Texas Governor Rick Perry proudly announced $35 million in state money for 3,000 new jobs in 2004. The Carlyle Group's Vought Aircraft Industries promised the jobs by 2009. Time's up on their commitment.
How'd they do? The Carlyle affiliate failed badly, cutting jobs instead of adding the promised 3,000. The move presaged Wall Street's rescue, where taxpayers ponied up billions, only to see banks shed jobs like used condoms. Vought cut 35 jobs between 2004 and 2009, Texas taxpayers paid the Carlyle affiliate $1 million per job lost. Below is my wish:
State of Texas
Invoice: 02-26-04
Please pay the following sum to the Texas Enterprise Fund for failure to provide the promised 3,000 jobs by 12/31/09:
$35,000,000
Payment is due in 30 days. Sincerely,
Governor Rick Perry
It should be sent. I'd love to see the response from Chris Ullman, Carlyle's newly promoted communications director.
Update: After winning the Republican primary Rick Perry read his scripted lines, "Hardworking Texans sent a simple, compelling message to Washington: Quit spending all the money!"
