According to Texas governor Rick Perry and many fiscal conservatives, Texas is a great example of conservative principles in action. For instance (link):

[Perry said] the very "future of the nation" depended on a blunt conversation about which course was best: California's "big government, protectionist, nanny state" or Texas' "limited-government, unsubsidized, freedom state."

So, how's that limited-government, unsubsidized, freedom state working out?

Not very well at all, as shown by the "Texas on the Brink" report (texaslsg.org/texasonthebrink) from the Legislative Study Group. That group is comprised of state legislators; all or many are liberals ( peekURL.com/zew5HUU ) and that shows in their focus. But, many metrics aren't disputable, such as Texas ranking 47th in SAT scores (i.e., nearly the worst in the U.S.) Or, Texas coming in at 44th worst in their estimated public high school graduation rate.

The statistics in the following table were taken from the 2013 report; see that for the footnotes (table styles via this). The report also counts Puerto Rico, and in four cases Texas came in 51st. Note especially that the following is a ranking, and being near the top is good for some rankings but not for others. See the report for the details.

Texas doesn't compare well with other states

Metric	How Texas ranks
Tax Revenue Collections per Capita	45th
Total State Expenditures per Capita	48th
Sales Tax Collections per Capita	18th
Elementary and Secondary Public School Enrollment	4th
Average Salary of Public School Teachers	31st
Current Expenditures for Public K-12 Schools per Student in Average Daily Attendance	43rd
Percentage of Revenue for Public K-12 Schools from State Governments	35th
Average Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Combined Scores	47th
Estimated Public High School Graduation Rate	44th
Percentage of Population with at Least a Bachelor's Degree	30th
Percentage Enrollment in Public Higher Education	8th
Per Capita State Spending on State Arts Agencies	48th
Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools	26th
Percentage of Population Graduated from High School	50th
Number of Births	2nd
Percent of Babies Born at Low Birth Weight	19th
Percent of Population Under 18	2nd
Percent of Uninsured Children	2nd
Percent of Children Living in Poverty	7th
Percent of Children (19-35 months) Fully Immunized	23rd
Percent of Population Uninsured	1st
Percent of Non-Elderly Uninsured	1st
Percent of Low Income Population Covered by Medicaid	48th
Percent of Population with Employer-Based Health Insurance	43rd
Health Care Expenditures per Capita	46th
Per Capita State Spending on Mental Health	50th
Medicaid Payments per Enrollee	41st
Percent of Adults Physically Active	37th
Hospital Beds per 1000 Population	29th
Physicians	41st
Dentists	44th
Registered Nurses	46th
Percent Living Below Federal Poverty Level	8th
Percent of Population with Food Insecurity	3rd
Average Monthly (WIC) Benefits per Person	51st
Percent of Adults who are Overweight or Obese	8th
Rate of Death due to Heart Disease	22nd
Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes	15th
Diabetes Death Rate	17th
Percent of Adults Who Visit the Dentist	46th
Overall Birth Rate	3rd
Teenage Birth Rate	4th
Births to Unmarried Mothers	17th
Percent of Women with Pre-Term Birth	11th
Percent of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance	51st
Percent of Women Who have had a Dental Visit within the Past Year	47th
Rate of Women Aged 40+ Who Received Mammograms	42nd
Rate of Women Aged 18+ Who Received Pap Smears	41st
Breast Cancer Rate	38th
Cervical Cancer Rate	8th
Percent of Women with High Blood Pressure	17th
Percent of Needs Met for Women Seeking Contraceptives	36th
Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester	50th
Women's Voter Registration	47th
Women's Voter Turnout	51st
Percentage of Women Living in Poverty	4th
Percentage of Women with a Bachelor's Degree or Higher	32nd
Percentage of Businesses Owned by Women	18th
Median Income for Full Time Work	27th
Consumers with Subprime Credit	3rd
Housing Cost Burden for Homeowners	36th
Foreclosure Rates	44th
Private Loans to Small Businesses	40th
Asset Poverty Rate	21st
Median Net Worth of Households	44th
Financial Capability	39th
Financial Behavior	44th
Retirement Plan Participation (Age 21-64)	46th
Average Credit Card Debt	46th
Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions	1st
Total Amount of Toxic Releases into Water	4th
Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Air	4th
Amount of Hazardous Waste Generated	1st
Industrial Toxic Air Pollution	10th
Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Water	5th
Number of Hazardous Waste Sites on National Priority List	7th
Total Energy Consumption Per Capita	6th
Energy Efficiency	32nd
Average Hourly Earnings of Production Workers on Manufacturing Payroll	17th
Percent of Workforce that are Members of a Union	43rd
Workers' Compensation Premium Rate	38th
Earnings Ratio Between Full-time Year-Round Workers by Gender	12th
Unemployment Rate	36th
Median Household Income	29th
Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Poor	43rd
Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Middle Class	43rd
Home Ownership Rate	42nd
Affordability of Homes	6th
Auto Insurance Cost	12th
Personal Bankruptcy Filings Rate Per Capita	46th
Percent of Households with Internet Access	34th
Number of Executions	1st
Rate of Incarceration	4th
Violent Crime Rate	16th
Murder Rate	22nd
Percentage of Murders Involving Firearms	24th
Reported Rape Cases Per Capita	27th
Property Crime Rate	2nd
Larceny and Theft Rate	3rd
Deaths Due to Motor Vehicle Accidents	19th
Percent of Voting-Age Population Registered to Vote	47th
Percent of Voting-Age Population that Votes	51st