Will Tesla Love Texas (and Vice Versa)?
Earlier this week, Texas governor Rick Perry was seen in Sacramento, CA, driving an electric Tesla Model S Sedan. His intent was clear and not very subtle. He wants to continue wooing businesses from the Golden State to the Lone Star state and in fact, to use a Texas colloquialism, he “makes no bones about it”. Gov. Perry told reporters that he had enjoyed driving the Tesla but would have liked it better if it had a “Made In Texas” bumper sticker. He even tweeted that the only way to make this car faster is to “make it in Texas”.
Governor Rick Perry loves Texas. It is evident in the way he talks about his home state and the work ethic he exudes on a daily basis to keep the Texas economy strong and continually growing.
A document from the Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism, provides the following information.
“Texas saw a 2.3 percent increase in employment in 2013, gaining 252,400 seasonally adjusted jobs from December 2012 to December 2013. Furthermore Texas added more jobs than any other state in 2013, according to data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These employment figures indicate that the Lone Star State led the nation in job growth for the fourth consecutive year.” (Additional statistics are available online.)
Just a couple of months ago, Gov. Perry convinced Toyota Motor Corp. to move its U.S. headquarters from California to a suburb of Dallas. While CA politicians are not sitting passively by and waiting for Texas to take their business, Gov. Perry is enigmatic when he dons a tailor-made suit and sunglasses. He is also a savvy economist. He is convinced that Texas can put together a better incentive package for Tesla than California can; after all that is the basis that the bottom-line decision will be made on.
Hmm…let’s start with the fact that Texas has lower taxes, cheaper land, sensible regulations, less government intrusion, fair courts and a first class workforce.
Recently my husband and I were in Alaska and met a woman from Indiana who wanted to talk about politics and the future of the United States. When she found out we were from Texas she simply “assumed” we were Conservatives. She knew as much or more than I do about how the Texas economy stacks up against the U.S. economy and said that Gov. Perry must be doing something right. This lady, along with several other people we met indicated that they were considering moving to Texas.
It is no secret that Texas is prosperous even in these lean times and perhaps Governor Rick Perry said it best when he wrote, “Texas is a haven for those seeking freedom”.
