Governor Rick Perry of Texas has been the executive leader of his state for nine plus years, the successor to the governorship by the election of George W. Bush to the White House. The longest lasting governor in America has been and remains a total disgrace, and now he threatens to refuse participation by his state in the health care reform program being promoted by the Obama Administration.
Earlier, he had rejected stimulus aid and also talked about secession from the Union, bringing back memories of the Civil War. He has been an embarrassment to his state and made a fool of himself nationally by his utterances and his actions.
But his plans to reject national health care reform is detrimental to his state, which has 25 percent of the population having no health care coverage, and having more people uncovered than any other state of the Union.  Texas ranks near the bottom of the nation in many different social statistics, and Perry has been responsible for a lot of this tragedy affecting the poor and disadvantaged of his state.
Hopefully, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will be able to defeat Governor Perry in the March 2010 Republican primary. Compared to Perry, Hutchison would be a tremendous improvement, although it would be great if the Democrats, who are seen in the long run as likely to be a majority with the growing number of Hispanic residents, could come up with a nominee who could restore power to the party that gave us President Lyndon Johnson and Senator Ralph Yarborough.
Of course, Perry’s irresponsible behavior and statements only add to the tragedy that is the present day GOP. Are there any respectable leaders left in the Republican party beyond maybe Mitt Romney and a small handful of others?  The party of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Robert La Follette, Sr, George Norris, Arthur Vandenberg, Nelson Rockefeller, William Scranton, Charles Percy, Mark Hatfield, Charles Mathias and numerous others is in deep trouble and total collapse. Just mention Rick Perry, John Ensign, Mark Sanford, Dick Cheney, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Steele, Tom DeLay, Dick Armey, and Yes, George W. Bush, and numerous others, and weep! 🙁