As much as our esteemed Governor spits at our Federal Government and Mexico, the reason why Texas does well is due to Federal dollars (to include earmarks), oil money and cross border trade.

All the military bases and Federal border policing, the oil companies (just like the late 70s) raking in the profits from world oil going up and NAFTA (trade with Mexico while many Texans hate Mexicans). Without Federal dollars, Mexican trade and our Arab brothers raising oil prices, Texas would be just another Mississippi.