I had the opportunity to sit down with Governor Rick Perry before his speech today at the Texas GOP Convention in Ft. Worth, Texas. We talked a bit about his time being governor, the the successes of Texas, the Democrat attempts to make Texas a battleground, open carry, and his intentions for 2016.

You can read Gov. Perry’s convention speech here, but I would like to highlight a few paragraphs that help display the stark contrast between the philosophy in the White House and the philosophy that has helped create the nation’s best economy, and some might argue, the nation’s best state.

I look back at the last 14 years as an era of limitless opportunity. We have built the nation’s best economy, we’ve instituted fiscal discipline, and invested in core responsibilities.

We have preserved the public trust in a time of growing cynicism. And we have controlled the size and scope of state government, even while Washington couldn’t even pass a budget.

…

[M]y goal has been to give as many as possible a chance at the American Dream. I have always taken the view that government should equip citizens with the tools of self-sufficiency without entrapping people in a life of dependency.

Government must do a few things, and do them well. It must fund good roads, reliable power, clean water and great schools. But government can’t be all things to all people. It can only create an environment where those who work hard and dream big have a shot at success.

No state has done more to foster innovation, and create jobs and opportunity, than Texas. We have created the best environment for job creation in the nation.