Texans Are Still Stuck with Rick Perry...

pstern 07:45 on 1 February 2012 Even though Rick Perry blew more than $17 million from Make Us Great Again, his Super PAC, on a doomed Presidential campaign, he still has $2.5 million in his state campaign coffer. Furthermore, Perry remains the most powerful official in the state of Texas. The Austin-American Statesman reported that: "The top donors to Make Us Great Again included Dallas businessman Harold Simmons' holding company, Contran Corp., which gave $1 million. The group also raised $250,000 apiece from Dallas tax consultant Brint Ryan, Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee and two energy executives — Kelcy Warren of Energy Transfer Partners in Dallas and Javaid Anwar of Midland Energy Inc. In addition, a political committee linked to Chesapeake Energy Corp. in Oklahoma gave $125,000, and the Heritage Bag Co. of Carrollton and SCI Executive Services of Houston each gave $100,000. Mike Toomey, the lobbyist and former Perry chief of staff who started Make Us Great Again, contributed $102,000. Overall, the committee raised $5.5 million in 2011 and spent $4.9 million, ending the year with about $600,000. Much of the group's money went toward television advertising." Perry's core contributors are the same Texas-based donors who have been special interest supporters since Perry became Governor. Over the years Perry has provided big returns to them. Perry's claim to be the only true conservative in the GOP Primary seems to fly out the window when we view the lack of fiscal conservatism in his campaign expenditures, specifically, that Perry charged Texas taxpayers $800,000 for his security during the time he campaigned for President. Texas House Rep. Jessica Ferrar and some other critics have requested that Perry return the security expenditures to Texas taxpayers. There has been no comment from the Office of the Governor. Despite Perry returning to Texas as a loser in the 2012 GOP Presidential Primary, he will remain Governor at least for the next 3 years and the special interest core of contributors will want to realize further returns on their past and ongoing financial commitment to Perry's national and state political endeavors. Texans will still have their cross to bear and will have to tolerate the continuing scenario of having the most infamous fumbling and bungling Governor in the U.S.