Gov. Perry visits Hub City, speaks with NewsChannel 11 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - Governor Rick Perry stopped in the Hub City Wednesday to speak with Lubbockites about the national stimulus package. The economy is on everyone's mind and that's one thing Gov. Perry spoke to Lubbockites about at Market Street Wednesday afternoon. NewsChannel 11 spoke with him about some of the hot topic issues.

"It's a powerful economy that's driven by the university and agriculture," are two things that Gov. Perry says are working for the Lubbock economy. He says he knows times are tough. "We realize there are some real challenges out there for us. Our job is to keep this state as competitive as can be," he says.

He rejected $555 million in federal stimulus money because he says it would make Texas less competitive.  "I said no thanks to unemployment insurance money that they were sending down here because it had a lot of strings attached and would have made Texas change the way we operate our program," says Perry.

But the economy isn't the only thing on the minds of Texans. "There are some great concerns about the safety of the border, Mexico is our number one trading partner we need to make sure our citizens are safe," says Perry adding that controlling the violence on the border is a top priority he'll continue to work on.

Texas spends $110 million to secure the Texas-Mexico border yearly, and Perry has requested an additional $135 million from the Texas Legislature. "We've got to stand firm. It doesn't matter if you live in Pennsylvania or East Texas, or in Lubbock, Texas. If we fail in defending that border all of our citizens will pay a price," says Gov. Perry.

Gov. Perry will be meeting with National Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in Port Arthur Thursday to look at hurricane damage and discuss the Texas-Mexico border issue.

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