But, you say, it is the “Texas Miracle” that created all of those jobs, even during the Great Recession. Rick Perry insists that it was the product of low taxes and minimal regulations, and proposes it as a template for the entire country. My point is that they have low taxes, similar weather, and minimal regulations in Mississippi, but no “miracle.” Why not? What makes Texas different than Mississippi?
There are a number of potential answers to that. Oil unquestionably is a big part of it, but there are other elements, as well:
1. Proximity to the Mexican border;
2. Greater public and private investment in higher education and the arts (yes, there are some islands of blue in the red Texas sea);
3. Jobs associated with the space program;
4. Greater state investment in infrastructure; and
5. (Possibly) lower housing costs due to minimal local land use regulation. (I doubt the regulations in Mississippi are very strict, but it is a fact that housing costs and regulations in Texas are very light).
It would be logical to conjure an argument for a different kind of GOP that juxtaposes additional infrastructure and education investments supported in part by tax dollars with a very minimal safety net in the interests of maximizing growth. Leaving aside the question as to whether one would like to live in a Dickensian state in the 21st century, I haven’t seen Perry (or anyone else) make the argument like that. In any event, there are elements of the “miracle” that cannot be reproduced in most of the country.