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
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1 comment:
I consider myself an ultra conservative and am also a registered Republican. The HPV vaccine is an issue with many Christians. The manner in which it was handled, by skirting the legislative process is a major concern as well.
It will be interesting to see if the cancer research open records reveal that some of this money goes to Merck Pharmaceutical, where the Governor's former Chief of Staff is employed. It is my understanding that Merck would have gained from the HPV vaccination as well.
It is also deeply troubling to see that Perry placed in an "education" bill legislation to prevent some open records from being released which were related to his travel expenses. This is outrgaeous that a governor would do this, especially prior to possibly running for President. Governor Perry had been under attack for quite some time for the amount and purpose of his travel expenses.
As a conservative who realizes that our federal government is in dire need of change, Governor Perry offers more of the same-ole-same-ole. I will not support him. I am still hoping a true conservative comes forward. We deserve so much better than this and need it to get back to a government representative of the people.
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