Gov. Perry's recent back surgery hasn't slowed him down

I had opportunity to travel with Gov. Rick Perry to Amarillo yesterday (along with Appropriations Chairman Jim Pitts) and am amazed at his vitality and quick recovery from recent back surgery. He may not be jogging again yet, but he maintains a schedule grueling enough to tire a 25 year-old.

He was on and off airplanes, carrying bags, energetic and optomist.

Let's just set the record straight -- if Gov. Perry were to decide to go run for President, no doubt he could physically do the job.

He should challenge any nay-sayer to keep up with his schedule!

-- Peggy Venable

Gov. Perry has not announced, but the attacks begin

No elected official has been in office for 10 years and voters agree with every decision they make – unless they vote “present” consistently. But Governors don’t have opportunity to take a pass on decision-making.

During a campaign, every vulnerability of every candidate is vetted. And though Gov. Perry isn't a candidate now, his record is under the microscope.

I was interviewed yesterday by KXAN-TV in Austin and the interviewer talked about some issues that are not AFP issues, so I spoke on behalf of myself on those issues. The individual interviewed heads an organization Back to Basics PAC funded by a trial lawyer focused on defeating Gov. Perry.

I have not agreed with every decision the Governor has made, but when he is criticized for his move to provide HPV vaccines for young women, I may not agree with the methods he used (he did not go through the legislative process and it was an “opt out” rather than an “opt in” vaccine). But his motives appear to be to eradicate cancer…a laudable goal, indeed!

As a cancer survivor, I agree with the goal to help citizens avoid getting cancer, we should. It is the humane thing to do, and it is also fiscally responsible.

The interviewer from KXAN-TV, Josh Hinkle, is a good reporter, but didn’t have time to include all that I said so I want – for the record – to include my comments during the interview:

The HPV vaccine is a non-issue.

It appeared Texans didn’t want another state-provided vaccine, and the Governor didn’t move forward on it.

Curing cancer is a laudable goal:
• More than 38,000 Texans will die of cancer this year.
• More than 100,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Texas this year.

The question is: whether or not this is the appropriate role of government.

Though I personally opposed it as did AFP-Texas, Governor Perry, the legislature and many Texans wanted the state to get involved in cancer prevention and research.
• Texas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 2007
• That established the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and
• authorized the state to issue $3 billion in bonds to fund groundbreaking cancer research and prevention programs and services in Texas.

We can differ on whether or not the HPV vaccine plan was good public policy, or the role of government in finding a cure for cancer, but if that is all the anti-Perry crowd have to criticize him for, they’ve got nothing.

The HPV vaccine issue controversy is old news.

Texas is the top state for job creation and business relocation. Around 1,000 people move to Texas every day because Texas is the beacon of fiscal responsibility in the country.

If Gov. Perry decides to run for President, the economy will be the top issue and that is what voters will care most about.

We must keep the focus on the country’s most challenging issues.
Here is the interview as it aired: http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/politics/perrys-past-could-haunt-future-run

Here is an interview talking about Back to Basics PAC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQLWVMSHb5E

Congress can and should cut spending - start here

These are all the programs that the new Republican House has proposed cutting. We can and must cut federal spending.
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy. $445 million annual savings.
• Save America's Treasures Program. $25 million annual savings..
• International Fund for Ireland. $17 million annual savings.
• Legal Services Corporation. $420 million annual savings.
• National Endowment for the Arts. $167.5 million annual savings.
• National Endowment for the Humanities $167.5 million annual savings.
• Hope VI Program.. $250 million annual savings.
• Amtrak Subsidies. $156.5 billion annual savings.
• Eliminate duplicative education programs. H.R. 2274 (in last Congress), authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.
• U.S. Trade Development Agency. $55 million annual savings.
• Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy. $20 million annual savings.
• Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding. $47 million annual savings.
• John C. Stennis Center Subsidy. $430,000 annual savings.
• Community Development Fund. $4.5 billion annual savings.
• Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid. $24 million annual savings.
• Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half. $7.5 billion annual savings
• Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20%. $600 million annual savings.
• Essential Air Service. $150 million annual savings.
• Technology Innovation Program. $70 million annual savings.
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program. $125 million annual savings.
• Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization. $530 million annual savings.
• Beach Replenishment. $95 million annual savings.
• New Starts Transit. $2 billion annual savings.
• Exchange Programs for Alaska, Natives Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts .. $9 million annual savings
• Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants. $2.5 billion annual savings.
• Title X Family Planning. $318 million annual savings.
• Appalachian Regional Commission. $76 million annual savings.
• Economic Development Administration. $293 million annual savings.
• Programs under the National and Community Services Act. $1.15 billion annual savings.
• Applied Research at Department of Energy. $1.27 billion annual savings.
• FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership. $200 million annual savings.
• Energy Star Program. $52 million annual savings.
• Economic Assistance to Egypt. $250 million annually.
• U.S. Agency for International Development. $1.39 billion annual savings.
• General Assistance to District of Columbia. $210 million annual savings.
• Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. $150 million annual savings.
• Presidential Campaign Fund. $775 million savings over ten years.
• No funding for federal office space acquisition. $864 million annual savings.
• End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
• Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. More than $1 billion annually.
• IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget. $1.8 billion savings over ten years.
• Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees. $1 billion total savings.WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees.. $1.2 billion savings over ten years.
• Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of. $15 billion total savings.
• Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress..
• Eliminate Mohair Subsidies. $1 million annual savings.
• Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. $12.5 million annual savings
• Eliminate Market Access Program. $200 million annual savings.
• USDA Sugar Program. $14 million annual savings.
• Subsidy to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). $93 million annual savings.
• Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program. $56.2 million annual savings.
• Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs. $900 million savings.
• Ready to Learn TV Program. $27 million savings.
• HUD Ph.D. Program.
• Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.
TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years