Bridge City

Philip visited Orange County this week, where he spoke to the Orange Rotary Club. I have a tape ("from an anonymous source who demanded anonymity") from which I may post portions at a later date - there are some funny moments.  The club didn't mention Philip in the agenda, nor did Klein make it into the local rumor mill. (Note to Philip: Sherlock Breaux is a nom de plume, sort of like Gus Pillsbury).

Let's consider Philip's misinformation about Orange County on the SET Political Review this week.

It should be no surprise that people are leaving Jefferson County. The spin should start here pretty fast. Like - oh.....two hurricanes hit and people left. And then the answer is - Chambers and Orange Counties? Where their populations are actually up?

It will be interesting to watch Bridge City and its growth. But we get that Bridge City is getting the cream from the crop in Jefferson County. And Hardin County has done the same. Growth Growth Growth - while Jefferson County Dies. Maybe that is the way it should be?

But what do we know?

Answer: Not enough to form a coherent opinion.
 
Orange County has experienced cyclical population growth over the past 30 years and is currently on a downswing, according to the U.S. Census Bureau:

• 1980: 83838    
• 1990: 80509    
• 2000: 84,966   
• 2009: 81,816 (Census Bureau estimate)

As goes Jefferson County, so goes Orange County. From the Bridge City website:

Bridge City is considered a “bedroom community” where residents may work in another city/county but live, pay taxes and spend most of their income in their city. Area residents find ample job opportunities in the industrial, medical, schools and government fields. Recently built correctional facilities in Jefferson County contribute significantly to the local economy. 

Philip has frequently complained about those jobs in the correctional facilities as evidence of "big government in the most corrupt county in Texas."  Most rational people know that local economies in Southeast Texas are all inherently and incontrovertibly linked. but Philip offers this solution in another posting this week:

Completely purge the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission.

PRK expresses amazement:

We took the opportunity to drive around the city and construction is everywhere. New roads, new homes, new businesses. It was amazing to see.

This happens when a city is destroyed twice in five years by two hurricanes. During Hurricane Ike, the entire city was under water and only about about 14 homes were unaffected. On the morning of the storm, 265 people had to be rescued.  The Bridge City ISD sustained $3 million in damage and every business in the city was either damaged or destroyed:

In Southeast Texas, all 216 businesses in Bridge City were severely damaged or destroyed by the storm surge. Because the majority of the city was not required to have flood insurance, the greatest portion of the damage will not be covered by insurance.

From FEMA's damage report (emphasis is mine):

The region, which already had a housing shortage, lost over 8,000 housing units due to the storm. Concentrations of lost housing are primarily located in the cities of Port Arthur/Sabine Pass, Bridge City, City of Orange and Rose City.

Bridge City is indeed recovering, but Philip exploits the resilience of the citizenry for his own personal agenda:

This is what we are talking about. Government officials getting behind the business community - not just standing there with their hand out. Schools that are non-political and simply teach the basics and hold kids to their task of learning. And lastly - government providing the basics - police, fire, ems, roads, bridges and then letting the private sector do the rest.

Since some government funding, such as a juicy SBA loan, is entirely okay with Philip, the $375 million dollars in government-funded mitigation projects fueling much of that construction is apparently okay with Klein, too.

The true irony in this story is that someone who claims to be a political analyst and media star can be so imperiously obtuse. Instead of manufacturing quotes from allegedly anonymous informants, I suggest spending a few minutes on the web and read the real facts.