in are the affiliated groups and particularly with the universe of pakistani based television groups. these are the organizations that are particularly worrisome today. . .

>> if there is going to be a single supreme figure, it is going to be somebody with a couple qualities. the need to be intelligent and smart. they need to be able to defend the movement at large. i am glad that jarret mentioned that. this is critical. it separates somebody like abu yahya. this is a very big distinction. you are exactly right. al qaeda is at its most dangerous when it defense whatever it does. whether it is killing people that it should not be killing, killing muslims, it is most dangerous when they stand their

ground. we need to keep that in mind. the audience for their activities is not the west primarily. we have to understand it is the same thing with this -- with this attack in detroit. some people say this was a failed attack because the plane did not go down. that is from a western perspective. from the perspective of the primary audience, which is muslims that al qaeda is attempting to recruit, they showed determination, continued to the ability to come close and a reason to keep fighting. when we think about it that way, it was successful. abu yahya communicates with those groups very well. another reason he is particularly powerful is because he is often quoted by the organization and seems very important.

they use him and is clearly influential and because of his background, he was a precedent of a media company, he has very good ties with a variety of taliban groups. that is important at the time when taliban groups are complex. abu yahya is well-positioned to communicate with those organizations on a variety of those troops and lead them intellectually. this is where he projects power, especially in pakistan. he is leading the existing organizations down the road to do the kinds of activities that they want them to do.

he is well positioned to do that. i would say, however, abu yahya does not stand on his own and you still see that others have more prominent roles in the organization and the still the most important second to osama bin laden. he recently released a long book criticizing the pakistan the constitution. he thinks that -- keehe thanks abu yahya for his contributions which is interesting because there are rumors they had conflicts in the past. when push comes to shove,

zarahi is closer to the top. >> thank you. i think this is great. i wanted to do any event to highlight this for a long time. i cannot think of anybody better to talk about this these panel it is important to point out how he is framed with the camouflage and the russian machine gun. i want you to get to talk about the successors. >> i want to respond to a couple things that pop up. i thought bryant's comments were great. one of the biggest differentiation between al qaeda's high command and abu

yahya is that he admits mistakes. when they are honest in standing their ground, it sounds like propaganda when others say it. saying they did not kill muslims but they might end it was -- this should not have been there. abu yahya said that they screwed up. he said these guys are in heaven and he admits he was not the one to say if they are not. he admits that he is wrong. the global movement, they love abu yahya. they respect and brick. the others. -- they respect and admire the others.

maybe that is the role that abu yahya is going to be playing. but chris is talking about is something that abu yahya did that blew my mind. he is in the course of an interview in 2007 and his interviewer says if the americans were going to defeat allocated 80 logically, they will try to degrade the movement and wage a successful war of ideas. how would they do that? he says they could do with six easy ways. he goes through them. the interviewer says are you sure you want to reveal the strategies to the u.s.? he says that the americans are already using these in an ad hoc fashion.

this support things and this and that. they have not put this together. i will put it together for them and demonstrate that i am the best counterterrorism analyst that the west has ever had by sticking my thumb in their eye. i am going to inoculate the global movement from these efforts by identifying them and making sure they cannot hurt us in the future because we are aware of that. going forward, he points out oh, there is another one. amplifying back trackers. anybody who used to be big into the al qaeda movement, then renounces them, hurts them. he says it hurts them really badly. this is an indicator of how vulnerable they feel.

a book was written about it and there have been to videos. they all responded to it and said it hurts. second, fabrication and exaggeration. on the west make supplies or exaggerates what al qaeda does to make it look better really hurts them. the best example is when your adversary is busy shooting yourself in the foot, but not stop them. this is the mantra that al qaeda understands is the case. supporting anybody who renounces bridget -- religious rulings against all kid does damage. the most prominent person who has heard them from the mainstream would be kardawhi.

they are careful with him. >> i think they think he is dangerous. >> they know he is popular. it is fundamentally predicated on eliminating the distinctions between you and host population you are trying to blend into. al qaeda understands the more distinctions there are, the worse it is for al qaeda. they want to eliminate these distinctions and blunt and to allow themselves to look like pious muslims. we make him look terrible in these photos. this is useful for us and that for al qaeda. when you can symbolically to great senior leaders, that is bad for them.

a talk about -- i talked about things that drive them through the roof. if they do not want to deal with that. the fact that he would announce these was a strategic blunder. i think it was out of ego. he was trying to be too cute. >> and thank you. that goes to underscore what it is so amazing that abu yahya is a leader that nobody is talking about. he has laid out an entire plant for what you would think somebody would be doing. with that, i would like to turn it over to questions and discussion. if everybody could introduce yourselves and wait for the microphone to come to you. also, please leave it to a

question and not a blunt comment. who would like to start? in the front. >> i wanted to ask you if you would elaborate on the implications of the generational change in al qaeda if we look at abu yahya as an example of generational change, what that means for their relationship with other groups, specifically with the taliban. what are the implications for the larger levels of collaboration and cooperation between those two. also, what do you think about

what abu yahya will do in response to his brothers incantation -- recantation. >> i have a question about the relationship between different high ranking members. are they frustrated with the new potential leader? potential leader? no carrierringconnect 2400 

>> one of these senior leaders is his older brother. think about this. you have a man who is poised to the next in line and you have his older brother who is renouncing everything that he had ever stood for when it comes to violent the jihad. this is not a story.

this is one we have been talking about for a while. there are so many angles. the older brother wagging his finger. it is not resonating. this is because we did not understand that his older brother is in prison and his historical relationship. we cannot appreciate the situation. on the relationship front, maybe you can remind me. newsweek may has put out something about tensions between the libyan and others. >> early 2007 i think. >> two months later, that is when the libyan islamic the group was joining al qaeda. they have a habit of getting together with the videos after

they are under attack about not getting along. they all come out and hugged. this is what happened with this video. the public face is out there that there command is unified. the question of the human face, i did not work for the u.s. government. if that is an unintended consequence of me identifying him as such, it is not my goal. i think you are right to point out that the global jihadist movement is incredibly, -- incredibly complex. it is always easier to fight enemies with a face. al qaeda knows this. they built their entire anti- pakistan front on one man, the president. i did not think that is what i am doing. it is possible to be construed

been that way. >> i think that is a really good question about whether or not we put a human face on a movement that is composed of people with a wide variety of motivations and in all corners of the globe. one thing that is interesting about how al qaeda, they are increasingly trying to be more illogically homogenous. for a long time, -- illogical an research has talked about this split between strategy people and doctor in people. the doctrine people are people who really want to pull everybody together and the

strategist are different. this debate, and generally speaking, strategists were trying to get broader groups of people whether they agree on a religious point turnout. that movement is failing in al qaeda almost completely. in part because of the influence of al-zarqawi. indoctrination has become very critical as this movement spreads out all over the place. you did not have the same kind of brotherhood and arms that is gained when people are standing shoulder to shoulder trying to kill soviets. you do not have as many personal relationships. you are going -- if you are going to build a cohesive moment, it needs a more concise ideologies. al-zarqawi said they are going

to be strangers. but the strangers will ultimately prevail. what he was saying is that we are separated from the bulk of society. we know we're doing the right thing because of the approbation that we received. as liberal, al qaeda has picked up some of those ideas. it it's to some of the things -- it gets to some of the things between the generations. abu yahya has been at the cutting edge of the word the fight is going. most of you probably read the op-ed and "the washington post"

yesterday. al qaeda it is doubling down on trying to discredit the pakistani regime and they are increasing their efforts to coopt the public opinion around the israeli, -- israeli- palestinian issue. >> thank you. next set of questions. >> as stated, there is no relation between the schools. how the differences between some

of the schools where there. [inaudible] as people are fighting in the mountains, all of this support is coming from an arab countries supporting them. this was the burgeoning credit to topple another regime. they create this monster and they live in the desert.

>> if we could get to the question. >> who is making in new lebanon? >> i think that al qaeda is becoming divided and abu yahya is not a new bin laden but an opponent. is this a possibility? >> as you are charting the development of abu yahya as he goes along, or are you getting

any information about where bin laden is an all of this? what does that actually mean, is bin laden already out or already gone? >> thank you. >> the question of who made osama bin laden i will leave to smarter people who have written longer books. who is making the next to bin laden is a beautifully phrased rhetorical question that we could all debate. hopefully, i am not. the sea and opposition to bin laden -- is the opposition to bin laden? i think change always hurts a little bit.

i'd not have anything profound on any of this. in terms of the relationship between bin laden and abu yahya, i have nothing. i don't think bin laden has even mentioned him. but he did in a recent statement. i would have to go back to the transcript. i called him the next bin laden because it is cute. not because, actually, i believe it that people become the next anointed one. but not necessarily mean that bin laden is going anywhere. >> i think the rumor and the newsweek story was that zawahi

was jealous because he perceived relationship that he was not a part of which is at least plausible. i do not want to say it is necessarily true but it is possible in the sense that a has always had a manipulative perception or attitude toward bin laden. on the most important maneuvers they are doing, one is the turn against the pakistani government and the decision to highlight that and prioritize that and to prioritize palestine in their propaganda and a weight that they have not done in the past. everybody is on the same page. abu yahya has bid on the cutting edge. -- has been on the cutting edge.

it used to be al qaeda's line was you hit pakistan fundamentally if you hate the president. other groups said the fundamental basis of pakistan is that it was founded on an islamic basis but the rulers of differentiated from that. al qaeda is the leading edge of saying that is false. fundamentally, pakistan is an infidel state. they are farther than an apostate. they are fundamentally disreputable and need to be attacked. it is not just about leadership. i think they are all on the same page about that. >> another group of questions. >> kidee talk more about ways

that abu yahya is trying to enforce some sort of purity? the talk about that without a lot of examples. i'm curious about that because that seems to be in line with a couple things that you said. is that purity potentially self divisive. how is he doing that and what has the the response been given the disparities within the movement that it could create ruptures as much as unifying them and what to do know about any of that? >> you may have already answered this. who gets to control the position to rollout a new major figure as

you described? who controls access to the above site. is there a central intelligence somewhere that says they need a second group of people in case the first rank is killed or whatever and if so, who are they? >> could you say something about the if there is ltension between the jihad. but is there any significance for al qaeda and the fairly dramatic decline in the popularity of their tactics from most muslim countries? >> in terms of how he enforces

religious purity, it is mostly through journalism. he brings up the same in the logical lines but mocks people and hangs them out to dry much more so than other al qaeda people have done. he takes up a guy who wrote a book against al qaeda and rips them up. it is fun to read when he takes somebody to task. he does not pull punches and he does it systematically. it is not that he is coming up with anything all that new. the most fascinating attempt to enforce his rule is purity as when he is taking islamic concepts or when he is dealing with this issue about the use

of nationalism or atheism or resistance as being western concepts. there was a push a couple years ago to instead of calling these guys jihadists, to call them other arabic terms. abu yahya uses these terms that we were promoting to call al qaeda against the u.s. he calls us thugs and others. it is wordplay. abu yahya has increased that. with who controls access to the media, that is a good question. we did not know. some said he is the external media operations director.

it sounds to me like he may be halves founded it and is the guy at the head of the table as far as where and when to release. mousavi #3 rollout -- we saw the rollout consecutive videos. we saw the same thing with others who was just killed. there's somebody knew that nobody is paying attention to that al qaeda perhaps has positioned to be one of the top three. he has been releasing an writing for years. he just released his first videotape. it made no news. al qaeda, the forms of media and

the things that are addressed in the timing is all choreographed i think. i think they have a media council of people and these are people who do have never heard of and will never see. if i knew the answer to some of scott question, i would get more quotes in your newspaper. >> it is a really good question about who controls the media. tbilisi it is important to recognize that when abu yahya was rolled out, he was doing it independently which was likely through networks that for more closely associated with the taliban that they knew from previously.

i would not call that an end run. he was separating his power base. it was about one and half years ago when one media organization that he started out with was folded officially and to sahab. with these media organizations, they come together and sort of into great. that can be a leading indicator. use of the media tends to be a leading indicator about relationships between different organizations. different groups tend to link up before they are more closely aligned with al qaeda. that says something about the

relationship between al qaeda and the various affiliates. much of it has to do with the media. d.c. public instruction of strategy. some of it is quite specific. there was a movement in iraq mentioned which is not what i expected. this led the way to get to palestine is through jordan. at the same time, asserted reaching out more aggressively -- at the same time started reaching out more aggressively. he is a strange figure. he is in and out of prison. he gets left out of prison and he says something nasty about al-zarqawi.

he would give attacked for the sort of thing. you see this public messaging but there is private messaging, as well. it is difficult to know exactly how that occurs today. we know something about that from the iraq time period because of the capture of al- zarqawi document which was sent through a variety of messengers and it seems like it may have been a hard copy or something like that. that is more difficult. it is harder to get from pakistan to yemen then it is to get from pakistan to iraq. one of the things that you saw, and this will be more typical -- more difficult, people identifying themselves al-

zarqawi so that it is credible. he would refer to a shared history in order to gain credibility. that type of thing as to when to be more difficult going into the future because you did not have the same sort of cohesive moments that their work during the anti-soviet jihad period in the 1990's. >> what of the vulnerabilities both internally within allocated and here in washington as strategists?

>> you talked about who controls the media but before somebody is rolled up, there needs to be a strategic decision made. who is making that strategic decision and what is the likely hand and that? what are the implications of his rise and the organization for how al qaeda operates and further for how the u.s. needs to respond?

>> one more question. >> you mentioned yemen. is the u.s. contributing to status by targeting people there? >> i will try to go quickly. vulnerabilities. i would like to write an article about this. i would need to think about it first. i think the most glaring of vulnerability is that he has sold himself as did living embodiment of purity and consistency. i think it only takes one missed

step. the problem is, he is quick to it knowledge when he takes that wrong step. he is trying to preempt our ability to do that. i think anytime anybody spills up, that is the best way to attack. ego maybe there, too. he must have a massive ego based on how much he talks. he fills the air waves with his voice. the question about a strategic decision to roll up, i think it is a interplay. you have a back room guys that we do not know about. al qaeda has a think tank that nobody is focused on and i would encourage somebody to do that. there is a magazine behalf which

is sort of like their research institute. most of the people that have been ruled out have been writing articles in these magazines for two or three years. the test fire them for the internal community. they try teams out. -- they tried themes out. there is an interplay between advisers, the top commanders and strategists, the global movement, the forums, i think they religiously ine the forum's. they do value of the global movement opinion because that is their primary constituency. in terms of how that works, i wish i knew. they do not expose that side.

implications for his rise in al qaeda, i think he has done his damage. the next question is what happens if he dies. he has already raised the movement to a level of sophistication that it would not have been at without him and he has prioritized the importance of purity and all these things i talked about. it is now on everybody's radar. the longer he lasts, the more damage he can do. it was reported a few months ago that he had been killed. i had mixed reactions when i heard that because that is a short book. i do think he is one of the most dangerous terrorists out there because of his mind.

it seems to me, yes he was 8 religious adviser after he left the u.s. i think he was doing bad stuff. targeting is probably necessary. >> i will say one thing. the op-ed yesterday talked about a new strategy which i agree with. death by 1000 cuts. i think that is accurate. there are five pieces, one is to create background noise, economic warfare, divide alliances, earn western recruits. these are interesting because it allows us to ask who can do those things well? if effectiveness really breeds

leadership, who else besides abu yahya is potentially a successor? there are other people out there. one of the things that made osama bin laden hooey is is that he was effective. he got things done. the bombing in 1998 and the american response to raise his stature within afghanistan. he was given more influence over the groups. it is true. the answer to your question about the attention being paid raising the stature, i would say absolutely. we should be careful. there are a lot of fun ways we could go about trying to undermine somebody like him. there are things that he has written which have been criticized. he was declared and arrested for

prostitution charges. there are things we could be talking about with him from a communications standpoint that would be great for us as a nation to undermine him. we have a problem when somebody like this comes up that we always seem to elevate him. what we need to do is look it them as human beings because that is their witness. that is how the export them and get them. they are not 10 feet tall. none of them. >> thank you. i think this has been a great session. in listening to this, this reminds me of the importance of what we need to study this. it is shocking to me that nine years into this protracted conflict, there is still not an organized format and funded week

to study this. i think that is shocking. during the cold war, there was a science of criminology and soviet studies and the chinese and communism, it is amazing to me there is not a more coherently organized and funded structured program to understand this conflict that we are in. please join me in t hanking our speakers. i am looking forward to the book. [applause] host: caller[captioning performy national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010]

join us later for live coverage of bomb mcdonnell's first state of the commonwealth address. that is set 7:00 on c-span. tonight, larry cohen, head of the communications workers of america on what the federal government will should be on expanding high-speed internet in the u.s. the final new jersey state of the commonwealth address. he was defeated last election by the federal prosecutor. this is a courtesy of the jersey network television. [applause] thank you. >> thank you. [applause]

>> thank you. [applause] >> thank you. please, please. it is very nice of you. thank you. [applause] thank you very much and good afternoon. happy new year to everybody. it is great to be with you. warm welcome on the inauguration of the two of the 14th legislative session. let me especially welcome the

new legislative leadership team. you are a terrific group unti. i have great respect for your stepping up in these difficult times. these challenges have always offered the opportunity and i know you will accept that because you have great capacity to leave. i congratulate you and god speed. majority leader's, minority leaders, justices of the supreme court, members of the assembly and senate, members of the cabinet, honored guests and fellow new jerseyians, thank you for joining us for my final state of the state address. before i begin my remarks, i would like to ask for a moment

of silence in honor of a gentleman from the department of transportation emergency services who died yesterday afternoon while keeping our highways safe for the public. >> thank you. our heart goes out to his family and the families of all the men and women who have given their lives protecting the public. i have been to a lot of masses celebrating how people laid down their lives for all of us. i am proud of them. i also want us to remember the men and women in uniform that protect us at home and abroad and are doing so today in afghanistan and iraq and around the globe. if we are blessed by their service. senate president, speaker roberts, i know i speak for all of us and i mean this from the

heart, we want to express our gratitude to you for your service to new jersey and the people. your leadership will be missed but your contributions will be long recognized. [applause] >> i will say this planet. i had hoped to they would mark the end note of my tenure as your governor. i have been humbled to serve the citizens for more than 10 years

in both washington and trenton. those years have been filling beyond my wildest imagination. even though this is a bittersweet moment, i am filled with pride and fulfillment. certainly pride for having had the opportunity to lead a stake that so often leads the nation and the pride in our citizens, the most successful, assertive, and generous people you will find anywhere. pride in the work accomplishments, and record of integrity that this administration is leaving as a legacy for future generations. to this perspective i will return in a few minutes. as much as there is a good to focus on, i know that we all know, i know, that the state of our state, like the state of our nation, the state of about every country across the globe is being paid by the great recession. while the green shoots are sprouting, these are difficult

times. these are difficult times for far too many families in the state. one statistic captures the sheer breadth of the economic stress. the nation's unemployment rate stands at 10%. today, across new jersey, and all of america, families and communities have lost or fear they might lose their jobs, homes, health care, retirement security. not since the 1930's has our state and nation faced such a stark economic crisis. for new jersey, tax revenues have fallen dramatically. financial strain on all states remain severe. these conditions date from the fall of 2007. these circumstances have made us make decisions that we would have rejected. i did not need to tell you what

kind of politician give up property-tax rebates in a reelection year. after unprecedented budget cuts, state spending is almost $6 billion less than at its peak. 17% reduction. the current budget is hundreds of millions of dollars less than that approved in 2005. these cuts have hurt. the arithmetic is not just about numbers on a page. it is felt in the lives of our citizens. due to the exemplary leadership of the chairs, we faced our responsibilities and make the tough choices. more are ahead. our new governor will need your help and cooperation and good will to make the necessary choicest an era marked by partisanship long after the

votes cast and counted, let me once again congratulate the governor elect on his victory. let me ask the new administration and legislature to come together to do what is right, not for their party, but for the people of our great state. [applause] >> we had our campaign and at this critical time, we cannot afford a permanent campaign. as you deliberate, it is important not to think about the next election but the next generation. that is a common ground for compromise. meeting the challenges ahead, i would advise you to weigh carefully long term consequences of your choices as well as the necessity of the moment.

we can all understand that scaling back family care could bring budget savings in the here and now. that might well come at a steep loss in the not too distant future in children's lives. revaluing education might balance the books today but threatens the children of tomorrow. as long as we are on the subject of challenges, and tough choices, no state of the state speech could fail to address the great unfinished business of the past 50 years, property taxes. let us call it what it is. everybody's property taxes are too damned high. [applause] >> they are. let us also be brutally honest. until we reform the antiquated

structure for providing local government services, a rule dating back to the 17th century, we're never going to really did the job done. that said, we've cut the rate of property-tax growth in half. recapped levees and put incentives into place for local governments and school boards to promote consolidation and shared services. we expanded school aid and expanded the senior priest that put billions more into rebates. as we have grappled with this issue, i have learned there is only so much trenton can do without structural reform. by that, i mean constitutional reform. if we truly want to tackle the age-old problem of property tax, which need to embrace and out -- into away with the outmoded system for delivering local services. i would have said this the two

were about to begin a new term. in the months and years ahead, it will be up to you in the new government to act. i would like to do something a little bit unusual in politics. i would like to focus on the positive. i've visited mgm and jim studios last week. to my republican colleagues, he was fair and definitely balanced. he talked about a toll plan. he may have mentioned last november postelection once or twice. something clicked and it was not about me. we accomplished a great deal together. the operative word was together. you have been partners in

building a better new jersey. challenges to do what was right rather than what was easy, i thank all of them for doing what they have done. [applause] . .

we are building a remarkable new rail tunnel that will offer relief to those who commute on our congested highways and strengthen our regional economy. we put in place the toughest pay to play ben in the country, and we empowered an independent attorney general and a new state comptroller to investigate corruption, wherever that might lie, and on principle we make serving in my administration of

principle and not a springboard for more great. what a wonderful state. minorities, men of women -- men and women of excellence now sit on the bench. when i took office, new jersey was far too dependent on borrowed money, and we still are. for years past, regulators raided the fund. cutting taxes and increasing spending in good times, borrowing and spending in both good and bad. budgets were ordered for christmas tree spending, and over the past four years, we have taken on and and did many of these practices. there's much more to do. i was the first in six decades to cut spending. we reduced the scope, cutting

the work force by over 8500 positions and shuddering departments. we work with employees require individual contributions to the cost of health care. we extended the retirement age to 62 and kept tensions. these measures will save $6.4 billion. no governor in our state's history can make the same claim. we put more money in our pension than in the previous 14 years combined. we recommend that people get a voice. these are important steps, but there's more to do. the global economic crisis hit,

and we did not stand idly by. the first economic recovery package was passed in the country, providing much-needed relief for struggling homeowners. last summer we put in place a landmark package signed for the new performing arts center. it will provide for college and university capital for decades to come. you heard president obama and vice president biden say new jersey was at the table as they drafted a national economic package. they look to new jersey for ideals, and they use them. [applause] on these and other issues, critics will say we did not

finish the job, and to the critics, i make a confession. you are right. i tried to make one swift gesture, but i could not get stakeholders to go along. we tried to extend pay to play to county and local government. we did not have the votes. we were committed to meeting pension obligations, but we would not borrow to meet those needs. to the critics, i will argue we should not make enemies, but that does not mean we should not -- we should stop trying, even when we fall short. let me acknowledge the elephant in the room. i tried to address the all- consuming debt problem. my plan was, to say the least, controversial, and popular, and unsuccessful. those town hall meetings opened

a painful but necessary dialogue, a dialogue about how we pay for what we want. make no mistake. our long-term debt obligations are not going to disappear on their own. we still must make critical investments in our infrastructure, and they need to be funded. our debt problem is the product of decades and reckless borrowing. if we do not borrow another penny of the next decade for highways, schools, and open space, our debt will double because of compound interest. there is no easy solution without revenues. skewing nothing is not an option, and thus the choice is -- doing nothing is not an option, unless the choices to impair new jersey's future. i take full responsibility for

not completing the job, but that does not absolves you from posing alternatives and confronting the problem. i referenced many things we accomplished and some things we did not, but i also want to talk about the values that inform my tenure. i came of age in the 1960's. as hard as it may be to believe, it has been almost 50 years since president kennedy took the oath of office. i was 15 years old. we went to that -- we lived on a farm in central illinois. my parents were republicans, so they were not too excited, but for me and for many of you, it was a transformative moment. ask not what your country can do for you. asked what you can do for your country. it's still stirs my mind. so do the less famous words that preceded it, when the new

president challenged us to explore the stars, tap the ocean depths, and un did the heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free. i think of the president's words and know why i entered public service. when i think that on that cold january day and when i look back and my grandchildren, i know that president kennedy might come full circle. in my own small way, i have tried to make a difference. i am sure all of you have as well. for me public service was not about what kind of politics to practice, but whether what principles to follow. for me, the most compelling reason to enter public life was to seek a better world for our children, but for many in society, children do not have a big voice. sometimes no voice at all. neither do they have a vote, but

they have a stake in the future. our children will define our future and determine our legacy. let me try to explain it like this. we also think about deficits in monetary terms. being governor, you have to weigh the cost of borrowing against the benefits of investing in the future. some borrowing generates a positive value. for me deficits should be measured in more than dollars and cents. there are deficits of decency, deficits that can threaten our future as gravely or worse than a failure on the balance sheet. this has guided my every action over the past four years. if we fail to invest in our children, we shirk our responsibility to provide them with the full blessing of

citizenship, then we do not just fall short of our moral responsibility. we undermine the long-term future for generations. when i became governor, our education policies were stymied. we will look into a series of court mandates that assumed the vast majority of at risk children. by the time i became governor, decades of population shifts had made this grossly unfair. half of our states at risk kids live outside of the old abbott borders. under abbott, many of those children were denied their constitutional right to a thorough and efficient education, so we rolled up our sleeves and did something about it. we passed school funding rooted

in the educational needs of each and every child, rather than arbitrary limits of zip code. the process was not pretty. in the senate, the board remained open for hours, awaiting the 21st vote. we also had to defend our policy before the supreme court, but we got it done. [applause] we also initiated a $3.9 billion construction program, because we cannot expect our children to learn and to grow to our fullest potential when they attend classes in dilapidated schools. i told you about my visit to a school. it moved me. the walls and ceilings were crumbling.

special ed classes were held in the gymnasium. the school was built in 1869. theodore randolph was the governor of new jersey. i do not know much about gov. randolph. i do not know where his portrait hangs. i suspect were mine will be soon, but members of the legislature, we stood up, and we did the right thing. last summer we began demolition of the oliver street school. [applause] this year we will break ground on a new building, and in september of 2012 students will begin in a 21st century school. this is not the exception. this is the rule.

the fda took another dilapidated 19th century facilitate and turned it into a new school. these are not just obstructions. they are also hope for the lives of our kids. these are part of another -- a larger new jersey story. new jersey students outperform the rest of the nation in reading, writing, and moutath. [applause] they graduate and attend colleges at rates that exceed nearly every other state in the nation, and while others have lower standards, are lowering graduation -- while other states are lowering standards, we are

raising them and consider education to be a cornerstone of my legacy as governor. it is also yours, and you should be proud of it as well. [applause] as a father and grandfather, i believe the first priority of gov. it is providing domestic safety for the welfare of our children. that means all of our children -- not just those fortunate enough to have warm and loving families. if one child goes without health care, if one child slips between the cracks and broken welfare system, we're all diminished by that. [applause] for me, failed outcomes for kids are unacceptable.

we believe in the fundamental right of every kid to go to the hospital when he is sick. we believe in the right to vaccinations to stay healthy. we have added over 100,000 kids to family care and doubled the number of community health centers. [applause] we are one of only two states in the nation to have a child health care mandate. thank you, senator. [applause] these efforts are real new jersey success story. when it comes to our most vulnerable kids, there is no substitute for a child safety act. that is why we took a health care system that was one of the worst and made it one of the very best. [applause]

to all of those who worked on it, thank you. that is why we sought an autism screening mandate that requires insurance companies to provide critical care for these children. thank you for your leadership. [applause] that is why we funded early childhood adjudication for over 50,000 kids and are on track to assure an equal start for thousands more. preschool helps children develop the vocabulary and social skills needed for a lifetime of learning. it is more vital for kids with special needs. it is no question is that new jersey's achievement gap between minority and non- minority students is closing, even as it has grown wider in other states. just as education begins before kindergarten, it does not end in

the 12th grade. we have increased funding for tuition grants each year, expanded the reach for the stars' program so every high school graduate was able to reach the dream of a college education. these are the goals i championed as governor. [applause] we also made new jersey a beacon for progressive government. we doubled their earned income tax credit, triple housing vouchers. just yesterday you courageously ease the suffering of many new jerseyans by giving them the ability to illegally access medical marijuana. congratulations. -- to legally access medical marijuana. congratulations. in the words of dr. king, man

must evolve for all human conflict a message of revolution that rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. we're the second state to began a family leave program because we believe nobody should have to choose between caring for a sick family or a new board child -- newborn child. [applause] building a more progressive state also means extending equal opportunities and equal rights to all citizens. in 2006, we ask that an important civil unions law. we did so because we value fairness and equality. many of us hoped civil unions would extend equal rights to same-sex couples as heterosexual ones. like many of you, i understand we fell short. i have listened with care and concern to people whose civil unions have not been respected

by hospitals, schools, insurance companies, and other institutions. i have been moved by the argument that separate institutions can never be equal. our nations and states are funded by the principle that all citizens have a right to equal treatment under the law. i believe new jersey should respect the principle by allowing people to marry whomever they want. [laughter] -- [applause] i had hoped, and i know how controversial this was, and i hope we will embrace this, to give life to our laws, the ideals of our constitution. i urge the quality as an idea that's time has come.

let me sum up. as you might suspect, the challenge of delivering a state of the state address is that there is so much to cover. the challenge in delivering my last state of the state was even bigger, given that movers were taking my desk out of the state house as i speak. it is a little distracting. honestly, i can truly say this is the second best job i have ever had, second only to being a father to someone like jenny and a grandfather. [applause] no need denying what is obvious. every governor wishes he did serve two terms, but i'll leave you with gratitude, not regret. serving as your governor has been the highest point of my life. i did not accomplish everything

i set out to do. i did not execute the job flawlessly, and certainly not as polished as governor came, but i tried, and i hope in some good measures succeeded in making this state a more humane place for children and families. [applause] i tried and in some measures

succeeded in creating new opportunities for citizens, and i tried and hope by succeeded in maintaining a level of integrity at which my family and friends can be proud. none of us knows exactly how we will be remembered. napolean once said history is the version of the past people have decided to agree upon. he said that when he was big exiled to a lifetime on elba, but however history is written, from the bottom of my heart, i thank the people of new jersey for the extraordinary experience. i thank you for your cooperation in being partners to build a better state. i thank cabinet members who gave so much of themselves and carry out their duties with integrity and the pursuit of the common good. you are an extraordinary group of people. i am proud of you.

[applause] i again want to say thank you to my family, especially my children, grandchildren, and closest partner and wife, sharon, for the sacrifices you make it so i can do this job in the best way i knew how. to governor-elect christie, i extend my sincerest wishes for a successful tenure. your success will mean the people of new jersey are in a better place, and that is what we all want. that is what we -- what i want, you want. but as with the people want. do not worry. give it a year, and i will come see you at the 2011 correspondents' dinner, if there is still a correspondents' club.

as a 14-year-old kid watching jfk's inauguration, i could have never imagined one day i would enjoy the awesome privilege of serving and the united states senate with his youngest brother. my friend ted kennedy taught me a lot about public life. one of his finest moments was in the summer of 1980 before i met him. speaking before the democratic national convention, bruised but not beaten, in words far more eloquent than i could ever use, he said, for all those whose careers have been our concern, the work goes on. the cause and jurors. the hopes still lives, and the dream shall never die -- the cause anders -- endures. you can be sure i will always continue to speak out for the principles i champion in the public square. when it comes to standing up for a kinder world, when it comes to

raising my voice for children who represent our common future, your costs still insures in my heart. your hope still lives in the eyes of my grandchildren and yours, and your dream of a more just and equal world will never die. god bless you all. god bless the great people of the state of new jersey. [applause]

[applause] >> join us later for live coverage of the new virginia governor and his first state of the commonwealth address. we will have that a 7:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. tonight, the head of the communications workers of america on what the federal government's role should be in expanding high speed internet to the u.s. tonight on "the communicator's." >> the white house returns tomorrow afternoon for debate on a number of bills. later this week, legislation to let donations for haiti earthquake donations count on 2009 tax returns. the senate meets wednesday to start its session of the 111th congress. you can see that live on c-span

2. now the economic stimulus totals are in. this marks 11 months since president obama signed the recovery act into law. of the $787 billion, more than $315 billion have been committed. $167 billion has been paid out for stimulus projects. read more at c-span.org. now georgia gov. sonny perdue's state of the state address. he was the first republican governor since 1870's. next, he will talk about his 17 years as governor and about georgia's state employees and his family. this is about half an hour. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> thank you all. thank you so much.

mr. speaker and mr. president, president pro tem williams and speaker jones -- how does that sound? members of the general assembly, members of our judiciary, other distinguished guests, and most of all to my fellow georgians, we begin by congratulating the new speaker of the house. i have always enjoyed our past relationship, and i look forward to working with you both this year. i wanted thank you all kindly for that kind resolution. i would like to get a copy of the vote. [laughter] as previous governors, i have

used this address to talk about the budget policies issues and rollout my legislative agenda. you are probably wondering why there is not a budget lying on your desk this morning. it is really there. it is just very thin. this year's message will be different, so let me apologize to you, but frankly, i think it is much bigger than a budget document. the encourage goes beyond numbers on a page and beyond line items on a bill and to the very core of why we are here and what we are called to do. i hope you will grant me that privilege as i make this last lap around the track. first off and before i talk about the task that lies ahead, i want to recognize the one

earthly person that has stood out as my inspiration and died throughout this journey. -- and guide through this journey. mary, you have been a constant reminder of my purpose in public office, and i thank you for all that you have done. my loving wife and the first lady of georgia, i love you. thank you. [applause]

some of you may recall at my first date of the state address we decided to leave a seat empty to represent the people of georgia whoever no one to speak for them, and for the last seven years, mary per derdue has beent voice. she has empowered individuals, corporations, and face-based groups -- faith-based groups. to my children and grandchildren, words cannot express my gratitude for your patience and love and support over these past not only seven years.

you have probably heard the story, but i tell the story because it happens to be true. when i was first elected to the state senate, i sat our children down and told them -- reminded them we share a reputation. i told them there are things they can do at home that would make me embarrassed to go to atlanta and served and there are things i could do in atlanta that would make them embarrassed to go to school at home. kids, you need to know you have never embarrassed me. i am sorry i may have embarrassed you from time to time, but you have never embarrassed me, and i love you so much for all that. for seven years it has been my highest honor to work with those

of you in this chamber and to represent almost 10 million georgians. we have been through a lot together, and we have sent our young georgia men and women to fight in afghanistan and iraq, and some of them have not come home. we have seen the worst drought on record, and in an economy as difficult as anyone can remember in our generation going back to the 1930's, you do not need me to tell you the challenge before us is real. we can rest in the fact that america has seen these times before. just over a year ago as my fellow governors and i gathered in philadelphia, i sat in the chamber of congress, and my mind

could not help but wonder back to those earliest days of our nation and to the founding fathers. there and those surroundings, i could not help but reflect on the courage and their optimism in the face of ultimate uncertainty. their hope is it is all odds at the time. think back to the early months of the revolutionary war. we know family is has given their fathers and sons to the american cause. as it is with war, many of them would never return to their homes. general george washington and his army face seemingly insurmountable odds. it was cold.

they were ill-equipped. it was on 1776, only two days before the pivotal battle of trenton, that washington sought to inspire the all-volunteer army by reading aloud from thomas paine, the pamphlet "crisis." we can read the words revolutionary's heard that day in 1776. "these are the times that try men's souls, that he that stands in now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman, and we have his consolation with us that the heart of the conflict -- barter the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. they press on to victory and thus began the long rich history

of our nation. those early days were not the darkest and most uncertain our nation will see. years later, as we all know, the descendants of those revolutionary heroes will face each other, sometimes brother against brother, fighting over the future and direction of our growing nation. the early 20th century brought war on a scale never before witnessed by mankind. 70 million soldiers took up arms in a conflict that was legal with machine guns, trench warfare, and poison gas, and almost 6 million of those soldiers will lose their lives in defense of freedom in the misery and cold and muddy trenches -- america held strong.

the 1930's brought a great depression, a global downturn so severe that one out of every four able-bodied americans was out of work. just recently the governor's 75th anniversary, i was reminded how deeply the depression affected southern families and how long it took our region to fully emerge from that time. a decade later, america would join a world war and the fight against a cut -- totalitarianism. at an unfathomable cost, america ansel the -- answered the call and a merged an international defender of individual freedom and liberty, but two world wars were not the ends of our trials and the 20th-century.

in vietnam, thousands of men and women fought in dark juggles around the world, but there was another war at home, a war within the national conscience as america struggles ever closer to liberty and justice for all. that struggle was led by brave georgians simply blocks from here. our nation's stories unfolded through the centuries, gives us much needed perspective about where we are and what we face today. it teaches us that each generation faces their own challenges. they face every enemy and for every cost to create a better nation for their children and

grandchildren. what stands out most to meet is each generation's willingness to pick up the yolk and move our nation forward. it has not always been pretty, what happens is to drop -- what never happens is that they drop the yolk and leave others to pick it up. neither have they weighed them down with unbearable burdens. friends, colleagues, georgians, this is our time to carry a heavy load, to do the hard thing now for the sake of our children and grandchildren. for our generation, the economic storm we now find ourselves in is unlike anything we have seen. these are hard times for georgians. many of our friends and neighbors have lost their jobs.

all of our checkbooks are harder to balance. we spent the first six years of our administration doing our best to make government womore responsive, more efficient and more value-driven, and then came the greatest revenue drop since the great depression. we have worked hard to find the best solution, and we have asked throughout our state for more in an effort to maintain services with fewer resources. if we fail to do the hard thing now, our government will be spread far too thin to ensure that georgette is more educated,

healthier, safer, and continues to grow. -- that georgia is more educated, healthier, safer, and continues to grow. we must remind ourselves we need to avoid the temptation to serve the needs and wants of today at the expense of tomorrow. we must reject the course the promises the next generation little more than a pressing bill, crushing and entitlements, and under funded mandates. alexis they tocqueville -- de tocqueville said it well almost 200 years ago. he wrote that a democracy can only exist until the voters discover that from that moment on the majority only votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury.

with the results that a democracy always collapses over lousy fiscal policies, always followed by a dictatorship. the average age of civilizations before they decline has been about 200 years. listen closely to the sequence. from bondage to spiritual safety, from fate to great courage, from current to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back again to bondage. there has never been a cautionary tale so well suited to time and place as this one is to america today, here and

now. i also love the story the thomas paine recounted from the american revolution. he told of a tavern keeper who happen to be a closet tory, of people for whom, spain have little respect, and pain describes the scene. he was standing in his store with his pretty child in hand -- as pretty a child as i ever saw, and after speaking his mind as freely as he thought was prudent, finished with an on fatherly -- un fatherly expression. give me peace in my day. thomas paine goes on to say what a loving parent should have said. "if there must be trouble, let it be in my day that my child may have peace." he is right. the single reflection is

sufficient to what we today in this place must recover the spirit of the loving sacrifice. i believe i stand with most georgians when i say i am for doing what little less if it means a lighter burden and a brighter future for the next generation. there is an honor and sacrifice -- [applause] there is an honor and sacrifice we must never pervert into the disdain of dissatisfaction. i talked a lot over the last few years about building a culture of conservation here in georgia, using only what we need.

at its core, that culture of conservation is a single call to be satisfied with only what we truly need, and it extends to every aspect of our lives. going forward, may we pledge ourselves to forgo the excesses of our times and reject the gluttonous instincts of our age. these times demand we worry less about bringing home the pork and making it so our family can grow their own hogs. we are calling for people to create a better georgia, elevate -- better georgia. elevating them out was the easiest dependency. we have to call on every georgian to fill rather than consume, to give rather than to take, and we must begin that

transformation here in this place. when i was sworn into my second term, i said only legacy i sought was the same one i believe parents seek, to leave our generation in better shape than we found it. we now find ourselves a moment in history in which we must do the hard thing now to ensure the future is bright for them, and we can do none of this without one another. instead of creating an environment of political posturing and blame-casting, we have the opportunity to join hands and hearts and work together, republicans, democrats, cruel and urban -- rural and urban. we know governing is a team

sport, and we are all members of team georgia. we come from every corner of the state, elected by distinct constituency that sometimes have a little in common, and together we form a patchwork quilt with our beliefs, ideas, and personality. that diversity demands a true commitment to cooperation. i think of marriage, and i remember the passage about the husbands and wives in marriage when he called on the mutual respect to put away focus on themselves and submit to one another for the common good, and those truths of application far beyond marriage. the people who send us here

expect us to work together for the good of the great state of georgia. georgians did not elect us to watch a rugby match. when we do not work together, when it gets so much the people cannot even distinguish which team we are on, and it means we all come out with mud on our faces. the folks at home have entrusted us to put principle and progress over partisanship, and they have asked us to do the hard thing now. that means drilling down every area of government to redefine our commitments going forward. we have to take this mindset and apply it to every corner of state governments. for too long, the answer has

been to preserve the status quo, but prevailing winds have often next -- forced us to except watered down compromise. that change began two years ago when you courageously past our legislation. bringing innovative thinking into schools while committing contractually to measure and commit improvement. this policy is already producing results. yesterday morning i outlined a proposal that would tie teacher pay to student achievement. some will defend the status quo, but it is hard for me to believe that this is anything

but common sense. many young people have the idea that the salary ceiling is too low to even consider going into teaching, and we know that to be the case. that effectively shut out many of the best and brightest from our classrooms. teachers have told us almost overwhelmingly in a survey they would welcome being evaluated based on observation of their teaching and the growth of their students academically. let's make the commitment to align our compensation with the mission of our schools. let's do it for our teachers, our students, and for our children. [applause]

i look forward to working with you on this unique opportunity to drive foreseeable -- to drive this for the foreseeable future. we cannot retreat from our duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves. i am convinced georgia can, georgia must, and georgia will adequately care for the students in our mental health program, even though it has been a daunting challenge the proceeds my time as governor. we will do this. [applause] we took a major step forward in creating an agency whose sole focus is caring for the mentally challenged and the developmentally disabled. with a respected mental-health officials leading this agency, we develop a plan that will

stabilize hospital staffing and improve care in our institutions. yes, it will cost more money, but i am confident the investment will result in better outcomes for patients and will allow all of us to sleep better at night. i want to be clear. my interest is not driven purely is through legal mandates. i am embarrassed it has come to that, but to my personal belief, we have a moral obligation to serve those with disabilities. they are our mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, our neighbors, and yes, we are our brothers' keepers. that obligation should carry a tangible effort. it is a hard thing to do in these budget times. the budget i will release on friday will include an additional investment of $20 million in this year and over

$50 million in the next fiscal year of additional investment. together, we are making a concerted efforts to do the right thing for this vulnerable population. i ask for your continued support as well as that from those consumers, providers, advocates, families, and communities, to help us develop a system of care of which we can be proud. we have already faced tough decisions with respect to our team of state employees. we have trimmed payrolls and asked employees to do the jobs that sometimes two or three people were performing before. we have asked teachers, case workers, law enforcement personnel, and agency heads to do more with less. their commitment to go the extra mile deserves recognition, so

want to take a moment to speak directly to my state employees, those and this building today, those across the state. wherever you serve, i want to recognize you and thank all of you for putting in the extra hours for this challenge. i know workloads have increased, and you have met that call with excellence. that does not go without notice. i have noticed your good work. your boss's noticed it. your fellow georgians noticed it. thank you, thank you, thank you. [applause]

thank you for that well-deserved applause. i want to pride and the steam a little further. the men and women who make up team georgia refused to make excuses, and they found a way to deliver great customer service in the face of cuts, and that is why as i travel across georgia, citizens continue to thank mthe. they gave a success rate of 70%. that makes us one of the only states in the nation that compares favorably to the private sector. state employees will also tell you their job satisfaction has increased 10% in the last two years, and that fact comes from the thrill and marat booster of helping other georgians. high morale means the satisfied

customer and dissatisfied employees. i want to continue improving to make georgia -- satisfied customer and satisfied employees. i want to continue improving to make georgia attract talent going forward. i think it is important to ask ourselves, each of us, the down if we have the same mindset of service. -- deep down if we have the same mindset of service. now is the time to ask ourselves, why are we here? why do people expect of us? i would like to recall the words of a great georgian who just passed away this last year -- one of my heroes. he had it right. he said greatness does not exist in reducing others to your service but in reducing yourself to their service. not only are those the words one

great georgian lived by -- it is an ideal that is distinctly georgian. seven years ago, at my inaugural, i reminded you of a mantra adopted by georgia trusties. general oglethorpe -- do you remember? not for self, but for others. that was the charge back then, and it is even more so today. we are the trustees of the people's will. we owe them our best. that is the sacred trust of democracy. the covenant of service which you or i have with georgians must always be foremost with our hearts and minds, to do what is right by them, not what is best for ourselves or even for our party, even to do the hard things now for a better

tomorrow. all of us have experienced the ego boost upon winning an election. seven years ago on inauguration day, i was humbled when my son, a 25-year-old aspiring preacher gave me this charge from the great profit micah as he looked straight in my eyes and recounted where it says, what does the lord require of us but to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our god? that charge has stuck with me for seven years, while circumstances have changed, and many faces have come and gone. that call remains. it echoes in my heart and spirit and brings forth for you today. you may have heard the story about the decorated general,

undefeated in battle throughout his long career, undefeated when he finally found he met his match after being lowered into an ambush. he called on his bugler to sound the retreat. when the bugler hesitated, he ordered, sound the retreat, even louder. once again, the killer did not respond, and the general and relates -- the bugler did not respond, and the general ordered him immediately, sound the retreat. the bugler looked up and said, i did not know that call, and our men do not know how to retreat. it is easy for us to sit here today and dread the decisions that lie ahead, but now is not the time to retreat. now is the time to dig in deeper and do the hard things so our children and grandchildren will know of better georgia. it is a tall order, but ours is

a high calling, and you would not be here if you were not marked by optimism, ambition, and an immovable belief that we should be working to make things the way they ought to be and can be. i am optimistic that this year we can achieve great things together, and i know and believe we will. thank you. may god bless each of you. may god bless the great state of georgia and our great nation. thank you. [applause] .

>> live coverage is coming to you courtesy of richmond television.

>> live coverage kidding under way from richmond, virginia, the state of the commonwealth address by governor bob mcdonnell. >> mr. president, his excellency, the governor of the commonwealth of virginia. [applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause]

[applause] [applause] i present to you his excellency, the governor of the commonwealth of virginia, the hon. robert francis mcdonald. onell.

[applause] >> thank you. thank you, very much. thank you. thank you. thank you, very much for that warm welcome back here to the house of delegates. mr. speaker, mr. president, mr. chief justice and chief justices of the supreme court, ladies and gentlemen of the general assembly and my fellow virginians, it is a tremendous honor to return to this historic chamber this evening to share some thoughts with you about the challenges and opportunities that lie before us. i want to thank each of you to

invite me back for just the second time in 48 hours. i appreciate you want to hear from me so often but i cannot keep up this pace. i have enjoyed very much the 14 years serving the people of virginia beach, right here in this house as their delegate. i have to say i have been looking forward to this moment for a long time. it will be the first time that i have spoken on the floor of the house of delegates without delicate armstrong being able to interrupt. [applause] >> i also want to thank our system with clark's of their respective houses for giving me the best seat in the house. i also want to extend my sincere appreciation for governors

timothy kaine for his service to the commonwealth of virginia. [applause] >> his cooperation during the past two months of the transition from one governor to the next has helped me immensely in preparing to be able to cover today. before we begin to discuss the issues facing our commonwealth, i want to direct our thoughts and prayers for a moment to another country. we briefed today and this evening for the suffering of the people of haiti who have lost loved ones, loved ones -- loved ones, property, and dreams. please join me in a moment of silence for those that have perished including university of virginia graduate student

stephanie jones. >> thank you. the people of virginia are responding in a great and benevolent way with the outpouring of generosity and concern for the people of haiti. i want to encourage all of our citizens to donate what they can to the red cross and other trade organizations around the state that at this very minute are providing shelter, food, and medical care to the people in haiti. i want to especially thank state employers who have already generously donated to the suffering. never did i dream as a middle- class kid from fairfax county that i will have the honor bestowed upon me by the people of virginia on november, three. the 71st governor of the commonwealth is to follow in the footsteps of giants. jefferson, randolph, and others.

many who have inspired us were not governors at all or political figures. today, we honor a leader who was not a public official or a virginia but somebody who forever changed the lives of virginians in americans for good. dr. martin luther king. [applause] >> as we worked together to represent our people during this difficult time of challenges, i am reminded of the words of dr. king who said the ultimate measure of demand is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge. together, we do face challenges today and the choices we make

will come after much reflection and debate. if we can show the leadership and agree to cooperate, we will move to virginia well through these difficult times. i asked tonight did you make the decisions during the session not based on which house or political party or which branch of government wins but whether the people of virginia win. much of the marvelous story of america was written right here in the commonwealth of virginia. much of her future will be written here, as well. with challenge comes opportunity, many have said, and if that is true, we have a lot of opportunity before us. i pledge to work with all of you to create what i call a common wall of opportunity for all of the people. [applause]

>> as the early colonists, king bonding fathers, the civil rights leaders, as they saw the opportunities before them at their time, so too must we see hours. the farmer who is working to keep this land from development in scott county, the first-time home buyers receiving her first set of keys and fredericksburg, i want to see opportunity at work and the new technologies and systems that virginians invent and loudoun and fairfax counties. i want to see opportunity alive in the eager young minds, thrilled to discover the miracle of science, the mysteries of history, young people interested learning and living and giving back. the steps towards these positive outcomes will take place right here with you in the house and

senate chambers, the home of the oldest continuous legislative body in the western hemisphere. many of you are longtime friends and allies, some are occasional and the series, but all are respected colleagues. you all share with me a common love of virginia and the ideals that she represents. for those that represent the 20 new members elected, i commend you for its during the call the public service. over the years, i have seen as work together across party lines to produce results that matter for our people. i recall a time as a young legislator when welfare reform seemed like hopelessly elusive goals. here on the floor, we debated those issues. out of those collaboration's came great good for the citizens of virginia with welfare reform becoming the model for the nation.

working together, republicans and democrats, we have but the nation with business-friendly laws, and regulatory policies that have made virginia one of the most prosperous states in the land. we have managed prudently and governed innovatively. for education standards to sentencing -- sentencing reform, we have shown transformational leadership for america that often begins here where america itself began. we must agree to put into place policies that will unleash the innovation and ingenuity of the people of virginia, opening the way for a new era of progress and prosperity. i believe that it all starts with policies to promote job creation and economic development in our state. [applause]

the inherent dignity of a could this work and a worthwhile pursuit strengthens of the soul, supports the family and reduces dependence upon government. immediately following my inauguration on saturday, i signed executive order no. 1 on the capitol steps. this established a statewide commission dedicated solely to creating jobs and promoting free enterprise and opportunity in our state. it was my first executive order of the devastation because i believe it is the first order of business for all of us this session. unemployment has doubled in the last five years. we all know, members of our families, friends, and m neighbors, to have lost their jobs. this makes it difficult for them to meet the basic needs of their children. there is overwhelming support

for the betterment of the virginia federation of food banks in the good work they're doing. i salute governor kaine for ensuring that an additional $1 million of funding would be committed to the state budget. i want you to know i strongly support that budget amendment. [applause] >> it is clear that the budget cycle that we face now is difficult. the budget that i have inherited is dire and i believe it is unbalanced. we began with nearly $1 billion shortfall based on tax hike proposals that have been rejected all ready by both houses and both parties. spending cuts will have to be made. and even in this tough economic times, even now, i believe that

we must have the vision and foresight to invest in our future. our jobs and opportunity agendas consist of policies that will make new investments in our futures. i want to first ask that you significantly increase the amount of money in our successful jobs-creating opportunity fund. i am glad to support your bill, delicate armstrong. we are all in this together to attract new business to virginia. [applause] >> because there is great competition under way among the states and among the nation's from rollick to singapore, from tallahassee to shanghai, governments are pursuing bold initiatives to attract job opportunities within their borders. we must compete more vigorously

to be more successful. crowing the tax base to business development is the key to virginia's economic recovery. let us start now by doubling the amount of that fund for the fiscal year of 2011. we have fallen behind many of our neighboring states. tax and regulatory incentives that we offer, this cannot last. provide us the tools and we will get the results for you. i have assembled a very talented team whose sole focus will be on economic development with lieutenant governor and chief in job creation officer and extremely accomplished entrepreneurs and businessmen. new funding is needed to incentivize now rural economic development. i think it is imperative that we focus on bringing jobs to the rural areas of our state that have been wracked by double-

digit unemployment. [applause] >> i join with the lieutenant governor, several delegates, at a lunch at the chamber of congress. the message that came to me that there was clear. if we give them the resources, they will build and grow. the business of creating jobs is not a partisan one. that is why i asked both parties to ask -- to help me in sharing the important components of this package that will have an immediate and positive impact in our state. i have also pledged to at a tech

-- deputy secretary of trade to focus on rural development and honor the pledge that we will be in the high unemployment areas of the state every 30 days to work on solutions to their challenges. we will also target new opportunities to the biotech industry. this is a fast pace in -- fast- growing field. smart states look at this sector for future economic development and we need to, as well. a delegate is standing up to push my commitment to grant an income tax exemption to qualified investments by science and technology startup businesses. i have thanked them for their leadership in this area. [applause] i will ask you to enact a change

in how the fund is utilized. currently, funding is available for companies based solely on capital investment. that is good. i think we should broaden the use of that fund for companies that significantly increase the local and state tax rates in allowing for more investment in education, more development and job creation. i will be asking you to approve an additional $5 million for an industrial magistad location in virginia this year. i know this. when a major business is considering a move to virginia, we have to be able to meet those executives at the airport, drive them to the site ready for a project and show them that the only thing missing is of them. virginia is ready for their business right now. we must be prepared. [applause]

>> we must do a better job incentivizing businesses to create jobs for virginians. i asked you to reduce the eligibility threshold for the $1,000 per job tax credit down to every business that creates the jobs or as little as 25 jobs and jurisdiction that are experiencing a higher than average unemployment rate. [applause] many of you are in business and there is an old adage. if you want to make money, you have to spend money. investment in job creation and economic development will raise tax revenues of tomorrow. as i go about offering these amendments which i ask you adopt, i will identify the offsetting savings, that balances these new investments

and budget amendment i will send down to you shortly. on the campaign trail, i met small business leaders from alexandria atoms burke. businesses are responsible for 75% of new jobs created in the state. one after another, they told me tales of too much paperwork, too much brock receipt and slow turnaround stifling their efforts. that is unacceptable. impediments to job creation and economic development is the impediment to the future of the virginia. they must be removed. together, we will make this the easy state to open and maintain a small business. [applause] >> there are several ways to do

this. we should allow currently licensed businesses to operate any new business venture under the license they already have approved while waiting for a new license to be processed. i will direct the department of occupational regulation and other licensing agencies to ensure that new businesses to get licenses and approvals complete in 48 hours or less to get them started. [applause] >> we will also work to greatly enhance the effectiveness of our one-stop business start-ups centers and our state. if you served our nation in the military and are a veteran, we want to make sure that we serve you better in the commonwealth by opening a business and creating jobs for our citizens.

we should serve you. we will propose waiving administrative and licensing fees for veterans starting a small business who have taken care of their families, facing medical challenges, while serving our country here and overseas. [applause] >> and a tough economy, a smart investor looks for the best opportunity by which they can maximize their demoted resources. so too must states be smart. i have seen the commercials for michigan on television here. i want you to help me invest so we can see the virginia commercials and michigan. [applause]

>> we have so much to offer in this incredible commonwealth. beaches, mountains, history, mount vernon, yorktown, the birthplace of our country. next year, america will begin commemorating the 150th anniversary of the beginning of our civil war. no state bore the brunt of that event more than virginia. this is the state of manassas and chancellorsville, appomattox. the nation will celebrate the 150 anniversary of lincoln's signing of the emancipation proclamation. i am working together with leaders likto continue the good work from last year's 200 anniversary commemoration of his birthday and the anniversary of the emancipation.

the world will come here in 2013 to remember and reflect upon the lessons learned from this pivotal period in our history. while these tourists are here, they should stay a while, spend a lot of money, and help put virginians back to work. [applause] >> to help make that happen, i am proposing and i hope you will accept an increase in the funding for the virginia tourism corp. by $3.60 million in each of the next two years. i want to the funding to double by the time i leave office in 2014. another smart investment we can make is in film production. this year, the movie "secretariat" will hit theaters. it is about a horse from virginia with a director from

virginia, filmed in kentucky and louisiana. not letting that production had an estimated loss of revenue of $30 million to our state. that is a failure. it is not difficult to see what we struggle to attract and production. just north of us, maryland offers rebates we have money available, and the opportunity motion pension fund. we cannot compete. i asked you to increase the funding for the motion picture opportunity fund by $2 million this year. movies made in virginia -- >[applause] >> movies made in virginia result in jobs created for virginians. governor kaine has also committed to investing $1.30

million in the virginia facility the top commercial spaceport in america. i asked you to keep that money in place so we can aggressively pursue and recruited aerospace companies. one of my -- [applause] >> one of my favorite stickers reads make mine in virginia one. the virginia one industry is dynamically growing. they grow grapes and jobs. i have seen many of you personally enthusiastically supporting them at receptions. we are currently the six largest one exporting state in the country. this summer, i visited the blue

ridge vineyard. this beautiful vineyard hosts weddings, attracts tourists and makes a really good one. even better, it employs many virginians. i will offer legislation that will improve the wine industry. another industry with tremendous growth potential for all of us is the energy industry. i am committed to utilizing all of our vast natural resources to make virginia the energy capital of the east coast. [applause]

[applause] >> it is important that we do our part to promote american energy independence. we have the opportunity to be the first state on the eastern seaboard to sell the leasing rights to explore and drill offshore for oil and natural gas in 2011 and i want your help to make that happen. [applause] >> the federal moratorium has been lifted. the state that this first to do so will reap a financial bonanza. we can lead or be left out. four years ago, you had the

foresight to pass legislation that gave us a critical advantage in this pursuit. we cannot now but washington democracy -- washington bureaucracy undermined of virginia. [applause] >> i have written a letter to the secretary of the interior to let them know i believe this is a priority for virginia consistent with president obama's commitment to make our nation more energy secure. several studies have shown that environmentally-safe offshore production will create thousands of jobs, put hundreds of billions of dollars into our depleted coffers and bring billions of capital dollars to the old dominion. there are many unemployed virginians ready to go to work in the oil and natural gas production industries.

we must continue to prepare for the reality of offshore production this session by mandating a 20% of new tax revenues created in the future and in the authorized be invested in renewable energy projects with the other 80% going to transportation infrastructure in virginia. [applause] >> we must also promote va's coal and natural gas industries. [applause] >> as coal gasification technology becomes more self- sufficient, nuclear power growth must also be incentivized.

virginia has more private sector nuclear capacity than any other state in america. new partnerships between the university of virginia are producing the engineers that are not -- that are now necessary for growth in that sector. to make virginia a welcome home to alternative energy, i ask you to pass legislation making the entire commonwealth a green drop zone. -- a green job zone. [applause] >> any business in the state that creates a dream job in the next five years will receive an income tax credit of $500. virginia is for lovers of renewable energy. i visited on to the norris who are -- who have created a process to turn sugar cane into a fuel that you could put in

your engine or drink. it is not very tasty. it is another exciting technology. i look forward to working together with a delicate and the tobacco commission to create an energy corridor in southern and southwestern virginia. the investments we make for our future are in the midsts of the painful cuts were made. unemployment has doubled, revenue has declined. the budget that was waiting for me on saturday requires $4 billion in cuts. some say that taxes must be raised, it is unavoidable.

here is what i said. i will work with all of you, independents, democrats, republicans come up with will meet and negotiate a new agreement and there will be compromises. but virginians are struggling with the worst economy in generations. we will not turn our economy around by taxing generation project by taxing -- by taxing virginians. if you pass a bill in this recession that raises taxes on the hard-working families of virginia, we will make it work.

the steps required to close the $4 billion deficit we confront will be very difficult. we will make a start in the executive office. i will return a portion of my salary, members of my senior staff will take a pay cut, by secretaries will reduce the size of their staffs and budgets, every opportunity to save, even those that are small, must be taken. but it challenges the present legislative challenges that make us think outside the but the rigid budget challenges -- a budget challenges require us to think outside the box.

>> we must take this time to find new ways to deliver these services more effectively while reducing spending. it is time that we eliminate or consolidate or privatized private -- programs and agencies that do not work and do not fill the fourth function of -- the courre function of government. in the future, i will present plans to use to privatize abc operations in a fiscally prudent manner. [applause] i offer a frank assessment of

what i think is necessary and what this belt-tightening will mean for virginians. it will mean more cuts to state agencies. some state services will be reduced. some consolidated. we must do our best to treat our dedicated state employees fairly. this is not a short-term reality but a long-term necessity. i think we can do it this session. the national and global economies have had an significant impact on the revenues and budget of virginia. that is only part of the story. rourke reagan used to say that government is too big and it spends too much -- ronald reagan used to say that the government is too big and spends too much. he was talking about the federal government but this applies to state governments, as well. when i was first elected to this body in 1991, state spending was more than tripled, far beyond the growth.

i believe we can do better. that is what the second executive order that i signed on saturday will establish the governor's commission on reform and restructuring. it is time to look at new ways about how to make government work more efficiently and effectively and within our means. [applause] >> with leaders from the public and private sectors, we will find those no ideas and we will implement them. i want to work with leaders on the council of phrygia's feature to lead strategic initiatives going forward. all those virginians at home watching tv, are state employees

that are observing these proceedings, our community leaders, members of the media, citizens and taxpayers when bold proposals are offered by me or the general assembly to change the way we do things, to not tell us the reasons this change should not occur. instead, let us work together to implement a bold and sensible changes that will put virginia on a secure financial footing. [applause] >> that will be my philosophy that guides me during my time of service to you and the citizens of the state. my challenge tonight is that you join me in treating this not just as a time of painful budget cutting but as a time for making government more limited and effective, efficient and affordable. [applause]

>> my father told me something very important as a kid. he is now 93. i still remember it. he said to get a good job, you need a good education. he was absolutely right. a young person has a better chance to succeed in virginia than just about any other state. rankings are not enough. we need good schools and good choices for every young person in our state because every child has unique gifts from god with dreams and potential that needs to be realized. joining me tonight is our new secretary of education. his story demonstrates what can be accomplished with the simple opportunity of receiving a good education. he grew up in a working-class family in los angeles. nobody had gone to his -- nobody

in his family had gone to college. when he graduated high school, he was near the bottom of his class. he did not give up. he enrolled in a community college while working full-time at a grocery store. he now has a master's degree in education from harvard and is working on completing his ph.d. and is considered a national expert on education reform. i am honored to have you serve our a administration. [applause] the is joining this administration with a passion and a mission to ensure that every child in virginia and every community takes and vantage of the same opportunities that he did as a young man. no child should attend a school that is not fully accredited in the state. we will work with local school

boards and governments to help turn the schools around. no child should have his or her educational attainment limited by zip code. every child must graduate either career or college ready. there are important steps we can take this session to reform our education system in virginia. i asked you to join me in this effort to ensure that over the next four years, 65% of all education dollars go to construction in the classroom where our children actually learn. [applause] >> i am asking you to start the session by increasing the state average from 1% per year from

61% to 62% this year. president obama and i share a passion for charter schools. i am committed to helping him. charter schools are public schools with greater autonomy and freedom to innovate and the offer children and parents. we have the weakest charter schools and all of america. they're not silver bullets but there are positive ways to improve underperforming school systems. there are 4600 charter schools nationally. in virginia, 12 years after we allowed them, there are only three. that is not acceptable. that number will increase to four this spring. joining us in the gallery is a four year-old and his mother.

he has applied to be in the first kindergarten class at patrick henry. stand up so that we can recognize you. [applause] >> this session, i will offer legislation that will result in the establishment of more charter schools, expand access to other schools and pursue the innovative ideas by polite jones to great college laboratory schools and our state. the work we do is not just good

for virginia school children, it is good for virginia's bottom line. a grant allocates $4.30 billion based on their support for education reform and in particular, charter schools. just last week, our request was $350 million. that is a tremendous amount of money that we could apply to our budget and the state fiscal year and put virginians on the path to ensure educational excellence for all of our children. we will also to work with more options for science, technology, engineering, and health care to be tied to our schools. education does not stop in the 12th grade. that is not the finish line. for some, it is just the starting line. in today's global economy, you need more put up a college degree has never been more important. if it has also never been more expensive.

over the past decade, college tuition has doubled in our state. the state budget has decreased by 40%. virginia students are left shouldering the constantly increasing cost of tuition. we need to work together over the east next four years to make college more affordable and accessible for young people in virginia. [applause] >> we will do this by combating -- by awarding 100,000 new degrees an hour colleges. it is audacious but is an important one. virginia community college's occupy the critical intersection between preparation and profession. we should make these

underutilized educational assets these hub of workforce development efforts, helping citizens get the skills they need to lead to the jobs they want in the communities in which they live. economic growth is also predicated on a well maintained transportation system. from our roads to barbara ellis, there are steps we can take to improve transportation. our rest stops and welcome centers are important for safety and tourism. we will vote on reopening the rest stops and will help those open and less than 87 days. [applause] >> speaking of getting places

faster, i believe it is time to raise the speed limit and rural parts of the state to 70 miles per hour on highways. [applause] >> you remember your vote from 2006 when you raised it to 70 miles per hour on interstate 85. let us do the same thing on stretches of 95, 77, and 81 in some of the more sparsely populated regions. 32 states already have them. 13 have 70 m.p.h. limits. i think we should look at the department of transportation and new. we have dedicated employees but we have to determine what works, what doesn't, and what can be done for less.

two delegates are advance of legislation that takes a real look at the structural opportunities that will be cost saving and performance improving. i support that legislation. in the future, i will be asking you to adopt a further series of transportation reforms to meet the needs of a growing commonwealth. 20 years ago, i was a prosecutor in virginia beach. i believed that insuring the safety of our citizens is a foremost obligation of state government. tonight, i asked you to join me in saluting the men and women of the capitol police, virginia department of state police, and the city of richmond police that work together so well to insure that everybody who participated in the inaugural events were kept safe. [applause]

>> we will not have the common wealth of opportunity if we did not have a commonwealth that is secure. to ensure a secure commonwealth and which all virginians can safely live their lives and pursue their dreams, i will propose legislation to better protect victims of domestic crime by making protective procedures consistent with those of neighboring states. and helping victims of domestic violence to extend those protective orders when there is evidence of an ongoing threat.

i want to thank a delegate and senator for carrying that. we want to keep up the fight against gangs which i worked with you about when i was attorney-general. this is an important initiative. tough sentences are critically important but that is only half of the battle in making virginia safer. i believe we must provide real opportunities for prisoners to turn their lives around to become responsible and contributing members of society when their sentences are completed. [applause] failure to do so leads to more crime and more victims. i will work with the fate based

community and other organizations to create an effective prisoner reentry program to keep people out of jail and out of prison because it is smart governing and it will save us money and the long run. i can see the good that can happen when we do that. last month, i stood in the basement of a local church at a christmas party for members of a recovery program. men who had been incarcerated and struggled with substance abuse. they had been subject to two forms of confinement, jail and mental addiction. there would except the challenge of change and recovery was not responsibility, their responsibility. family members looked on with admiration. one of those members was a seven-month old boy whose father was a program member. i met him visiting a jail

several months ago. he was now free from the parts of imprisonment and accepting responsibility of seizing that opportunity that he had to turn his life around. for him and for his new son that he had not yet seen. he is here with us tonight. i want to congratulate you for what you are doing for yourself and your family and being an example of people taking an opportunity to turn their life around. thank you. [applause]

>> every day in this marvelous day, virginia and help each other with generous tax and charitable actions that are unparalleled. i would is this -- i witnessed this in many places. the opportunity to serve one another is a call we must all answer, especially in these difficult times. tonight, i challenge all virginians to continue to look for ways to give back, to help out, and to work together. tonight, i have laid out for the some of my priorities for the year ahead. four years from now, we will meet again as i have my last chance to address you. i hope when we look back on our time together that we will say this, we had the foresight and courage to invest in virginia's

future, even though times were difficult. we helped create tens of thousands of new jobs, reduce the unemployment rate, expand the tax base and led the nation in job creation and economic development. that we embrace the education reform and did not let the old traditions get in the way of extending opportunity for all virginia's children. we put virginia and the vanguard of the movement to report good teachers, but more money into the classroom, expand opportunity in science, technology, science, health care, to be a leader in higher education and make college education more affordable and accessible for everybody. that we vigorously defended a constitutional right of all people to property -- [applause] >> that we seized the opportunity given by our vast

natural resources, technology, partnerships, ingenuity, that we built the roads, bridges, rails, and proved -- and approved our state. that we ensure the safety of our citizens by investing more in public safety. that we make government more cost-effective, user-friendly, simpler, and easier to navigate. our founders created this nation. they did so with courage, pledging their lives, fortunes, and their sacred honor. several of them gave their lives. most gave their fortunes, none ever lost their sacred honor. today, to under 34 years after the beginning of this nation, we should all pledge to one

another our best efforts to build a stronger and better virginia by focusing on getting results, not taking credit, on cooperation, and not our doing to -- and not arguing. i ask for your cooperation and the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. god bless the commonwealth of virginia. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010]

[applause] >> on this martin luther king holiday, a couple of programs honoring his legacy. first, an interfaith discussion on the relationship between spiritual practice and social change. also, president obama talks about the legacy of martin luther king. in honor of th