As a primer for the upcoming 2016 Republican presidential primary, Opportunity Lives will offer deep dives on each of the “Contenders” vying for the party’s nomination. In addition to profiles, we’ll offer the top five accomplishments of each candidate.
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As Rick Perry prepares himself for another presidential campaign, the media will undoubtedly be discussing his blunders last time around. Opportunity Lives has commented on those too, but let’s take a look at former Gov. Perry’s “Top 5 accomplishments.”
1 Creating more jobs than the rest of the country
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In a country still recovering from a recession, Rick Perry’s top accomplishment is without a doubt the Texas economy. Texas alone generated more than a third of the nation’s private-sector jobs since 2001, according to the Associated Press. “The other 49 states and the District of Columbia together employ about 275,000 fewer Americans than at the start of the recession seven years ago, while the Lone Star State has added more than 1.25 million payroll jobs,” said Mark Perry, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
The last few years have been particularly strong for Texas. In calendar year 2013, Texas grew twice as fast as the country as a whole. Last month, Texas added more than 4 jobs every minute. When Forbes recently ranked the “best cities for good jobs,” 5 of the top 6 cities were in Texas.
Currently at 4.6 percent, the unemployment rate in Texas has been below the national rate for 96 consecutive months.
2 Making Texas the best state for business
TaxFoundation-2015-SBTCI
(2015 State Business Tax Climate rankings from the Tax Foundation. Blue represents the top 10 states for business, yellow the bottom 10)
The Lone Star State is a good place for businesses too, ranked by Forbes as the #1 state for “economic climate” and “growth prospects.” Last year, CNBC ranked Texas as the second best state to do business (in the 8-year history of the rankings, Texas has always been first or second).
The state’s infrastructure and growing economy are major magnets for large companies looking to relocate their headquarters, as several have done recently, and 52 Fortune 500 companies already have their headquarters in Texas. The absence of a state corporate income tax and individual income tax also make Texas an attractive place for business growth.
Texas is also the most important energy-producing state, pumping out more than a third of the nation’s crude oil. If Texas were its own country (likely the hope of more than a few Texans), it would be the sixth-largest oil producer in the world.
3 Blocking federal overreach
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Perry has gained credibility in conservative circles by consistently opposing federal policy mandates, pointing instead to the success Texas has enjoyed without help from Washington.
On healthcare, Perry opposed the optional Medicaid expansion that came with the Affordable Care Act. “Another consequence of Obamacare is the effort to cram more people into an already broken and costly Medicaid system without any reforms,” he said in an op-ed for the Dallas Morning News. Though he is still criticized for “leaving money on the table,” Perry argues that the federal government will eventually stop paying what they’ve promised for Medicaid, leaving states to foot the massive bill in the future.
In a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in 2010, Perry also opposed “national curriculum standards” being pushed by “unelected bureaucrats and special interest groups” when he chose not to apply for federal Race to the Top funds. “I will not commit Texas taxpayers to unfunded federal obligations or to the adoption of unproven, cost-prohibitive national curriculum standards and tests,” he said.
Immigration is another important issue for Texas, and Rick Perry is no stranger to its challenges. He is a fierce advocate of securing the border and warned last fall that the state could sue the federal government over President Obama’s executive order extending citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants, a warning that came true today when a federal judge blocked the order from taking effect.
4 Enacting statewide pro-life legislation
AP10ThingsToSee Abortion Restrictions Texas
(Protesters and supporters of H.B. 2 gathered in Texas’ capitol building when the pro-life bill was being debated)
The summer of 2013 was a tense time in Texas politics as H.B. 2, a sweeping pro-life law that banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, was debated in the legislature. Despite a filibuster by state Senator Wendy Davis that garnered national attention, the bill was passed and signed into law by Rick Perry in July 2013.
Perry is unapologetically pro-life, also signing bills in his time as governor that prohibited taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood and required minors to get parental approval before an abortion.
5 Championing criminal justice reform
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Criminal justice reform is an issue that has recently been attracting an unlikely set of proponents, from liberal activists to the Koch brothers to Sen. Rand Paul. Rick Perry has the experience and credibility of carrying out successful, common-sense reforms in Texas.
Texas, one of the leading death-penalty states, is undoubtedly tough on crime. But that toughness has been tempered by many important reforms during Perry’s tenure as governor. Several new laws have relaxed penalties on small-time drug offenders and created alternative treatment or probation programs, saving billions of dollars on extra prison beds while reducing crime rates across the board.
The state, led by Perry, has also been a leader in juvenile justice reform, substantially reducing juvenile crime while halving the youth population of state institutions in the last eight years. The Right on Crime project said of Texas: “While Texas still has the nation’s fourth highest adult incarceration rate, an increased emphasis on policies that are both tough and smart has enabled the state to turn the tide and reduce crime while controlling costs to taxpayers.”
Danny Huizinga is a columnist for Opportunity Lives covering business and politics. Follow him on Twitter @HuizingaDanny.
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THEY STARTED THEIR COMPANY IN A GARAGE – NOW THEY HELP MILLIONS FIND A JOB
EMERGING LEADERS JOBS They Started Their Company in a Garage – Now They Help Millions Find a Job
It’s no secret that in today’s economic climate it can be increasingly difficult for people to find work. But thanks to one man’s vision, millions of people are receiving much-needed assistance and guidance on their path to employment.
All the way back in 1999, a man named Shawn Boyer set out to help a friend find an internship and noticed something strange: there wasn’t a single website on the internet geared at helping people find part-time or full-time hourly jobs. This set off a light bulb in his head, and the rest is history. Shawn selflessly quit his career at the time and built a company solely to help his friend and others just like him find work. He would call that company Snagajob.com.
Now, the once humble company whose roots began in Shawn’s garage has grown into a juggernaut. Snagajob is currently the number one hourly job site in the world and holds the title of America’s largest hourly employment network for employers and job seekers.
Just how many registered job seekers does the website have? Over 55 million. That’s roughly 17 percent of the entire population of the United States.
snagajobIn addition to its place on Deloitte’s Fast 500 list, Snagajob is also one of Fortune’s best places to work.
“Snagajob has over 55 million registered job seekers and approximately 10 million active job seekers per month,” company spokesperson Jon Ridzon told Opportunity Lives. “Over the past 15 years, Snagajob has been optimizing its products to better serve the job seeker and the employer to create meaningful and fast job connections.”
Perhaps what makes the website so effective is its sheer simplicity. Navigation is easy, as you can search the site by location, category, industry, position, or company. It also sports a tech-friendly approach to its mobile app.
“An hourly job in a matter of hours, that is what we are shooting for,” Ridzon said. “With the heavy adoption of mobile technology, Snagajob can now connect job seekers and employers faster and more effectively than ever before. In fact, we are seeing record downloads of our mobile app for both iOS and Android.”
The company realizes they’ve built something special, and their process is second to none.
Snagajob has 55 million users, roughly 17 percent of the United States’ population
“Snagajob takes pride in making the hiring process simple for job seekers so they can find the right-fit position and maximize their potential in life. There is no better place to find hourly work than Snagajob due to our unmatched experience in the hourly employment industry and dedication to streamlining the hiring process,” said Rizdon.
It’s not just employers and job seekers who benefit from Snagajob, the company’s own employees do as well. Currently, Snagajob employs 225 full-time employees at their Richmond, Virginia-based headquarters.
“We don’t just make all these claims of greatness, we back it up with a dedication to employees that is rivaled by few other companies,” the companies website reads. “For seven years running, Snagajob has made the Deloitte Fast 500 and Fortune Magazine’s Great Place to Work lists. We’re not saying every company has to be on both lists, but if you’re looking for a fast-growing company with an exciting culture, this is the place to be.”
Sure sounds like it. It’s also the passion of the Snagajob employees that really pull it all together.
“One of the greatest feelings is when job seekers who were in trouble – whether they’re a single parent, a struggling student, or just someone in need of some extra money – contacts us to let us know that they got a job using our website. While the profit line is always great, helping someone out in the time of need is even better. I enjoy working at a place where I can help make a difference in someone’s life. It makes the sometimes long hours and hard work well worth it,” one employee said of her work.
If you or anyone else you know is looking for a job, give Snagajob a try. Who knows, it might be the missing piece you’ve been looking for on your search for employment.