What Romney Wants Perry Asked

Boston sends out release listing questions on LIST.

QUESTIONS FOR GOV. RICK PERRY

1. Gov. Perry, There Are More Than 1 Million People Unemployed In Texas With The Unemployment Rate Having Doubled Under Your Leadership. Is The So-Called Texas Miracle Collapsing?

There Are More Than 1 Million People Unemployed In Texas. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/16/11)

The Unemployment Rate In Texas Is 8.5% – More Than Twice As High As When Perry Took Office. When Governor Perry took office in December 2000, the unemployment rate was 4.2%. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/16/11)

· The Unemployment Rate In Texas Has Been At 8% Or Above For Twenty-Four Consecutive Months. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/16/11)

· Prior To The Perry Administration, The Unemployment Rate In Texas Had Not Been This High Since June 1987. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov, 9/16/11)

2. Gov. Perry, As Texas Was Facing A Multibillion-Dollar Budget Deficit, Taxpayers Were On The Hook For Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars For Out Of State Trips For You. How Do You Justify Expenses, Like A Trip To The Bahamas, To The Taxpayers?

“At A Time When State Budget Reductions Were Used To Help Offset A Multibillion-Dollar Revenue Shortfall, Taxpayers Were Billed For More Than $294,000 In Security Detail Expenses For Out-Of-State Trips By Gov. Rick Perry or his wife, according to records released by the Texas Department of Public Safety.” (Peggy Fikac, “Taxpayers Billed More Than $294,000 For Perry's Security Detail,” San Antonio News Express, 9/17/11)

“Perry Traveled To Locales Including New York, Washington, California And Las Vegas For Events Such As Promotion Of His Anti-Washington Book, “Fed Up!,” Speeches, Duties Related To His Then-Chairmanship Of The Republican Governors Association And Meetings With Business Leaders Or Potential Supporters For His Presidential Bid.” (Peggy Fikac, “Taxpayers Billed More Than $294,000 For Perry's Security Detail,” San Antonio News Express, 9/17/11)

3. Gov. Perry You Have Expressed The View That Social Security Is Unconstitutional And It Should Be Returned To The States, How Would Social Security Work At A State Level?

Perry: “Get It Back To The States. Why Is The Federal Government Even In The Pension Program…? Let The States Do It.” PERRY: “When you look at Social Security, it’s broke. … Get it back to the states. Why is the federal government even in the pension program or the health care delivery program? Let the states do it. … That, I will suggest to you, is one of the ways this federal government can get out of our business, save a lot of money and get back to that Constitutional way of doing business in those enumerated powers that they’re supposed to have.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 11/5/10)