A microcosm...

[usta in Portland]

or case example (and a highly conditioned one at that). But it is rare to see numbers like this side by side that depict both the public and private sector job situation in such simple terms. It does rather spotlight the questions of whether Texas is quite the job machine that Perry might claim and if the Texas example with all of its downsides actually makes much of a case for following its lead. It turns out, for instance, that the Northeast region has been most resistant to jobless increases and the GDP/head there is much better than Texas -even poor old California is much better on that count than Texas. Houston's jobless rate is barely different than the national number and Texas at 8.4% is usefully better but not all that much. Throw in that Texas has the highest proportion of minimum wage jobs, the lowest high school graduation rate and employer supplied health insurance premiums almost exactly equal to Massachusetts and you gotta wonder on balance what Perry has to offer that Romney doesn't-except being less electable probably.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/7704116.html