Publisher Description
Texas may well be America’s most controversial state. Evangelicals dominate the halls of power, millions of its people live in poverty, and its death row is the busiest in the country. Skeptical outsiders have found much to be offended by in the state’s politics and attitude, and yet, according to journalist, and Texan, Erica Grieder, the United States has a great deal to learn from Texas.
In Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right, Grieder traces the political history of a state that was always larger than life. From its rowdy beginnings, Texas has combined a long-standing suspicion of government intrusion with a passion for business. Looking to the present, Grieder assesses the unique mix of policies on issues like immigration, debt, taxes, regulation, and energy, which together have sparked a bona fide Texas miracle of job growth. While acknowledging that it still has plenty of twenty-first century problems to face, she finds in Texas a model of governance whose power has been drastically underestimated. Her book is a fascinating exploration of America’s underrated powerhouse.
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“Erica Grieder supplies a fresh view of the
nation’s second most populous state…Mixes equal parts history, political
reporting, back-of-the-envelope economics, and cultural commentary. For those
who have never enjoyed a plate of Kreuz’s barbecue, toured the Alamo, or
attended the annual Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, Ms. Grieder’s thumbnail
sketch of Texana will make for an entertaining introduction. But most revealing
may be the way she connects the state’s current boom with its unique history…Ms.
Grieder’s work is a well-timed plea for the rest of the country to wake up and
learn from its example.”—
Wall Street Journal
