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Obama’s stumping in... Texas? Glenn chats with Gov. Rick Perry

May 09, 2013
Wilson

Writer

On radio this morning, Glenn interviewed Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) about President Obama’s impending trip to Texas to kick off his job creation tour. You might be asking yourself, why in the world would the President go to a state that basically proves his economic theories don’t work?

Well, according to CEOs polled by Chief Executive magazine, Texas is the most business-friendly state in the U.S. based on a criteria of taxes and regulations, workforce quality, and living environment. Considering President Obama can use all the job creation advice he can get, Texas is probably a good place to start his tour.

Glenn and Gov. Perry talked about the policies that have allowed Texas to become a hub for new business and entrepreneurship, in what is still a very difficult economy. You can read the full transcript of the interview below:

GLENN: The president is going to meet with our own governor here in Texas, the governor of the great State of Texas, Governor Perry. I believe the last time that he was in town, the president got a letter from Governor Perry, and didn't he reject it or he just kind of brushed it off, I believe? We have Rick Perry on the phone now. Hello, Governor, how are you, sir?

GOVERNOR PERRY: Glenn Beck, good morning. It's a beautiful day in Texas. Thank you, sir. Of course, you already know that.

GLENN: Tell me, wasn't it the last time that you saw the president, didn't you give him the letter on the tarmac?

GOVERNOR PERRY: Actually the last time I saw the president, he was in Waco for the West Memorial for the EMTs and the firefighters that we lost there with the tragic explosion.

GLENN: Who was

GOVERNOR PERRY: The president was very civil and very appropriately gracious, but the time that we met on the tarmac in Austin, yes, I handed him the letter asking him to take a look at the issue of our border and how to secure the border, and we never heard back from the president directly. Now, one of his staff persons wrote a letter but, you know, you the key is the president's coming to Texas hopefully in good faith to learn how to create jobs and have a better place in America for a training ground for the president to learn how to do it right.

GLENN: Well, if he wants to learn how to create jobs or if America wants to learn how to create jobs, it's really quite simple: We just stop electing or hiring to put in the cabinet Marxists.

GOVERNOR PERRY: Well, in Texas we've got that figured out.

GLENN: We do? Okay, good. I didn't know. It seems to be a disease that is spreading all over the country. I didn't know.

GOVERNOR PERRY: You know, if you really want to be honest, and don't, you know, try to make some political statement, if results are, I mean just a really scientific look at the states and allow the states to be the laboratories of innovation and say that there are these 50 laboratories out there, Glenn, then who is it that's actually doing this right? So if the result is the creation of jobs which allow people freedom to live their lives as they see fit.

Now, certainly freedom to fail at an effort, but freedom to be unlimited in what you can what you can achieve and that's, to me, what America's really all about. And so if you look at it, from a just cold, scientific standpoint, where is the place that's created the most jobs both, you know, percentage wise and numbers in jobs in the last five years? Texas added almost 500,000 private sector jobs while this country, this entire country lost over 2 million private sector jobs. That's from March of '08 through March of 2013. 6.4%.

GLENN: Here's the problem. And Rick, you know I love you and I moved here because of the freedom, but we're having these companies move in and I'm glad to see them move in we have these companies move in and they are bringing all their voters from California and everywhere else and I'm afraid Texas is going to turn into Colorado. We need to have a big sign here someplace that says it's the freedom that creates jobs.

GOVERNOR PERRY: Yeah, that's an interesting observation, but I will suggest to you an erroneous observation for a couple of reasons. Number one, Colorado was never this hard red state to begin with. Colorado always had some liberal tendencies, and frankly had there not been an error made in Colorado with the gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis back two, three years ago, he would have been elected and you would not have seen Colorado doing some of the things that they're doing today that tend to be substantially blue. But the key is the people that we're bringing to the State of Texas, they're givers. I mean, these the takers are staying in Colorado, Colorado or, you know, California or Illinois. They know not to come here and expect government handouts to be the answer. There are people that are coming here, want to be free from overtaxation, overregulation, overlitigation and expect to find a skilled workforce so that they can fill the jobs.

GLENN: Right, right. I'm not wait. You're misunderstanding me. I'm not saying that the companies are. I'm saying that the people who are moving here for those jobs, they're coming from California saying, "Something's wrong with California. It's all screwed up." And then they are coming into our communities and they are like, "I love, Texas. Of course, I'd like it to be a little more like home in California." And I'm afraid they will start voting for the same things that they were voting for in California. I mean, we need some sort of campaign that, you know, is going through the State of Texas that people understand when they move here, what makes it great is the freedom that we have. Because I know the companies understand because the companies, I moved my company down here and everybody knows we're moving here for the freedom, and my company gets it and my employees get it. But I'm afraid that there's, you know, people that come in with a lot of employees and they'll just move them all from California and the employees are just like, "I like California. Of course, it was all screwed up, but my company moved." We don't want we want to change their hearts and their minds on how to vote, and I'm not talking about Republican/Democrat. I'm talking about small government.

GOVERNOR PERRY: Freedom. We're talking about freedom.

GLENN: Right.

GOVERNOR PERRY: And I totally agree with you from the standpoint of it is our responsibility to teach people. We start teaching Texas history at a minimum in the seventh grade. Generally when you hit the ground here, you start learning about this state, the history of this state, the freedom, believing and fighting people that helped develop this state. But I think people come here and they are open to that message of freedom and they are fleeing places that are oppression from a tax and a regulatory and a legal standpoint. So I think they are open and I think you make a good point, but it's our responsibility as citizens and our responsibility as Texans to educate people every opportunity. I hope here in the next couple of hours, I have the opportunity to educate the president of the United States about freedom and about how powerful it is in the State of Texas and if people reflect that in this great state.

GLENN: (Laughing.) I'm sorry. I just can't get past that.

GOVERNOR PERRY: There's a little

GLENN: I just can't get past, I'd love to teach the president a little bit about freedom. Oh, I wish you the best today. I don't know how you do it, but I wish you the best, Governor. Thank you so much.

GOVERNOR PERRY: Hey, listen. You take care of yourself. By the way, great job down in Houston this last weekend. It was an incredibly successful convention for the National Rifle Association and a good weekend for the Second Amendment.

GLENN: It was. It was. Thank you very much, Governor. I appreciate it.

GOVERNOR PERRY: God bless you.

GLENN: Governor Rick Perry of Texas.

Warning: 97% fear Gen Z’s beliefs could ignite political chaos

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

In a republic forged on the anvil of liberty and self-reliance, where generations have fought to preserve free markets against the siren song of tyranny, Gen Z's alarming embrace of socialism amid housing crises and economic despair has sparked urgent alarm. But in a recent poll, Glenn asked the tough questions: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from—and what does it mean for America's future? Glenn asked, and you answered—hundreds weighed in on this volatile mix of youthful frustration and ideological peril.

The results paint a stark picture of distrust in the system. A whopping 79% of you affirm that Gen Z's socialist sympathies stem from real economic gripes, like sky-high housing costs and a rigged game tilted toward the elite and corporations—defying the argument that it's just youthful naivety. Even more telling, 97% believe this trend arises from a glaring educational void on socialism's bloody historical track record, where failed regimes have crushed freedoms under the boot of big government. And 97% see these poll findings as a harbinger of deepening generational rifts, potentially fueling political chaos and authoritarian overreach if left unchecked.

Your verdict underscores a moral imperative: America's soul hangs on reclaiming timeless values like self-reliance and liberty. This feedback amplifies your concerns, sending a clear message to the powers that be.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

Civics isn’t optional—America's survival depends on it

JEFF KOWALSKY / Contributor | Getty Images

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE