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So, what is the state of our state? Well, in many ways we are doing great. We are a
state with low debt and low taxes. We have a history of fiscal responsibility, and I
am proud that in working together, we are carrying on that commitment to our taxpayers.
The economy is improving, and we added an impressive number of new jobs last year. The
unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since 2008, and across the country, Tennessee
is being recognized as a leader in education reform. But yet, all of us recognize that
we have serious issues to deal with.
Unemployment is still too high, and we are consistently in the mid-40s when states are
ranked for educational achievement. I don’t think any of us should be satisfied. So I
stand here tonight and ask you, is the current state of our state good enough? I think the
answer is no. I think we can believe in better. We can believe in better for how state government
serves Tennesseans. We can believe in better when it comes to the education of our children.
And we can believe in better when we talk about a stronger, healthier economy for our
state.
In 2011, there were more than 28,000 new Tennessee jobs created and over four billion dollars
in capital investment. Our Jobs4TN plan is working – we continue to focus on regionalism,
existing businesses and key clusters, but make no mistake, that does not mean we’re
taking our foot off the gas in pursuing new businesses for Tennessee.
Our role in state government is to provide services that Tennesseans aren’t able to
get on their own – we build roads, offer higher education options, house prisoners,
help families adopt children, care for the mentally ill, patrol highways, serve veterans,
and perform hundreds of other services.
My job as governor is to make sure we are providing those services in a customer-focused
and effective way.
Our budget this year reflects those economic realities. It includes strategic investments
in our priorities, savings for the future, and reductions, sometimes painful, to balance
the budget. I’m pleased to say that thanks to the hard work of our employees, last year’s
expenses ended up nearly $20 million below budget, which obviously means considerable
savings for our taxpayers.
I promise to be relentless when it comes to providing the very best service to our taxpayers
for the very lowest price. They deserve it. Second, on issue or policy, our administration
will always work to get to the right answer, not just our own answer.
So many people today are working hard and worried about their future and our country’s
future. We owe it to them to get it right. Let’s not waste this chance to get it right
for Tennesseans for today, for next year, and for many years to come. As I stand before
you this evening, I challenge all of us to believe in better. As the elected leaders
of this great state, it is what Tennesseans expect from us, and we owe it to them. Working
together, we are going to achieve better for Tennessee.
Thank you.