The Job Engine

Rick Wartzman wrote an excellent editorial, which originally appeared in the Los Angelos Times but was reprinted by the Austin American Stateman, entitled "Texas, the jobs engine." In the article, Wartzman tells of his immense intrigue when he learned the fact that Texas has created four out of every ten jobs in the United States since June 2009. He points out that due to Texas being a red state, in general, people on the right will acclaim the statistic, and people on the left will try to discredit the statistic. Wartzman himself admits to having leftist leanings and yet acknowledges that the statistic is undeniable. He states, "But there's no escaping it. The number is real."

For this editorial, Wartzman is a very credible writer for three reasons. Firstly, he is not a Republican who might be naturally biased towards relishing the statistic. Secondly, he is not trying to impress any Republicans or Texans since he originally wrote this article for the Los Angelos Times. And finally, he understands how business works having written books such as "The Drucker Lectures: Essential Lessons on Management, Society and Economy" and "What Would Drucker Do Now?: Solutions to Today’s Toughest Challenges from the Father of Modern Management." In other words, he knows his stuff. 

Wartzman concedes that in order to have such remarkable job creation, Texas and its government must be doing something correctly. He presents strong evidence as to the reason for so many jobs by studying Texas' pro-business policies. Bank lending guidelines which are more scrupulous than in other states, tort reform which poses obstacles for frivolous lawsuits, low taxes, and minimal regulations are all factors contributing to an increasing desire in businesses to move to or at least branch out into Texas. This is what is creating more jobs--leading to a better state economy. Ultimately, Wartzman justifiably concluded that although Texas procedure might have its downfalls, overall its policies seem to be doing a good job compared to the rest of the country.