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| Re: Group Demands Corrections Before Texas Adopts 'Distorted' Textbooks (1225815) | |||
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Re: Group Demands Corrections Before Texas Adopts 'Distorted' Textbooks |
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Posted by Dave on Sun Sep 14 18:46:54 2014, in response to Re: Group Demands Corrections Before Texas Adopts 'Distorted' Textbooks, posted by bingbong on Sun Sep 14 12:36:41 2014. As is typical of you, you let your hatred of all things cloud the facts.The Texas economy is the largest one that's still growing in the U.S. Even in 2006 the state was home of six of the top 50 companies on the Fortune 500 list and 58 of the top 500 -- the most of any state. In 2013, the state had a Gross Domestic Product of $1.53 trillion, second-largest in the U.S. and 15th-largest in the world. Texas currently conducts more than $150 billion a year in trade with other nations; it leads all other states in exports, and has for years. In 2013 almost 18% of total U.S. exports came from Texas. Texas has the second-largest workforce in the nation, some 11 million citizen workers, and an unemployment rate among the lowest in the U.S. The reason for that: the state government has made economic development a priority in recent years, and has helped create a favorable business climate for companies looking to relocate. Texas also eschews a state-level income tax on prooductivity and its real-estate prices compared to other states and regions remains largely undervalued. Among the natural resources are 16 ports whose economic impact on the United States totals in the billions. For the past decade, Texas has been the top state for foreign exports. Last year, they totaled $265 billion, according to data from the Commerce Department and the Port of Houston, the nation's busiest port for foreign trade. The state had a gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property -- of $1.2 trillion in 2011, according to figures obtained by the Texas comptroller's office. That would rank as the 14th-largest economy in the world. Houston by itself would be the 25th-largest. Texas possesses one-fourth of the nation's oil reserves and one-third of its natural gas reserves. Texas' leverage is heightened by the fact that 95 percent of the United States receives its oil and gas from pipelines that begin in the Lone Star State. However, the state's economy is far from the two-dimensional stereotype commonly portrayed. Texas is a lot more than just cattle and oil. Sure, Texas leads the nation in the production of beef, oil and natural gas. It also leads the nation in both the production of alternative energy and in the construction of new alternative energy productin facilities; an independent Texas would be completely energy-independent and among the world's leading exporters of oil, natural gas and energy products. Texas also has a thriving lumber industry based in the eastern part of the state, while the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a key center for the defense industry, a banking center and the information technology industry. Texas is the nation's No.2 manufacturer of computers, components and electronmic equipment. The Houston/Beaumont area features the world's largest concentration of petrochemical refining and production facilities, and Houston is a major center of medical and biomedical research, aerospace research and shipping. The Port of Houston is the largest port in the nation and sixth-largest in the world. Texas is also a leader in the production of cement, crushed stone, lime, salt and sand and gravel. The state is also among the world's leaders in the production of rice and cotton, primarily along the Gulf Coast, and in the production of citrus products in the Rio Grande Valley. Texas features the most farms, both in terms of numbers and in acreage, in the nation. In addition to cattle, Texas also leads nationally in the production of sheep and goats. The Texas Panhandle and South Plains has also become a major producer of cereal crops. Texas agricuture is also a leader in the production of greenhouse and nursery products, corn, hay and wheat. The state ranks No.2 in the nation in the production of sorghum. Peanuts and sugar cane are other valuable crops, along with onions, potatoes, watermelons and grapefruit. Texas farmers lead the nation in the production of cabbage. Texas has another brand of farmer as well: Texas' fishing industry thrives. The state is among the nation's leaders in its annual shrimp catch, and both commercial and sport fishing are major industries. In addition, there is a growing commercial catfish-farming industry. K-12 education could be better but the state retains a solid reputation for its higher education system, from premier universities such as Rice, SMU, Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M to a broad array of junior colleges and trade schools. That has helped create a more adaptable work force which has in turn helped fuel the diversification of the state's economy since the oil bust of the 1970s. Clearly, Texas features an economy which would enable an independent republic to thrive. The question is whether or not the United States would be vindictive enough to attempt to embargo Texas should it secede--and whether or not that embargo would work. |
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