Governor Rick Perry boldly announced today that he won’t take a half-billion in federal stimulus funding because…part-time workers might benefit.
There’s a stance for you.
The proposed stimulus funds are designated for unemployment benefits, but come with a mandate that part-time workers also get unemployment. That’s a no-no in Perryland.
Small-business owners (How come Republicans never mention “big-business owners”?) would have to pay too much in unemployment taxes if part-timers got benefits, he argued. So farewell to $555 million in unemployment benefits from the feds, you Texas losers unenergetic enough to get a job!
The best thing of all, though, was where Perry chose to make the announcement.
It was here in Houston, at a “small business.”
Bering’s Hardware. Near the freaking Galleria.
If you’re not familiar with Bering’s, it’s the go-to hardware store for rich yuppies looking for the latest gadgets to till their precious roses or for when they do a little chore or two. It’s the J. Peterman of the hardware world.
In other words, it was a perfect place for Perry to dump on the unemployed on behalf of the noble middle-class small businessman.
This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2009.