perry, as the stimulus money or social security or medicare? Why not let the State if Texas take care of its own disasters without meddlesome federal interference, huh?

Oh, I have no doubt Rick Perry will get his disaster relief for Texas (for why should Texans suffer because they have an idiot demagogue for a Governor?). I also have no doubt Perry will blame President Obama for not acting swiftly enough. I also expect that in the future Perry will continue bashing Obama for his socialist agenda.

But how ironic that the Governor who has made a career out of claiming Texas doesn't need the help of the Federal Government and can secede from the United States whenever and to whatever extent it pleases, is now begging President Obama for that very same federal "socialistic" assistance he has always disdained publicly.

I guess everything really is bigger in Texas, especially its Governor's hypocrisy.

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2011/4/18/162222/469