01/09/2007 GAAS-017-07 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Print Version | Email / Share
Excerpts from Governor Schwarzenegger’s State of the State Address
The following are excerpts from the prepared text of Governor Schwarzenegger’s 2007 State of the State for immediate use:
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I want to thank the legislature, as I did in my Inaugural, for putting the people above politics last year – an election year. The federal government was paralyzed by gridlock and games. But you here in this chamber acted on infrastructure, the minimum wage, prescription drug costs and the reduction of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.”
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Usually when a governor gives his State of the State Address, he talks about his vision. This year I want to talk about "our” vision, because I think we all want the same thing for Californians.
Let me tell you about some of the ideas of our legislative leaders. Speaker Nunez has made research into alternative energy and transportation fuels a top priority this year. Speaker Nunez, I will work with you.
A top priority for Senate Leader Perata is to create a world-class water transit system in the Bay area that could maintain vital transportation links after an earthquake or other disaster. Senator Perata, I will work with you.
Republican leaders in both the Senate and the Assembly have made debt reduction and building water storage their top priorities this year. Senator Ackerman, Assembly Leader Villines, I will work with you.
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We, the elected leaders, must authorize the cranes, the bulldozers, the cement trucks to begin their work without delay.
This is a test for those of us in this chamber in another way. Will the process turn into a porkfest as it did in Washington with all the earmarks and the backroom deals? Or, when we have allocated the spending, will the people say, “They spent our money wisely?” Yet this is more than just about the people's money. It is about the people’s trust.
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But the job is not finished.
Some areas, such as prisons and water storage weren’t included. And we still have more roads to build, more schools to construct, more universities to equip to keep up with the future. As I said last year, California’s population is expected to increase by as much as 30 percent over the next 20 years. That is the equivalent of adding three new cities the size of Los Angeles’. We have to prepare for that growth.
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We must invest in education. It's not just how much money we spend but also how we spend it. I have seen the need with my own eyes as I’ve toured schools across the state. I went to a school with bed sheets on the windows rather than blinds. I went to a school that was so overcrowded the gyms locker-room was used for teaching space.
The education bond that passed in November builds 10,000 new classrooms and renovates 38,000 more, but that gets us only through the next two years. We need to build for the future.
This year I ask you to invest in 15,000 more classrooms and renovate 40,000 more. Yet we must build not only structures, but accountability and transparency into our education system.
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Rebuilding California is not a burden. It is not a chore. It is a privilege. It is a privilege to be able to help this state reach its full potential. It is a privilege to be able to help future generations fulfill their promise.
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I propose that California be the first in the world to develop a low carbon fuel standard that leads us away from fossil fuels. And let us use the freedom and flexibility of the market to accomplish it. Let us blaze the way, for the U.S., for China and for the rest of the world. Our cars have been running on dirty fuel for too long. Our country has been dependent on foreign oil for too long. I ask you to set in motion the means to free ourselves from oil and from OPEC. I ask you to encourage the free market to overthrow the old order. California has the muscle to bring about such change. I say use it.”
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Last year, the uninsured people who came to the emergency room left behind 60 million dollars in unpaid bills. That's in one hospital. Multiply that by the number of hospitals in California, and the amount runs into the billions. Guess who's paying for all this? You and me and all of us who are lucky enough to have coverage. That's who pays.
The people with insurance pay a hidden tax through higher deductibles, higher costs, higher premiums, higher copays.
This year we must take action on health care. Yesterday I announced my proposal. I know you also have proposals. I have always said you can never have too many ideas. So all ideas, regardless of origin, are still on the table. I do believe, however, that the ultimate answer will come from the principle of shared responsibility --by the government, by employers, by health plans, by doctors, by hospitals and by the individual.
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When I first became governor, we had an operating deficit of $16.5 billion. I said that through discipline and through new revenues that flow from economic growth, we would reduce the deficit over time. Last year, we got it down to $4 billion. Tomorrow, I will propose a budget that will dramatically reduce this deficit even further.
Now here is the great thing. We have made this progress without raising taxes.
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I ask you to work with me to create an independent commission to fix a political system that has become petrified by self-interest. California certainly is not alone in this. No state legislature in U.S. history has put a redistricting reform on the ballot. California can be the leader.
You will not benefit politically from this. I will not benefit politically from this. But the people will benefit from this. I ask you to work with me to do the right thing for the people.
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