My colleague Jen has posted an interesting and informative editorial about Rick Perry's super-secret travel bills. Jen criticizes Perry for spending taxpayer funds to travel to various places in the United States and abroad. Jen's main concerns seem to be that these trips may not be necessary, and that Perry refuses to make the details of his travel expenses available to the public. The editorial contains several links to news stories about the issue that I found to be just as interesting and informative as the original post. I highly recommend reading the post and the linked articles. Of course all Texans should be aware of how our taxes are being spent, but we should also be concerned about how our current governor makes decisions.
I have been critical of Rick Perry's decision-making process on my blog in the past, and the more I read, the more critical I become. I understand and acknowledge that part of the job of the governor of Texas is to represent Texas to other other governments, and to encourage business growth in Texas. If campaign contributors, business interests, or friendly governments want to sponsor the governor of Texas as he or she travels on Texas business, I'm all for it. I'm even willing to pitch in taxpayer money for the governor's necessary security detail. But if I'm helping to pay for the trip, I believe I (and every other taxpayer in Texas) have a right to know what business the governor is conducting, and why. I agree with Jen that the Perry camp has a responsibility to disclose that information, and they should be happy to do so, if they are conducting legitimate business on behalf of the state of Texas. The fact that Perry does not want to share the info (and that legislation has been speedily passed to allow him to keep his secrets) makes me very suspicious about the true nature of these trips.
I get the feeling that Rick Perry is far more concerned with running for re-election than actually doing the job of governor these days. Jen talks about a recent trip to Israel that may or may not have had anything to do with actual necessary business for Texas. I actually saw Rick Perry when he was on a similar trip over the summer. Okay, it wasn't as expensive and lavish as his trip to Israel, but I think the principle is the same. My son studied Texas history in 4th grade last year, and couldn't wait to see the Alamo live and up close. We took him in June, and just happened to be there on the same day that Rick Perry was there, giving a short speech and signing what his campaign website called "critical legislation" concerning eminent domain. Well, as we all know from our text book, no legislation requires the governor's signature, least of all a proposed constitutional amendment. It was political theater designed to garner attention and publicity for Perry the candidate for re-election, not necessary business for the governor of Texas. It was only a short trip to San Antonio, and the state troopers on hand to protect the governor probably didn't require overtime pay or a hotel stay as they did in Israel, but taxpayer dollars were no doubt spent on the completely unnecessary trip.
It seems clear to me that how he chooses to handle the travel situation is yet another example of Rick Perry doing what's best for Rick Perry, rather than what's best for Texas.
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