Wednesday, November 11, 2009

New Twist in Governor's Race


When doing research on the governor's race, I recently came across one of the most interesting things I've found so far. According to several media, including the Austin American Statesman and Dallas News Web sites, Farouk Shami, a resident of Houston, and creator of BioSilk and Chi hair products, plans to make a formal Democratic campaign announcement on Nov. 19. As an avid follower of the race to the capitol, this is the first news I have heard about Shami's interest in the governor's seat.

As a consumer of Shami's Chi products, upon first hearing about this, I thought it seemed like an odd bid to me. I assumed Shami had no political ties or experience and that he was only involved in the hair industry and business world. I was proved wrong when I came across a statement that incumbent Rick Perry made earlier this year, in which he described Shami as a man who "pretty much embodies the American dream."

According to the Austin American Statesman, Shami will reportedly spend $10 million of his own money to run his campaign and will fore go the typical governor's salary, accepting only $1 as a compensation.

Shami's notable acts include bringing back 1,200 Farouk System's manufacturing jobs to Texas that had recently been outsourced to South Korea and China.

Despite my initial doubts, two online newspaper articles later, it seems to me that Farouk Shami is undoubtedly dedicated to the economy of Texas and quite possibly a threat to his other opponents. Needless to say, I am interested to see where this will go...

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Perry's Trip to the Big Apple

Although it might not seem like Texas' economy is that great to families like my own who have been affected by the recent surge in unemployment, according to Gov. Rick Perry, Texas seems to be fairing much better than most other big states during this hard economic time.


While many small businesses and even large coporations around the nation are finding themselves forced to decide between relocating or shutting down completely, last week, Perry ventured to New York with a team of business and community leaders to promote Texas as a land of opportunity.


“As the global economy continues to struggle, Texas stands out because of our strong principles of cutting taxes and spending, investing in job creation and strengthening our school system to groom the workforce of the future,” said Perry, ensuring business owners and CEOs that relocating to Texas is a smart move.


As a concerned citizen during these hard times, it puts me a little more at ease knowing that although Texas seems to be doing better than other states, our governor recognizes that there is still room for improvement. I appreciate his effort of going to New York to promote the great state of Texas and its future prosperity.