By Alexander Strada
Western Sun staff writer
Campaign season is upon us, and the dearth of Republican front runners is over. Although Mitt Romney seemed poised to take the nomination, there’s also a surprise contender on the field: a gun-slinging, pro-execution Governor from Texas.
No, fortunately George W. Bush isn’t running for a third term. Unfortunately, Rick Perry is running for his first. When he’s not riling up seniors everywhere by labeling social security a “ponzi scheme”, he’s busy slashing fire protection budgets in one of the most fire-prone states in the nation.
Texas is currently being devoured by one of the most destructive wildfires in state history, with over 1,500 homes incinerated and counting. To put that in perspective, the next worst, which hit the state in April, only burned 168.
Perry, like most Republican candidates, seeks a reduction in the size of government. He announced at his candidacy declaration speech that he would “work every day to try to make Washington, DC, as inconsequential in your life as I can.”
Rick Perry’s Texas prides itself on being budget conscious and willing to make cuts. Under Perry, the state cut funding for volunteer firefighters from $30 million to $7 million in March, and 80% of volunteers reported that they had to pay for equipment and supplies out of pocket.
Conscientious spending and wise budgeting are reasonable approaches to governing, but cutting vital services and risking lives and livelihoods in the name of small government is not only misguided, it’s irresponsible and reckless.
Now that Perry’s cuts have left the state unable to handle this disaster, he’s turned to the federal government for aid, declaring, “I full well expect the federal government to come in to do their part.” It seems Perry’s sense of irony could best be described as “inconsequential”.
