price. we are facing the same challenges america. i stand before for you today discipline conservative texan, a committed republican and a proud american, united with you and the desire to restore our nation and revive the american dream. [applause] i truly believe with all my heart that are shared conservative values, our belief in individual is the great hope of our nation. i say that with confidence because i have seen what we have done in texas over the last 10 years i credit are conservative leadership in that state for unmatched job creation including a 47.8% of all jobs created in america in the last two years. [applause]

yeah, i got a bragg a little bit on texas conservative values. we're the number 1 exporting state in the nation. we have a balanced budgetto boot. [applause] let me tell you -- that is what happens when conservative leadership that is willing to take a beating from the liberal left and their friends in. the media we happen to be a bunch of happy warriors working together and sticking to our guns and those conservative values. [applause] i have distilled my economic agenda down into what i consider to be some pretty simple guiding

principles. number one is don't spend all the money. [applause] #two is keep the taxes low and under. control [applause] 3 is have regulations that are fair and predictable so business owners know what to expect from one quarter to the next. [applause] #four, reform the legal system so that frivolous lawsuits don't paralyze employers that are trying to create real wealth. [applause] that is what we have done. over the last 10 years, we have followed that simple recipe. we have stopped lawsuit abuse. we have one of the lowest tax burdens in the nation. our per capita debt is limited. we keep adding jobs while others are losing them left and right. those job flee other states

because of factors like excess of taxation, punitive regulations, frivolous lawsuits. to preserve our job-friendly climate, the texas legislature did not raise taxes this last legislative session while balancing their budget and maintaining essential services. [applause] i might add that new budget least $6 billion in a rainy day fund. [applause] in texas, we truly believe you cannot defer tough decisions for tomorrow's generation. unlike washington, we don't have some foreign creditor to finance deficits spending either. [applause] last month, texas made sure that

frivolous lawsuits have even less chance of strangling job creation as we passed loser pays. it is lawsuit reform in the state of texas [applause] . to make sure that votes are never canceled out by illegal votes, we instituted a photo i.d. required and for every voter. [applause] when it comes to voting, one of the most precious, most powerful freedoms that we have, it is precious to us.

don't you think it is fair to apply at least the same standard required to get a library card or to board an airplane? [applause] our legislators also protected the sanctity of life with a bill that requires a sonogram on those contemplating abortion. [applause] think about this for just a second -- when liberals talk about protecting our most vulnerable population, i don't understand why there will not include the most vulnerable, those innocent, unborn children. when it comes to conservative social issues, it saddens me when sometimes my fellow

republicans duck and cover in the face of pressure from the left. i am reminded of what president c-pac inagan said -at 1977 prior to his winning the presidency. he said the time has come for us to see if it is possible to present a program of action based on political principle that can attract those interested in the so-called social issues and those interested in the economic issue. in short, is an impossible to combine the two major issues, those two major segments of contemporary american conservatism into one politically effective hope. i believe the answer is yes.

mr. president, i agree with you -- the answer is most definitely yes. we need to stop apologizing for celebrating life. we need to stop apologizing for wanting to protect an individual's rights to build a business. we need to stop apologizing about stemming the tide of entitlement mindset that is out there. [applause] thank you. we ought to be proud. of our efforts to give local parents and communities a say on how their children are educated, protecting the fundamental right of private property ownership. our party cannot be all things to all people. it cannot be.

our loudest opponents on the left are never going to like us so let's quit trying to curry favor with them. [applause] let's stand up. let's speak with pride about our morals and our values and redouble our efforts to collect more conservative republicans. let's stop this american downward spiral. [applause] we are doing this and it is happening because of too much spending, too much interfering, and too much apologizing. [applause] in my mind, there has always been two kinds of politicians -- those who seek office to gain personal power and those who

seek office to give power back to the people. in state houses across this country in the united states congress, conservative politicians, conservative leaders are working to return power to the people, turning back the tide of his unchecked spending and unbridled interference in state affairs. let me share something that is not a secret. they will never willingly give up an ounce of power in washington, d.c. until the american people stand up and demand that we adopt a. reform never will they do that. [applause] this administration may get up and mouth words about job

creation but they clearly consider enterprise a dirty word. they think the fruits of our labour needs to be spread around. the word i like to use from their courted ideology is to be redistributed. [laughter] this and was overreaching by the federal government is what motivated me to write "the bookfed up" last year. it is a discussion centered around us -- 10th amendment. the key phrase is power is not delegated to the united states by the constitution nor prohibited by the state's. it is not reserved to the states respectively or to the people. [applause] it is sample. it is elegance. it is to the point.

the framers of our constitution knew all too well what happens, distance too powerful government's hold sway over a nation. that is why they decentralize power out of washington, d.c. into the hands of the states. when states lead the way and they compete for ideas and resources and jobs, free market principles are allowed to act. great things happen. the states are proof that the best leadership is closest to the people, not hold up in washington, d.c. issuing these one size fits all mandates to try to fit the entire country. [applause] our goal is to displace the entrenched powers in washington, restore the rightful balance

between state and federal government. -- your pocket right now. take your phone out. it is ok. i wanted to take your phone at for a second and do something. if you believe what we are talking about -- if this whole concept of restoring the balance back to our country, decentralizing washington, d.c., take your phone out and text something to the number 9513. word' their 'for and textile to 9513. we will keep you apprised of what we are doing. we'll keep you informed about our efforts to restore that crucial balance between the states and washington and get america moving forward into the rightful role that our founding fathers knew would work.

in november of 2008, there were too many americans who voted for some vague promises about hope and change. they ended up with a unprecedented deficits, unrestrained spending, and on acceptable unemployment. americans voted for hoping that nothing but a greater economic misery. in november, 2010, americans and expressed their frustration with that misery and they voted for conservative republicans. [applause] in the united states congress and statehouses across the country, we have seen republican leaders turning the tide. november, 2012 is not very far away. [applause] we've got to be ready. to elect republican leaders up and down the ballot who will make government smaller so the

opportunity to get bigger will happen. i am preaching to the choir. america's greatness is not found in the size of its government. america's greatness results in the hearts and minds of our people. , their innovative approaches to solving problems, their ability to endure even in the toughest of times. if we want to stimulate the economy, we don't need more government spending. we need to on lease the private sector in america, the individual citizens who put their hours in at the job and pay their taxes. they are doing their best to take care of their families. the good news is, we have the wind at our back right now because americans are waking up to the realities of their previous choices. they are setting things right with their boats. votes.

the challenges facing state leaders on balanced budgets across the country. me share with you with that they are going to pale in comparison to what we will see in 2014 when that runaway train known as obama care it's our budgets. if congress or the courts do not derail obama care, state budgets will crumble under the massive financial burden. the republican majority in the house of representatives is starting to slow that trend down but we need to keep sending them reinforcements to bring that effort to a clear conclusion [applause] together, together, we must keep america moving back to preeminence because our values and conservative ideas are the world's greatest hope. like you, i still believe america is special.

[applause] i see a stronger america built on a solid foundation of spiritual strength, of individual liberty, of self- determination. we must recapture that vision and get the hard work of lighting the way for millions of americans who are adrift in the sea of economic misery. let's leave them to the safe harbor of american renewal and the shores of american an exceptional is lism. [applause] let's anchor them in the future of good jobs and a country founded on great ideals, restore the notion of a government of the people, for the people, by the people. if we don't do it, who will? if not now, when? there is no greater goal, no more crucial time than right now to take and make our stand to restore our economy, our families, our country and i

happen to know that we can and i know that you will. god bless you and thank you all for being out here today and god bless the united states of america. [applause] [cheers and chants]

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011] >> ron paul won the straw poll was 612 votes. jon huntsman was next with 382. michele bock and kept her third place with 191. rick perry was not included in the poll. coming up, washington journal. then at about 10:00 eastern, newsmakers. live with mayors from

philadelphia and oklahoma city. following that, a house hearing on the surveillance of illegal gun smuggling among the u.s.- mexico border. >> c-span has launched a new website for politics and the presidential race. with information on the cannabis, twitter feeds and facebook updates and links to c- span's media partners. visit us at c-span.org. >> and now the "washington journal" begins with your calls. carol lee and kasie hunt speak with your reaction to the republican leadership conference. then at 8:45, a cia analyst