Teachers union attack Perry

An email circulating e-mail and the Internet has accused Perry of forcing a reduction in the Teacher's pension fund.
The letter states that Perry is forcing the reduction to pay for the latest property tax reductions and teacher salary increases.
In reality, Gov. McDreamy has asked all state agencies to examine their budgets and look for a 10 percent reduction by 2008.
The actual budget reductions are up to the individual agencies.
Perry calls the e-mail and statements absolutly false and a political attack, 60 days from the election. I had a sitdown with the governor yesterday afternoon and this is what he said on the issue.

“We asked every agency to come up with ideas (on how to cut their budget). That’s good public policy.
It’s a good process to go through. I hope you do it in your life.
From time to time you go, ‘I’m going to re-evaluate everything I do here. Do I really need NetFlix? Do I really need 186 channels? Do I really need to be driving this car? Do I really need to be making these expenditures in my life?’
You’ve to pay my rent or mortgage or you’ve got to pay the car payment. Some of those are must.
There are things out there whether you’re in the state government or private sector that we’ve got to take a look at -- and people do to.
I’m sorry if I’m passionate about this, but it greatly disturbs me that a group who’s supposed to be looking after the best interest of the teachers would blatantly use a political statement 60 days before the election in an absolutely false way.
As a matter of fact I would challenge them to send a letter to all their teachers and show them how I supported the Teacher Retirement System in 1999 and again in 2001 with funding increases – my bet is they probably don’t.”

Look for the full story in the WDL.