Economist Dr. Mark Perry posted some astounding job creation data on his American Enterprise Institute blog. Perry explains that, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Texas has seen "1.32 million new jobs added since the start of the Great Recession, compared to a net deficit of almost one million jobs for the other 49 states combined. Much of the economic success of Texas in recent years that has fueled job creation in the state is a direct result of the shale oil and gas boom."

Perry sums up the situation well: "The country, the president, and all of us individually owe a huge debt of gratitude to the state of Texas and to the oil and gas industry for helping support the US economy during and after the Great Recession. Without the energy-driven economic stimulus from the fracking revolution, and without the gusher of jobs in the state of Texas, there’s no question that the Great Recession would have been much worse and lasted much longer, and the jobs picture today would be much bleaker."

Read the full post on the AEI blog: http://www.aei-ideas.org/2014/10/an-amazing-chart-of-an-amazing-job-creating-state-we-all-owe-a-debt-of-gratitude-to-saudi-texas-and-the-shale-boom/