In these opening hours of the federal administration of change, it would appear very little is different. The ill-conceived big-government schemes of the past are being given a 21st Century spin, but are nonetheless the same policies shown to fail mankind over and over. Fortunately, Texas is more wisely governed.

The Lone Star State is better weathering the economic crises griping the nation because our governor and legislature have refrained from meddling where government shouldn’t tread.

In this video available on our YouTube channel, Texas Gov. Rick Perry rejected the “stimulus” packages proposed by Washington saying, they are “just bad message, bad policy.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5EnV4beuo4[/youtube]

Instead, Perry says, government should be focused on keeping the economy free and unfettered from taxes, regulations and frivolous lawsuits.

Rather than growing government, Perry has ordered the state’s agencies to cut their current expenditures and budget proposals.

Businessmen and women across the state were… getting nervous about what was happening in their bottom-lines and they started making the cuts in discretionary spending. Governments should be no different than them. We need to be very cautious in our spending this session, prioritize what’s important, and continue to look for ways to give the people their money back to them in the form of tax cuts.

It’s only by keeping focused on the fundamentals of sound policy in times of fiscal hardship – by not growing government and hamstringing the economy – will we ensure a strong, vibrant future for all Texans.

Michael Sullivan is President & CEO of Empower Texans