Why Does Texas Create More Jobs?

Carl Guardino of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group was part of the much-discussed trip to Texas by California's GOP legislators and Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Writing in the Sacramento Bee, Guardino gave an account of what he saw as crucial differnces between Texas and California that would explain the Lone Star State's strengths on jobs.

One factor is better, more democratic governance, with a legislature more accountable to voters (because of the absence of term limits and competitive elections). The state also spends much less money on prisons but has less recidivism. Texas has more money set aside for recruiting and retaining cmpanies, though he notes that the state also closely supervises what is done with incentives -- and can claw back the money if it doesn't work.

He's also not blind to the connection between Texas' relatively low taxes and its poverty and low levels of educational attainment and health care. The hard and uncomfortable question he dodges is: is there a connection between Texas' jobs record and the fact that taxes are too low to support schools and other standards are too low to keep many working people out of poverty?

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