One could argue, as some have with Pawlenty, that maybe Perry offloaded some spending to cities and counties.
I am not a Perry supporter, but he looks good on this one, because:
1. The population of Texas has grown substantially during the period in question.
2. Texas also absorbed the brunt of refugees from hurricane Katrina. Another state (Illinois, Connecticut, New York, California) would not have had the means to do so. This did mean some significant expenditures. Some stayed, and that means a further increase in population.
3. Obama has done whatever he can to minimize Texas’ receipts (including denying a slam-dunk FEMA case) for the last two years.
Amen for reporting that mostly forgotten fact about Houston absorbing so many Katrina refugees.
Many of these people were the dregs of humanity (forgive me) and chose to stay in Houston long after it became possible to return to that cesspool from whence they came.