to implementation of good gocht we will ha -- of good with government, we will look at how it operates and the second part will be a supporter of local government. late me share four principals with you. first, we need to deliver out standing customer service to our citizens. we need to could this by creating an environment for job creation, a great quality of life and providing a safety net for those most in need. second, we need to deliver real results for real people. and there are three components to this principal. we need to show you our citizens measurable results. the dashboard that i spoke of tonight is just the summary. we are instituting a

comprehensive system that including dashboards that are external measures and score cards that are internal measures. we need to work on being effective and efficient. we need to eliminate government waste. we are here to serve people and on this topic, i'm pleased to say we were successful in the collective bargain process with our employers. we came to a winning solution together and -- [ applause ] in particular, i'm looking forward to our joint effort to better empower our state employees while delivers better customer service to our citizens. third, we need to continue to deliver on both short and long-term financial

responsibility. this year we became a positive role model for rest of the country on this topic. we closed a large deficit, and started paying down our long-term liabilities. we were a clear contrast to the fell government and it debt he ceiling crisis, i encourage them to look to michigan as the place for answers. i encourage the legislature to work together i encourage the legislature to work together on a repeat performance of prompt and sound budgeting, we don't face a deficit this year, which is great, but let us show real leadership and how to strategically invest and save for the future and not simply

spend money because it there. the fourth principal of the good government is to recognize the the fourth principal of good government is to recognize the state government's role is to be a team player and not a solution on our own. we need to continue to serve as a catalyst for success to have us all work owing and win together. as i often said our role is not to create jobs but to create an environment that encourages job creatio creation. now that i outlined the operating philosophies for good government i want to share an example we saw in 2011. the michigan state police got rid of their old service delivery model that was based on

brick s and mortar. they made their patrol vehicles mobile command posts and put nearly 150 sergeants back into the field protecting you and the citizens, thank you michigan state police. you now, i want to share the two most frequent pieces of advice i received bring took office. the first one was to be bold. simply fixing michigan was not good enough. the second often came moments after the first which was don't set expectations too high.

now, i accepted the first. and rejected the second. we are being bold and reinventing michigan, but it requires set issing high expectations, you can only build a better future by setting a higher standard. in 2011, we set that standard m that many thought were impossible. 2011 was the year of building the foundation for good government. 2012 needs to be the year of implementing good government. i want to conclude tonight with a topic i've been talking about for years, it our greatest

opportunity. it more important than any law or regulation. it's fundamental to the reininvention of michigan and having us become a great state again, simply put we must reinvent our culture. we are still too negative, too devisive and too many believe the best days are behind us. we need to be positive, inclusive and confident that michigan holds a bright future for our children and their children. it's great to look back at last year and take pride in all the things that were done. even these things that wisdom

said we could not do. it's great that the auto companies are going to be hiring in michigan in 2012. but we cannot afford to slow down. we must maintain the sense of urgency that we share all of we must maintain the sense of urgency that we shared all last year. we must finish what we started. i believe the greatest key to our success in michigan this past year was due to a philosophy of relentless positive action. no blame. no credit. just finding common ground and solving problems. i ask that all michigananders

join me in this effort, together we will move michigan forward and become a great state. god bless you and the great state of michigan. thanks. [ applause ] today on cspan3. watch video on voter participation it's hosted by the secretaries

of state. with the florida primaries a day away, republican presidential can indicapresiden al candidates are to campaign trail today. we will bring you coverage of several campaign rallies starting at about 2:00 eastern with newt gingrich speaking. and then at 6:10 p.m. we will go life to mitt romney's final campaign and attend a rally at the villa retirement communities. for more resources in the presidential race, use cspan's 2012 website. see what they have said on issues important to you and read the latest from the candidates, political reporters and people like you from social media sites at cspan.org/campaign2012.

up now, missouri governor jane nixon delivering the state of the state. jane nix-- this about 50 minute. introduce me? >> when they get seated. please seated. ladies and gentlemen, the governor of the

missouri, jay nixon. >> thank you to the legislative leaders, judges of our supreme court, lieutenant governor and state officials and you a tall members of the general assembly. it's an honor to be here this evening joined by the love of my li life, my wife.

we are zoinjoined by members of family throughout the gallery. over the last year, my missouri communities have braved unthinkable haunthink able hardships and nonmore so than jov evelin. time and again the people of missouri have met those challenges with unwaivering strength and determination. a few months ago on the first day of school in joveln, i met a remarkable young man named quinton anderson. he is a senior at joplin high school. he is a science wiz and hopes to create new vaccines some day. graduation day this year will have a very, very special meaning for quinton as it will for so many in joplin.

because the it was on graduation day last year, may 22nd at 5:41 p.m. that joplin was hit by the deadliest tornado in modern history. it went through the heart of the community. when i stood there surrounded by the smashed cars, and shattered homes, it was nothing but devastation as far as the eye could see. in just 19 minutes the twister left thousands of people homeless. more than a thousand people were injured, 161 lost their lives. the tornado leveled quinton's home. both his parents were killed. quinton was was thrown through the air and found blocks away. face down in a ditch with a

fractured skull and his left leg torn to shreds, after leaving the hospital he had this to say. i used to just take each day like this was given to me. but it's not. it's a gift. you have to pray for the next one. don't give up hope, always pray to get stronger each day. and if you are in physical therapy and they tell you to walk, always take that extra step. always take that extra step. his parents would be so proud. quinton your faith and your fight have shown the world that the spirit of joplin is unbreakable.

please welcome quinton and his sister grace. [ applause ] mother nature hit us hard in 2011. starting with tornadoes on new year's eve, a blizzard that shut down highways flooding. what some call the intentional breech i call the blowing up of the levy at bird's point by the

engineers. a tornado on friday and another one in sadalia and of course the f-5 in joplin. through every natural disaster they endured the people of missouri relied on our first responders, our law enforcement community and all who have answered the call to military service. in the after math of the joplin alone, men and women from more than 400 public safety agencies rushed to help. certain special people have a spirit that compels them to run towards trouble, not away from it. and missouri state trooper fred guthrie junior was one of them. in 2007, he aeearned our state' highest medal of honor.

by saving a woman. it was the same spirit that compelled him to brave the currents of the missouri river which claimed his life last august. fred guthrie was a hero who died as he lived. protecting others. even as we mourn our loss, we are lifted up by his courage. missouri is a better place for his service. please join me in thanking the fa family of fred guthrie and all of our men and women tonight in uniform. thank you and god bless.

quinton anderson and gred guthrie, the men and women this uniform have shown us what it means to be strong in the you toughest of times. what i want means to take that extra step. we have seen our share of tough times these past few years. it began in 2008 when our country was hit with a severe recession. we lost more than 55,000 jobs. in december of 2008, we had the

most layoffs since we began tracking the number. we did not wait around for help, or make excuses, missourians stood up and got to work and showed our strength. yet times have been tough, but missou missourians have always, always been tougher and that's why i'm so optimistic about our future. the people of the show me state are stubborn and self reliant. when times are tough we buckle down and get to work. missourians don't want a hand out. mo missourians just want an opportunity to succeed the people of missouri turn to us for clear leadership and a clear path forward and hope for a brighter future and i'm proud to say because of our strong leadership missouri is once again moving forward. now unlike washington we have

worked together like adults. no matter what part of our state we are from on you we make a living or what party we belong to, unlike washington we have kept a laser like focus on job creation. unlike washington we maintained our strict fiscal discipline and balanced our budget and we have done it without raising taxes. now our commitment to balancing the budget, holding the line on taxes and our focus on creating jobs, it's paying off. the national recession brought sharp job losses in 2008 and 2009, but we have turned the corner. today it was reported that our unemployment rate this missouri

is now at its lowest level in three years. missouri farms and businesses are shipping more goods around the globe. generate billions of dollars and together we are bringing the american auto industry back to life right here in the show me state. we are. but there's more work to do. so i'll layout a specific strategy to create more jobs and grow our economy, that strategy builds on the granite foundation of fiscal discipline that we have laid here in missouri. by balancing our budget, holding the line on taxes and making government smaller, smarter and

more efficient. now the national recession and the fwr the grid lock created tough times for all the states. some states chose to ignore the problem and spent more money than they had and racked up huge deficits. not here in missouri. since taking office i cut government spending by $1.6 billion and with the balanced budget i present tonight i'll have reduced the government's payroll by 4100 positions. the state workforce is the smallest it's been in 15 years. those decisions were tough. but necessary. other states haven't shown that fiscal discipline. more than 30 states have raised tack -- raised taxes. we know that missouri families can't afford a tax increase, period.

in fact to help more small businesses create jobs and grow, we have begun to phase out the out dated franchise tax on thousands of missouri businesses. that means more money to their bottom line and more on jobs for missouri workers. but we haven't just made your government smaller, we are also making your government smarter. by 2015 the department of transportation will have cut administrative costs and put that money where it belongs, building bridges in the show me state. we put critical services online including teacher certification and ged transcripts. we eliminated printing and slashed postage costs. missouri is one of the few states with a triple-a credit

rating from all three credit agencies. other states can't say that. even new jersey got down rated by all three credit rating agencies in the last year and even our federal government got down graded by standard & poors. that says we know how to manage our money better than the neighboring states and much better than washington. now that triple-a credit rate saves the taxpayers millions and signals that missouri is a smart place to invest. while we are talking goabout

government efficiency, let me make a point. i have called for comprehensive tax reform. some stood with me some did not. the consequences of this inaction are clear, over the past four years more than $2 billion in state tax credits have been redeemed. they are used to grow our economy, but those that are not paying off must be retooled and reformed. dollars spent on tax credits are dollars that we cannot invest in other critical priorities. once again, i ask you to pass comprehensive tax credit reform to get this spending under control.

so balancing the budget, holding the line on tacks and maintaining a spotless triple-a credit ratinrating, these are a signs of missouri going in the right direction. we were ranked as one of the top states in the nation to do business. we have a very safe workforce. it's worth mentioning. that's another reason we are poised for growth. reducing on the job injuries is a point of pride for missouri workers and employers. since i became your governor, workers' injury claims have gone down every year and are now almost 50% lower than they were nearly two decades ago. that means real cost savings for employers. businesses are paying less now for worker's comp coverage than

they were back in 1994. here in missouri we are standing if i were to protect worker's safety, and worker's rights. you know, because as we all know, a strong and safe workforce makes a strong economy. now, from our low taxes to our strong workforce, missouri is well positioned for job creation. to keep our economy growing, we must build on these strengths. that's what our missouri work strategy will do. so, with your help we will one, grow more auto supplier jobs in missouri. two, sell more missouri-made goods overseas.

three, prepare more workers for high tech careers, four, train and hire more veterans and five, jump start innovation in science and technology and six target high growth industries and seven, grow rural communities. for decades the american auto industry was in decline. when i took in office in wou200 thousands of jobs were at risk, we could not sit by and watch those jobs to go to other states or countries. we the not give up on the auto industry. we believed in our hearts that american workers would build automobiles that would compete in a world economy. but it was up to us to make sure they were built right here in the show me state. so you i went to detroit. i met with the heads of gm and

ford. and after those meetings we took bold action. i called a general assembly into special session, folks from across the state. urban and rural, democrats and republicans came together and worked with us to pass the missouri manufacturing jobs act. you know something? it has paid off. yes, it has. last october ford announced that it will invest $1.1 billion at clay como -- [ applause ] that's a bill -- billion with a "b."