Texas GOP Vote

Recent upward revisions to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product in the fourth quarter of 2009 have drawn skepticism from many who still point to dragging unemployment rates, reduced consumer demand, and still-declining home values. Paul Craig Roberts, a former congressional staffer and key economic policy advisor to President Reagan, is one of those skeptics:

Happy news! The government has come up with a 5.9 percent GDP growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2009. The recession is over.

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I do have thoughts about Senator Bunning and the Pay-Go situation, but honestly, more and more for me, things are boiling down to one BIG? thing. Personally of course, Jim Bunning is no issue, a retiring Senator. And, this particular has already been overridden.  Read more »

Texas initial jobless claims for the week ending Feb. 20 fell to 16,712 from 17,730 the previous week. This marked the lowest number of first-time unemployment claimants since Jan. 2. Continued claims (those receiving benefits for two weeks or more) declined by 4,103 to 225,287.  Read more »

Facebook has been looking for a city to open a new office, and Rick Perry has offered $1.4 million in incentives to Facebook to open its new office in Austin, Texas. The deal would provide 200 jobs and improve the tech scene in Austin, which is still wobbling after Google opened offices there in 2008, only to close them a few months later.  Read more »

For the week ending Feb. 13 initial claims on the national level rose to 473,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 442,000. Bloomberg’s Bob Willis reports:  Read more »

Thursday, I joined the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) in announcing the findings of critical new research on the severe impact federal climate change, or cap-and-trade, legislation would have on the Texas economy. The report examines the Texas-specific impacts of pending climate change legislation, including the effect it would have on various Texas industries, jobs, energy prices and the economy. The report models the economic impact of H.R.  Read more »