initial investments, they will increase public safety and ultimately save money by creating a more effective corrections system that rehab taets people closing the revolving door. if we lock up an 18-year-old who has no skills and is unemployable, where will that individual be after completing a 15-year sentence behind bars? without a new approach that brings hope back into the equation, we will have spent $270,000 and then have a 33-year-old with no skills who is more dangerous and even more unemployable than before. we can do better, and with your help we will. [ applause ]

that is why we must transform and focus on transforming our corrections system into a last resort of opportunities, a place where low-level offenders are reclaimed and restored to society adds functional members of their community working to support their own families and paying dogs. this evening i'm calling on the religious community, the non-profits, the thartable organizations to begin addressing the problem of reentry, we need you and the people around this state who care to lead bold new efforts in job training and placement for prisons re-entering society. you can provide the bridge to connect those who have served their time with a job and the dignity it provides. if they will do their part, and many of them will, we must do

our part. let me make it very clear so that there is no misinterpretati misinterpretation. this is not a get out of jail free card. these reforms do not in any way diminish the seriousness of the seven deadly sins and if you commit one of those in our state, you will spend time in our prisons. in fact, this creation of our correction efforts will ensure we have the space and resources to incarcerate high risk and violent offenders as we go forward. first and foremost, the greatest need of our citizens, though, is jobs. and for that reason it is the last and the brightest star in our constellation. businesses require a talented

workforce and strong infrastructure, but they also require a business environment that allows them to compete in today's global marketplace. with that in mind, the georgia competitiveness initiative pulled together business leaders and more than 4,000 georgians across the state to develop a strategy that would improve our business case. and this morning at the annual eggs and issues breakfast, i outlined a three-part plan for strategic tax reform based on the work of that initiative. first, i am proposing the elimination of the sales tax on energy used in manufacturing. [ applause ] this is a move that will align us with many of our top competitors. this will have a dramatic impact on manufacturers' overall cost structure and vastly improve the

competitiveness initiative of our producers. secondly i'm proposing use tax exemptions use. giving us this tool when competing with other states for projects will create large opportunities for those who will create more jobs for our state. a third piece we're proposing are programs now in place createded in 1994, a time when the competitive landscape was far different than the one our businesses operate in today. we will modernize our job tax credits to better incentivize small business growth and help every georgia community compete with their regional peers. my office is already working with the house and senate leadership to create legislation

to this effect. georgians cannot compete for jobs that go elsewhere when employers make the decision that a neighboring state is a better place to do business. the job creators across this state have spoken, and i ask all of you to join me in making these important changes. this is something that we can do and with your help we will. [ applause ] with a sluggish global economy we still face challenges, though we're beginning to see indication that things are stabilizing. georgia's revenue trends have strengthened over the last 18 months, and with sustained growth in this order, i believe real job creation is much closer than it was when we met on this occasion one year ago.

ladies and gentlemen, the state of our state is strong. [ applause ] in keeping where our mission to chart a course that fulfills the priority of georgians, we will follow these stars, providing strong innovative schools geared for modern marketplace, providing practical tools for workplace development, providing a modern infrastructure that moves people and products efficiently, providing safe communities, creating a business friendly environment that attracts investment and puts georgians in the best possible position to get a good job. and when we have fulfilled these imperatives which are the legitimate purposes of government, led us heed the admonition of georgians who have

asked us to do these few things well and then get out of the way and let them live their lives in freedom as they see fit! [ applause ] >> if we do this, hard working self-reliant georgians will propel our state into a prosperous future.

thank you, and may god continue to bless this great state and our nation. [ applause ] here's what's ahead. up next, more state of the state speeches first from iowa republican governor terry bran stat gives his democratic address and vermont governor shumlin. >> join us next week to hear about global threats to the u.s. witnesses include david pet tray yaus and robert muller, director of the fbi. we'll have live coverage beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> april 15, 2010, i arrived in paris, walked into the hotel lobby, met general mcchrystal for the first time, and he

looked at me and he said, so you're the "rolling stone" guy. i don't care about the article, i just want to be on the cover. >> michael hastings wrote about the commander in the june 2010 issue of "rolling stone." >> i said it was between you and lady gaga just making a joke. general mcchrystal replied just put me and lady gaga in a heart-shaped tub. i thought this is a different kind of general. >> several months later as a result of the article, general mcchrystal had been fired. michael hastings continues the story and talks about his new book "the operators" sunday night at 8:00 eastern on c-span's q&a. this is c-span3 with politics and public affairs programming throughout the week and every week end "american history tv," 48 hours of people and events telling the american story. get our schedules and see past

programs at our websites and join in the conversation on these social media sites. more state of the state addresses now from across the nation. up next iowa republican terry branstad talks about events in his state for the past year. this is about half an hour. >> thank you, thank you.

>> madam lieutenant governor, mr. president, mr. speaker, leaders, justices and judges, legislators, distinguished guests, family members and fellow iowans. today it is my honor to stand before you and deliver this, my 17th state of the state address in this great chamber. and while 17 doesn't sound like such a big number to me, my wife chris would say i just don't know when to quit talking. i stand here today older and wiser than during my first such opportunity those years ago, but with a heart full of pride, a head full of ideas and with a state full of new opportunities to grow and prosper as never before. last year we, like many other states, faced serious budget

challenges and unacceptably high levels of unemployment. 89 programs were funded with one-time money due to run out to the tune of $900 million, in other words, nearly one-sixth of our entire general fund budget. more than 100 iowans were out of work and seeking jobs and thousands more had simply given up hope. my charge to each of us was simple yet significant, to restore predictability and stability to our state budget, to ensure our decisions were sustainable for the long-term, to set the stage for a period of unprecedented economic expansion. together we took these challenges as iowans always do. and while the process was messy, as it always is, and though none of us got everything we sought, as we never do, we took the necessary steps to put the state's fiscal house back in order, ended our dependency on one-time revenue, funded a

balanced budget using on going revenue and passed a by en yell budget that funds most areas for two years. [ applause ] >> here in iowa we're a model for the nation on how republicans and democrats can work together for the common good of our people. iowans deserve a budget that works, a budget that focuses on the essentials, a budget that reflects the character and ideals of iowa's hard working taxpayers, and together we delivered just that. take this moment before the hard work of this session begins and congratulate your fellow legislators for a job well done

as i congratulate each of you. [ applause ] now with our fiscal house much improved, our fiscal year 2013 budget already substantially completed, we have a tremendous opportunity to focus the next few months on two critical priorities. first, creating new jobs and careers for iowans to significantly raise family incomes, and second, adopting common sense solutions for our schools to give our children a world class education. we must share the urgency of iowans to revitalize our economy and improve our schools. we must support the jobs and careers of the future, the very careers that will keep iowans home and bring new economic opportunities to our state.

this past year, we took the first steps towards improving iowa's economic health. together we created the iowa partnership for economic progress which will lead our state's efforts to encourage entrepreneurs and small businesses. in addition, i signed an executive order that requires a jobs impact statement on any proposed administrative rule. these are just the first steps to bring greater opportunity to all iowans. while improvement is being made, there's still much work to be done. it's going to take the cooperation of every member in this chamber to provide the opportunities that iowans deserve. the all-or-nothing politics that often prevents leaders from making progress on many important issues in washington, d.c. and in other state capitals does not have to happen here. in iowa we have a shared responsibility to do our work

differently, to work in the best interest of all iowans and to shed the partisanship that makes good policy so illusive. the simple truth is, iowa no longer competes against other states to attract new jobs, careers and economic development and investment. we now compete in a worldwide economy. we must compete with resilient ethanol, with chinese production of technology and with every other emerging nation ready to claim our economic panel. we've seen -- i have seen firsthand the economic and educational growth around the world. this past september i traveled to korea, china and japan as part of a trade in investment mission. while in beijing i met with vice president chi. vice president chi actually visited iowa in 1985 as a

province party official. he's mao the vice president and later this year he'll become the president of china. out of that meeting, it is very clear. for iowa compete in the future, we must compete globally. on that trip i met with companies on each country i visited. i was able to communicate a message that iowa was open for business and poised for growth, a message that iowa is full of hard working citizens who are ready to work. as a result of those efforts, we convinced the south korean company cj, to invest $324 million in the fort dodge area and bring 180 great jobs to iowa. [ applause ] however companies ab booed

should not be the sole source of our growth. player khan companies have seen the work we have done collectively to enhance stability in our state through our fiscal discipline. as a result, numerous companies have announced their relocation or expansion plans in iowa. cargill purchased the plant in fort dodge and will provide another market for iowa corn. alcoa is investing nearly $300 million in their davenport factory where they will begin producing automotive aluminum to meet the rising demand for lighter and more fuel efficient vehicles. the combination of our strong agriculture, bio science, manufacturing and financial sectors means iowa is better positioned than most states for economic expansion. [ applause ]

but i believe being better is not good enough. we must strive to be the best. i'm convinced iowa stands at the press pes of major economic expansion but that expansion is not guaranteed. our opportunity for unparalleled growth is like the opportunity that a good iowa field affords a farmer. but work must be done before a harvest can be reaped. our job creators are ready. the question are are we? are we ready to plant the seats for growth and prosperity? if the answer is yes, and the answer must be yes, then we must develop the permanent job -- the personal into tools that job creators and hard working iowans so critically need. that's why today i'm proposing a four-point plan of action, a focused initiative designed to help create the jobs we need

today and the careers that we need tomorrow. [ applause ] the first piece of my action plan should be of no surprise to anyone. this year i will submit to the general assembly a revised plan to reduce commercial and industrial property taxes by 40% over the next eight years. commercial property taxes in iowa are the second highest in the nation, and i believe there is an agreement within this chamber that these taxes must be reduced, not because they cost businesses too much money, but because they cost iowans jobs.

[ applause ] what has been lacking in this discussion, i believe, is an understanding of the consequences for small business owners who struggle to keep their doors open and their workers employed due to this back breaking business burden. today sitting with my family is ying sa. i met him at the iowa i'm granted entrepreneurial summit. she's an immigrant who helped start a successful business in iowa including her own. ying and nearly 500 other iowans met to discuss their experiences starting businesses and their dreams for success in iowa. iowa is honored to address their summit and to recognize 125 immigrant entrepreneurs who started a new business in just last year here in the state of iowa. ying, thank you.

[ applause ] ying is a relatively new american citizen. ying has a growing cpa business but she does not own her own office space. rather she leases the property, and she, like thousands of other small business owners across iowa, feels the brunt of our high property taxes through the net-net leases wherein she pays the full cost of the property taxes attributable to her footprint. ying, we're proud of you. and you represent thousands of other hopeful small business owners, iowans who are in most

need of commercial property tax relief, these start-up small businesses. [ applause ] will each of you commit to permanent property tax relief solution for ying and all of her fellow small business owners and the tens of thousands of iowans seeking jobs! [ applause ] >> passing our plan will give iowa business owners permanent relief and a fighting chance to compete. in addition, our plan prevents a shift to other classes of

property by limiting local government spending and by cutting in half the annual growth limit for residential and agricultural property. the second piece of my action plan is to give our iowa economic development authority the tools it needs to create our job -- to help lead our job creation efforts. last year the legislature directed us to create a replacement for the grow iowa values fund, and we are proposing a new $25 million annual investment in our high quality jobs program. the high quality jobs program has a proven recovered of success and a documented return on investment of $2.00 of new tax revenue for every $1.00 invested. this direct assistance component gives the iowa partnership for economic progress the important tool in attracting high quality businesses and careers to iowa.

in addition, my proposal will be structured so the state investments in this program will decline over time and so the program will be self funding within ten years as a direct result of the jobs that it brings to iowa. the third component of my jobs and careers action plan will encourage those small businesses that supply key components to our strong manufacturing sector to grow their facilities and create new jobs in iowa. often major manufacturing have large supply chains filled with companies that produce vital components for the anchor manufacturer. manufacturing must remain an important part of our diversified iowa economy. i will offer legislation that removes the barriers that discourage suppliers from bringing their businesses closer to their best iowa customers. we have major anchor manufacturing like john deere in

waterloo. let's develop a supply chain cluster wherein surrounding towns attract those smaller support businesses that feed john deere. without question, the jobs that such suppliers will bring to places like hudson, la porte city, parkersburg and denver are equally as important to those communities as the jobs that john deere provides to the citizens of waterloo. the final piece of this jobs and careers puzzle involves the dilemma faced by many iowa rural communities when a local anchor business is put up for sale. when hometown businesses are sold to out of town, out of state or out of country buyers, the local community often suffers. we must work to keep iowa companies in iowa even when the ownership -- even when an ownership change takes place. this is not just a tool for iowa businesses, it's a tool for iowa communities. iowa communities where these

companies represent so much more than just jobs, where these companies represent our families, friends and our way of life. many of these companies have operated in iowa for years, operated by owners committed to the local way of life. and when those owners wish to retire, they must have options to keep their companies local. i am proposing legislation that will encourage the formation of employee stock option plans to encourage the sale of these local businesses to the very employees who have made the company a profitable success. [ applause ] our plan are encourage more iowans to own a stake in their company, to reap a greater share of the fruits of their own labor and to help protect the quality of life in their community. employee ownership is great for the iowa communities in which

these businesses, jobs and careers exist. my four-point action plan to create jobs with that we need to -- it will help us create the jobs today and the careers we need tomorrow. it is essential that we have your bipartisan support to get this done. [ applause ] but we can't leave any discussion about iowa's future without focusing on our most precious natural resource, our children. with four young granddaughters, i understand the importance of commitment -- a commitment at this time when new technology and other forces are rapidly reshaping the labor market. our children's future depends on whether they learn the knowledge

life skills needed to succeed in a global economy and be well-informed good citizens of the 21st century. our state's future depends on whether the quality of our schools matches the best performing schools anywhere in the world. today we have with us in the gallery students from van meter, an canny and capital view elementary here in des moines. i asked them to be here because today we take a crucial step towards ensuring that they have opportunities to pursue their dreams by being among the best educated anywhere in the world. [ applause ] thank you students.