The latest census figures show that Texas is #1 in the highest percentage of people without health insurance, while poverty rates have reached a 30-year high. And there are currently 4.6 million Texans living in poverty-- or more than two Houstons.
And the day these figures came out, working families in Houston spoke out at a TX Health & Human Services office, taking their governor to task for allowing so many people to suffer in such deplorable conditions.
Pictures and more below the fold.
In Rick Perry's Texas, 1 in 4 don't have health insurance-- that's an even higher percentage than in Mississippi. Of course, this is hardly surprising news, considering Texas is the minimum-wage job capital of the USA.
A new grassroots advocacy group called Good Jobs=Great Houston, who helped cause a ruckus at tea party Congressman Pete Olson's town halls last month, came out to the TX Health and Human Services building in Houston the same day these numbers came out to demand a jobs program and oppose any cuts to health care.
Several people without health insurance took the bullhorn to tell their stories.
"Artie" (real name not used) is trying to get work through the job corps, and needs new glasses so he can see. But he doesn't have health insurance and can't afford to pay for his vision out of pocket, so now he's in job limbo because health insurance is cost-prohibitive.
The folks at Good Jobs=Great Houston got plenty of supportive honks from passers by. It's safe to say not everyone in Texas believes in Perry's "Texas Miracle" of minimum-wage jobs and the inability to pay for health care.
This man's sign was one of my favorites-- "Perry's Texas Miracle: 6 million with no health insurance." The man standing next to him in the orange hat, Mike, told me he was still paying off $120,000 in medical bills. He told me his house and both of his cars still wouldn't be enough to pay it all down.
It was actually a really diverse group of Texans speaking out-- old, young, black, white, hispanic, poor, middle class, working mothers, college students, etc. Its encouraging to see grassroots pushback against Perry in his home state. Here's to seeing more direct action in the streets of Texas as more figures like these emerge.