Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) has glasses now, so we know he's all studious and contemplative.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry continues to gear up for a 2016 presidential campaign by marketing himself to the press as a changed man since his embarrassing 2012 run, and the
Washington Post is
the latest to bite, describing him as "studious, contemplative and humble." Concerned for working- and middle-class Texans, not so much:
Perry acknowledged that the richest Texans have experienced the greatest amount of earnings growth, but dismissed the notion that income inequality is a problem in the state, saying, “We don’t grapple with that here.”
That's apparently not grappling with inequality in the sense that Rick Perry is not personally troubled by it, nor do he and other Texas Republicans seek to change it. But plenty of Texans are grappling with the effects of inequality—the state
ranks fifth or
sixth among states on income inequality, depending who you ask. According to 2011 data,
21 percent of income in the state is going to the top one percent of earners, and 48 percent of income is going to the top 10 percent of earners. And
there's this, from September:
A new study from Standard & Poor’s suggests that income inequality is leading to lower state tax revenues in Texas. The study also finds inequality weakens overall economic growth, with a stronger effect in states like Texas that depend on sales tax revenues.
Basically, Rick Perry doesn't grapple with inequality in the same sense that you can not grapple with diabetes by not going to the doctor and eating whatever you want. The decision not to grapple with the condition doesn't make it any less real.