Entitled "Texas on the Brink," the pamphlet-sized report -- also available on the Internet -- countered Gov. Rick Perry's upbeat depiction of Texas as one of the nation's leading success stories by showing that the state performs poorly in categories such as education, healthcare, per capita income and quality of life.
In some cases, Texas ranks at or near the bottom: 50th in the percentage of the population 25 and older with a high school diploma, for example (76.9 percent). In other categories, it ranked at the top: first in the percentage of the population (28 percent) that is uninsured. And fourth in the percentage of Texans living below the poverty level (17.3 percent)
"We're not in the bottom in every category," said Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth. "We're first in the amount of carbon dioxide emissions and first in carcinogens released in the air. If we don't do something to reverse course, the health of Texans will be jeopardized by merely breathing our state's air."
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