Slate Money – The God Save Texas Edition
Date: January 5, 2019
Host: Felix Salmon
Guests: Anna Shymansky, Emily Peck, Lawrence Wright (author of "God Save Texas")
Episode Overview
This episode is a deep dive into Texas as both economic powerhouse and cultural phenomenon, pegged to the book "God Save Texas" by Lawrence Wright. The panel explores Texas's economic diversification, explosive urban growth, the unique character and challenges of its major cities (Austin, Houston, Dallas), lingering problems in education and infrastructure funding, oil booms and busts, tech's ascendance, zoning policy, climate resilience, wild stories about emus and feral hogs, and the state's shifting political and demographic identity.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Texas's Tech Boom and Growth in Austin (00:38–08:29)
- Origins of Austin as a Tech Hub:
- The tech boom in Austin began in the 1980s with the Microchip Consortium (MCC) and the entrepreneurial rise of Michael Dell.
"I guess you could really date it to the freshman in the UT dorm, Michael Dell, who decided to start putting computers together in his dorm room." – Lawrence Wright (03:14)
- Austin's growth, once a "little college town," now ranks 11th in US city size.
- The tech boom in Austin began in the 1980s with the Microchip Consortium (MCC) and the entrepreneurial rise of Michael Dell.
- Apple's Billion-Dollar Investment:
- Apple’s new campus cements Austin's tech reputation.
- Gentrification & Infrastructure Strains:
- Concerns about rising rents, loss of diversity, and especially traffic:
"Austin has some of the worst traffic in the whole country, and it is a terrible burden...the city has taken a toll." – Wright (05:12)
- Tax policies create low public spending, hindering infrastructure and transport.
- Concerns about rising rents, loss of diversity, and especially traffic:
2. Texas Education Crisis (08:29–12:37)
- Insufficient Investment in Education:
- Texas spends ~$2,500 less per student than the national average, ranking near the bottom in educational outcomes:
"Fourth graders in Texas were, like, 45th in the country." – Wright (08:29)
- Texas's property-tax heavy funding structure causes high local taxes with insufficient state support.
- High child poverty, non-English speakers, and underfunded schools threaten the tech sector’s future workforce:
"If we don't provide [educated and talented people], then they're not going to come here anymore." – Wright (09:25)
- Texas spends ~$2,500 less per student than the national average, ranking near the bottom in educational outcomes:
3. Entrepreneurship, Housing, and Zoning (12:37–17:17)
- Texas’s Entrepreneurial Mythos:
- Attracts both new business HQs (Toyota, etc.) and risk-takers due to affordable housing and permissive building regulations.
- Houston and Zoning Freedom:
- Houston’s lack of zoning enables low housing costs and high diversity:
"Now Houston is considered by some measures the most diverse city in America... because affordable housing is so much more easily built." – Wright (15:25)
- Downside: uncontrolled building in floodplains contributed to Hurricane Harvey damages.
- Houston’s lack of zoning enables low housing costs and high diversity:
- Risk of Climate Change:
- Limited regulation and skepticism among state leaders heightens state vulnerability to flooding, hurricanes, and future climate impacts.
4. Oil, Energy, and Economy Diversification (18:18–29:42)
- Iconic Oil Stories:
- Three historical booms: Spindletop (first gusher, 1901), 1930s East Texas strike, and fracking (George Mitchell's "tragic" innovation).
- Fracking Realities:
- Enabled a new boom but brought health and environmental risks (nosebleeds, methane).
- Clean Energy Paradox:
- Texas is also a national leader in wind energy—24% of its needs are met with renewables:
“If you drive out, even in the Permian Basin... you'll see pumping jacks and windmills… together in the same field.” – Wright (22:14)
- State policies even allow “free” wind energy at night.
- Texas is also a national leader in wind energy—24% of its needs are met with renewables:
- The ‘Resource Curse’ Question:
- Panel explores whether oil reliance hurt Texas’s broader development; Wright argues Texas has diversified and avoided a Venezuela-like fate.
5. The Texas Myth & Political Realities (29:42–36:39)
- Texas’s Identity:
- Mythos of wildcat risk-takers persists—and can be both asset and liability.
- Wright recounts being called “Texas” in Cairo, highlighting the state’s global cultural resonance.
"I felt I was literally astride the Texas myth, that it was so vivid in their minds..." – Wright (30:24)
- Political Shift:
- Texas is rapidly urbanizing and diversifying; cities are blue, suburbs are purple, and the Hispanic population continues to grow.
“Every city in Texas is blue. So the demography of the future of Texas is brown...” – Wright (32:13)
- Republican dominance waning in suburbs; parties must adapt to survive.
- Business-friendly orientation unites both parties, including rising Democrats.
- Texas is rapidly urbanizing and diversifying; cities are blue, suburbs are purple, and the Hispanic population continues to grow.
6. Texas and Mexico (35:25–36:39)
- Border Relationship:
- Texas’s economic, cultural, and social ties to Mexico are strong—“primary trading partner.”
- Locals on the border have a nuanced view on issues like the wall.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On Austin's Growth and Tech Identity
“Austin has some of the worst traffic in the whole country, and it is a terrible burden...the city has taken a toll.”
— Lawrence Wright (05:12)
On Education Troubles
"Fourth graders in Texas were, like, 45th in the country. And that, you know, that lack of investment. These are not just our children. They're our future. They're the workers of the future..."
— Lawrence Wright (08:29)
On Houston’s No-Zoning Approach
“Now Houston is considered by some measures the most diverse city in America. And part of that is because of the absence of zoning, I think, because affordable housing is so much more easily built now.”
— Lawrence Wright (15:25)
Oil Boom Lore
“…oil came out 150ft into the air. It was the first gusher. And for the next nine days before they capped it, 100,000 barrels of oil a day was coming out of the well called Spindletop. And that. That totally changed [the world].”
— Lawrence Wright (20:18)
Texas Clean Energy Paradox
"That's the paradox, isn't it? …Texas already has the installed capacity for 24% of its energy needs coming from alternative energy. Most of that is wind..."
— Lawrence Wright (22:14)
On Texas’s Enduring Image
“I felt I was literally astride the Texas myth, that it was so vivid in their minds that I was the kind of person that could do that… it beckons to people, and it's exciting...”
— Lawrence Wright (30:24)
On Demographics and Political Change
"Every city in Texas is blue. So the demography of the future of Texas is Brown. We have 40% of our population now is Hispanic. The white majority days of that are over. But the demography is changing. And I think that the Republican Party in Texas especially, hasn't come to grips with the future..."
— Lawrence Wright (32:13)
Numbers Round – Quirky Economic Facts (36:39–42:57)
- 42: The number of electoral votes Texas will have after the next census.
- 50,000: Emu bubble—price per emu during the 1990s Texas exotic animal craze.
- 2000: Wild tigers living as pets in Texas.
- 17: The number of black female judges sworn in in Harris County (Houston) in a recent historic election.
- 23%: Proportion of Americans identifying as atheist/agnostic, stark contrast to public officials.
Memorable moments
- Emu mania: "After people just opened their gates and let the emus out... there were emu wranglers to try to round them up. And they're pretty difficult birds to capture." – Wright (38:58)
- Wild hogs: A legislative attempt to "allow people to shoot feral hogs from balloons" as a population control method. (39:17)
- Houston’s changing judiciary: "Their slogan was black girl magic. And it's really cool. They all have four year terms." – Emily Peck (40:34)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Austin Tech Boom & Investment: 00:38–08:29
- Education Funding & Workforce Concerns: 08:29–12:37
- Entrepreneurship/Housing/Zoning Issues: 12:37–17:17
- Oil History, Fracking, Clean Energy: 18:18–29:42
- Texas Culture & Political Demographics: 29:42–36:39
- Numbers Round (Emus, Hogs, Tigers, Judges): 36:39–42:57
Tone and Style
The conversation is lively, anecdote-rich, and occasionally humorous, grounded in Wright’s blend of journalistic and personal storytelling. The hosts challenge myths, examine paradoxes, and point to ways Texas is both unique and a bellwether for broader American shifts.
For Listeners Who Missed the Episode
This episode offers a sweeping (and entertaining) account not only of Texas’s outsized impact on US business and politics but also the ironies and drama that come with unfettered growth, contentious politics, and a culture that prizes legend as much as fact. From how a lack of zoning makes Houston a (sometimes chaotic but) affordable city, to the state’s role in both oil “boomtown” and clean energy vanguard, to the surprising tale of emu and hog management, "Slate Money" delivers both insight and oddball color on America's most dynamic—and complex—state.