“Lunch with the Governor on Tuesday?”  My first thought was my friend Kristi had accidently sent me an email, one obviously intended for someone else.  However, I accepted just to see what would happen.  She confirmed the lunch and forwarded details, location etc.

I arrived at the appointed time and location today to find a small, intimate group ready to have lunch with Texas Governor Rick Perry and discuss issues of the day.  Though I seemed to be quite out of my element and economic stratosphere, I was greeted warmly by the governor’s assistant Leslie who happened to grow up in Houston listening to me on the radio.  OK.  That’s good.  Apparently I really am invited and there are no plans as of yet to throw me out.

Given this opportunity, I was not going to miss the chance to ask questions.  And, sensing this was not the time nor the venue to ask about legalizing gay marriage or marijuana, I instead polled my social media networks for pertinent questions.  The following are your questions and Governor Rick Perry’s answers – the short versions:

Texas is doing better than all the other states but some say the recession is just late getting here.  Is it coming and what is the state prepared to do about it?

Yes, we will begin to see the effects, including job losses.  However, we will continue to stand our ground and do business as usual.  Don’t raise taxes, keep the climate friendly for businesses in Texas, keep inviting the best and the brightest to do business in our state.  That in turn will create more jobs and a better economy in the long term.  And we will turn down the stimulus money with strings attached.  We will not take it and we will let the rest of the country know what we are doing and why we are doing it.  In fact, go to a tea party tomorrow if you can and show Washington we don’t think what they are doing is the right thing.  We are adamantly opposed to it.  **Note:  Perry has joined with state lawmakers in supporting a resolution reaffirming states’ rights under the 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Whether you agree with anything Obama does or not, you have to know that his use of social media was instrumental in winning the presidential race.  Is social media a part of your plan?

Most definitely.  (Holds up his Blackberry).  We are all using it and learning it and will utilize it in a campaign.  In fact, I am on Tweeter daily.  (OK, we’ll work on getting him to say Twitter not Tweeter.  And yes, he tweets his own stuff.)  We have seen what law enforcement, major companies and other campaigns have done with social media and we will have a presence.  It works.  And it works fast at getting the word out and finding out what people think and want.

Where are you now on the border and illegal immigrants in our state? (asked by another at the lunch)

We have to secure the border first and not with a fence.  We have to use boots on the ground and technology such as cameras.  And aviation.  In fact, we have a Predator outfit at Ellington Field now.  They have to train anyway.  They could train up and down the border.  (As a multitasker and frugal mom, I liked this one.)

I am a victim of first Hurricane Ike and then FEMA, the SBA and insurance companies.  What did we learn from that disaster before the next hurricane season starts?

As far as the federal government goes, I quite honestly don’t know why they can’t get this stuff right.  However, we have learned each time and implement what we can.  Should I have the right to tell people to evacuate?  Yes.  In an emergency, someone has to be in charge and make decisions.  And I think an Ike Dike, an idea being thrown around, is not the answer.  You can’t stop the power of the weather.  It just can’t be done and as we rebuild, we find ways to try to improve the buildings, the system, the support, all of it.  Some we’ll get right and some we’ll get wrong.  But we keep learning and keep moving forward. 

What about UTMB?  (from a doctor at the lunch)

It will be made whole but I don’t know if we can make it hurricane proof.  I don’t think we can make anything hurricane proof. Again we just do the best we can.

I live in the Clear Lake area where a good part of our economic base is NASA and space exploration.  Any idea why we don’t have a NASA administrator yet?

There must be worthy candidates but it doesn’t seem to be a priority right now.  I worry about that and I worry about our military, specifically the F22 program.  Who would you put in charge of NASA, any recommendations?

Charlie Bolden.  (Hey, the governor asked and I’m not going to let that chance slip by….)

Do you want to be president?

(He answered this one quickly and loudly) NO.  My heart and my passion are in Texas and I want to stay.  If a company is doing well, why would you replace the CEO?  And with the Democratic majority in Washington DC, especially once this Minnesota thing is settled with Al Franken, why would we take the chance of giving a Republican seat away, a seat that is so valuable to Republicans now?  It doesn’t make sense.

What about our education system, how are we going to improve there?

I believe it has to be public school vouchers.  We have to create competition in the schools.

With that, dessert and coffee were swept off the table and his Blackberry started to ring with urgent calls from staff to wrap it up, he was due soon on the Sean Hannity show.  I was able to throw a quick question across the table.

What’s on your iPod? (that one’s for you Deb)

Being pulled in all directions at this point, I believe he said he didn’t have one.  Now you know what to get him for his birthday.

And as we attempted to pose for a picture for this blog (technology went haywire and didn’t work), I did get that final, all important question in….

Boxers or briefs?

(After one big hearty surprised laugh) None of your damn business.  Now, you wanna see a picture of my dog?

Again, I was surprised to be invited to this lunch and even more surprised at how much common ground/views I actually share with the governor.  And that’s what is important:  that every one of us takes the time to find out how each and every candidate feels about the issues and what they plan to do – whether it is Rick, Kay Bailey or Kinky.  For now, only one has a Twitter account that I can find and follow.  Follow Texas Governor Rick Perry on Twitter @GovernorPerry and me (he follows me!) @daynasteele.  We may not always agree, but the conversation will be lively!  And, a guy with a picture of his Dachshund on his Blackberry can’t be all bad.