Bring it on, Texas!
Here’s a response to Rick Perry for his latest attempt to woo California businesses to Texas that the Lone Star State governor might understand: Bring it on.
Perry, whose state just poached L.A.-based Occidental Petroleum Corp., plans another swing through Southern California next week backed by an ad blitz touting Texas’ business-friendly climate against California’s supposedly commerce-hostile environment, according to a Times article on Thursday. Most of the more than one dozen readers who sent us letters were unfazed by Perry’s plans for a corporate exodus; some readers even recommended a few more local industries that the governor might want to take back to Texas. Here are some of their letters.
— Paul Thornton, letters editor Villa Park resident Don Wise spots some fertile hunting ground for Perry:
“Somebody should drive Perry to Vernon and tell him he is most welcome to take battery recycler Exide Technologies back with him.
“Having lived in Texas many years ago, I know that government and business leaders would not care about the pollution given off by this egregious operation. Just drive down the La Porte Freeway near Houston and for 25 miles, you will see plants fouling the air. Perry would probably have little problem with Exide.
“Go ahead, Gov. Perry, take all of the old 19th and 20th century industries you want. And please take the public health costs with you as well. California will keep the 21st century companies that someday will be called upon to clean up the toxic mess you made.” Louis Tripodes of San Marino suggests that Sacramento go on the offense:
“So, Perry has declared war on California.
“First he begins his campaign with the ‘shock and awe’ treatment, airing ads bashing California. Then he personally invades our state hoping to be greeted as a liberator by California oil companies and relocating these ‘refugees’ to Texas.
“I think it’s time for Gov. Jerry Brown to respond. He should pummel Perry’s home state with a barrage of ads and visits offering incentives to filmmakers and technology companies to move to California. All is fair in love and war.” Orange resident Robert Siebert faults Perry for climate-change denialism:
“It is quite likely that one of Perry’s inducements to California businesses is his disinterest and convenient disbelief in climate change.
“Texas has no pesky laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; no, Perry prefers to kick the can down the road. But because greenhouse gases are not confined behind borders, we’ll all suffer the consequences.” Frank Pereyda of San Pedro challenges California’s leaders:
“If California is so great and has such a wonderful business environment, why doesn’t Brown make a trip to Texas and lure some of the companies that now reside there to the Golden State?
“Maybe the governor can take some of the great business minds on the Los Angeles City Council to Texas with him.”