we must recommit ourselves and our state to meeting the challenges in front of us, to protecting our freedoms and acting as a successful laboratory for democracy, for innovation, for bold ideas. we worked hard to create a friendly business climate to invest, to build, and to raise a family and to create jobs. we know the best way to lift people out of poverty is a revised win with a good education and a good job. we must continue to pursue our progrowth reforms that jumpstart our economy. we must also continue to reform our outdated inefficient government system to deliver quality service to our customers, the taxpayers. we must continue to improve programs that protect our citizens and offer care to the

most vulnerable. we must continue to teach our children the value of hard work and personal responsibility. those are the values that lead to success and a great future in our state. we have worked hard to build a stronger economy. what holds us back as a state yet to how can we do better? and what are the challenges that we face that are remaining? their children can achieve their dreams. we know when we do this work there will be setbacks. but setbacks offer opportunities for comebacks.

areas that we must improve or risk stifling economic growth and our forward momentum. i want to tell you those three areas. have commissioner the long-term prosperity and oklahoma? the most important answer is educational detainment. they must rise and do better to have a higher rate of high school graduation rates and more career technology and higher education degrees. individuals need to have marketable work skills to flourish in today's economy. educated individuals succeed and expand. it is about creating more and better jobs in oklahoma.

it is also about providing a way out of poverty. education beyond high school is the new minimum for success. we will benefit from everything from higher earning salaries to less crime and less steep -- and less teen pregnancy. and pay taxpayers money. i want to offer my sincere thank you to my friends and higher education for successfully implementing our oklahoma complete college america program. we've increased -- give them a round of applause. we have increased science technology and their degree by

27%, helping to improve the quality of our work force and providing oklahoma with the skills they need for high paying high-tech jobs. we have created great teachers and professors who are dedicated to their students and their profession. they do a great job in teaching our students. i believe they can rise to the challenge and help them and help students meet and achieve academic goals. educators are important and they deserve our thanks. we need to work with them to improve student learning and deliver better outcomes.

in the last four years we have worked hard to deliver more accountability, more transparency, more public education, while focusing on early childhood literacy. as we have been able to recover over the last recent years, we have been able to put in $150 million back into funding k-12 education. $.50 of every dollar goes to education. the fact remains more needs to be done. we need to improve quickly. this is an all hands on deck challenge. we need to work and we need to get it done.

it leads to poverty and crime. community and personal safety will always be the top priority in oklahoma. anyone who is a threat to those around them needs to be locked up. violent criminals will stay in prison. here's the sad truth many of our inmates are nonviolent offenders with drug and alcohol problems. they don't need to spend time in a state penitentiary where they can join gangs and and acquire criminal networks. they need treatment, they need supervision, and they need to be returned to their families and back to their communities with help. some of these individuals are benefiting from successful public-private partnership and is transforming their lives. that is a smart on crime

initiative. for those who suffer from mental illness, we need to offer help and treatment and counseling to get them the help they need to diverse them from going in them -- to divert them from going into the congressional -- into correctional facilities. we will help people with mental health and substance abuse problems, help them get their lives back on track. the third issue is health. we must collectively work together to improve the health of our state and our citizens. we may not all agree on the way to get there or to do our goals, which has great access to care

to lower our costs with our insurance and shopping for insurance plans. these are important goals that need to be addressed. what we can all agree upon is encouraging personal responsibility and improving one's health. outcomes are destroying our quality of lives. leading to unnecessary deaths. it is time we take responsibility for these outcomes as a state and also as individuals. we are too good of a people to continue to be the worst to state in the nation when it

comes to health outcomes, one comes to prescription drug abuse, when it comes to one in 10 oklahomans have diabetes. i know we can improve. all of us need to find ways to participate. oklahoma has worked really hard. i want to give you one example that was a lot of fun to work on. that is to work with kevin the red and the governors get fit challenge. it was designed to get children up and moving.

it also increases resources for mental health and substance abuse treatment. i believe it will also help improve the outcomes of our state. once again we need to do more. we need to work with our health providers and employers that will make a real difference in the lives of oklahoma's and chart a better course for the health of our state. one of the big indicators of our overall health, because it is supposedly linked to smoking and obesity, is the prevalence of heart disease. if we are successful, and i leave we will be successful,

that alone will save 2400 lives in our state. i'm optimistic for the next four years. our goal should be to lay a stronger foundation to grow our state and improve our quality of lives for decades to come. collectively we should all commit ourselves to working together to make oklahoma the best place for people to be a little live, work, and raise a family. we can build strong families and safe communities. learning from our past successes and also confronting the challenges in front of us. there would also be ups and downs in our economy. we have successfully pushed

through those times. he was pursuing private-sector job growth. today is no different, tomorrow offers us a new day with old ideas and possibilities to dream big dreams for oklahoma. reducing incarceration and crime and improving our health outcomes are those that will directly impact our quality of lives for the state of oklahoma. every parent wants their children to have opportunities and even more opportunities than they did. we must address these challenges that i just listed. i have great confidence and in

our lawmakers. i'm excited to usher in a new generation of prosperity and forward momentum to make oklahoma the best place to live and to work and to raise a family for generations to come. we are deeply honored to be of a to serve the state of oklahoma and may god continue to bless our great state. thank you. >> sam brownback was reelected to a second term in november.

his speech in the state capital of topeka's about 30 minutes. >> mr. speaker, madam president legislators, elected officials cabinet members, leaders of

kansas sovereign tribes, please welcome for me my wife, the first lady lady of kansas, mary brownback. >> the one person i want to recognize in particular this evening, because he is one of the new people up front, the house minority leader tom burris. congratulations on the new leadership. [applause]

>> i saw the world's tallest waterslide. in your district it is close. it is a great place. welcome back, delighted to have all of you here today. i want to pay tribute to the men and women of our armed forces. major general paul is currently leading the fight against isis. he is in charge and leading that fight right now. he is in iraq, so obviously he is not here with us tonight. we wanted to recognize on the brave kansans who serve.

gentlemen, could you please stand so we could honor you. thank you. >> we are so proud of the military and our state. i am informed by the clerk's that 165 members of the current legislature, about 100 of them are new to this since 2010. many of you have not have the opportunity to hear from another governor other than me. for that, i don't apologize. but i will try to keep this

speech short, concise, and to the point. i have been given by the believe that government exists to serve the people. those who lead, those who govern must do so with courage and compassion. in that way we serve those we serve those best so that folks can live in freedom and dignity. that belief continues to guide my action today as it did four years ago when i did my first state of the state message. at that time we gathered to talk about the challenges, the biggest of which were the economy and budget. on that january night four years ago, more than 100,000 kansans were actively looking for work and could not find it. kansas res judicata minuet faith among -- we ranked near the bottom in private sector job

growth. the number of kansans in private sector employment had actually dropped in our state while state general fund spending had grown by a third. in fiscal year 2010, for the first and only time in kansas history, the general fund ended the fiscal year in a negative status. our economic and fiscal course was clearly unsustainable. it was time for change. from this podium, i announced that the days of expanding government were over and we went to work. we reform state government to better serve kansans by eliminating, consolidating, or privatizing multiple state agencies and redundant functions and reducing the public-sector workforce by 3000 positions. we embarked on a budgetary course that saw general fund expenditure growth grow at a lower rate than the previous nine governors, while continuing to support core government functions.

and serving kansans. with bipartisan support, we overhauled our economic development strategy established rural opportunity zones, and strengthened capers -- kapers. i submit these facts for your review. kansas has created more than 59,000 private sector jobs. [applause] our unemployment rate is tied for 10th lowest in the nation. [applause] and best yet, more kansans are working than ever in the history of our state. [applause]

personal income is rising. we are addressing the causes of poverty. and welfare rolls are cut in half. [applause] thanks to the efforts of our teachers and parents, kansas student test scores are among the best in the country, with record numbers enrolled in technical education. and our institutions of higher education are global leaders in illness such as animal health, aeronautics, and the fight against cancer. [applause] so mr. speaker and madam president, it is for these reasons and more that i can report to you that kansas is on the rise, and the state of the state is strong. [applause]

now, as we have always known as kansans, great achievements require work. it requires the courage to face challenges head-on and find solutions. the goal of the department of children and families is to be the agency of opportunity helping kansans move from property to prosperity. successes has been the number of people who have -- one of our great successes has been the number of people who left public assistance and found work. we have seen a 50% decline in the last four years. instead of welfare, we want kansas to enjoy the dignity of work and better lives and this

is to be celebrated. valerie is here with us, a single mother who was on assistance. with the help of our training program, she is earning full-time wages in the medical industry. valerie and her son are here with us. valerie, would you and your son please stand so we can recognize your courage and perseverance in moving forward? [applause] the army general was to get him in the army, and so the

summaries, so we have a competition for cortez. we will continue to help people move from dependence on the government to independents, putting forward programs that allow more able-bodied recipients -- one of the key ways out of poverty is through work, work that brings hope and a path forward. to move forward, we need all of kansas growing. this includes urban corridors that into many cases have seen the problems multiply and their solutions divide. in the first term, we implemented rural opportunity zones that this legislature passed, and it has been a success. 77 counties have embraced it, with more than 2000 applicants received to date. and more than a quarter of those from out-of-state. people are coming to kansas for

opportunity and growth. it is time to take the same successful concept to our urban core, and i'm proposing to use the same tools in kansas city, wichita, and to become. this will help more kansans succeed, and will draw more people to our state. even as we celebrate our successes, we must acknowledge that the most recent eta regarding state government revenue and expenditures presents a clear challenge that must be addressed. for the past several weeks, we have been in consultation with government, business, and industry leaders, regarding shared fiscal concerns. they have been generous with their time, and frank with their advice. tomorrow, i will present this legislature a proposed two-year budget that will be in balance with revenues exceeding expenditures each of those fiscal years.

and we will continue our march to zero income taxes. we will do this because the states with no income tax consistently grow faster than those with high income taxes. there may be some who consider this course to goal. while i am the sort of guy who would have sent alex gordon from third base.

getting our income taxes 20 represents our best opportunity. they represent our best opportunity for long-term growth. i propose this budget as a starting point in your deliberations. i understand and appreciate fully that the power of the purse is yours, and does not belong to any other branch of government. you are good with that one. that is in the constitution. in my travels around kansas, i found what i expect most of you have with your visit with the people we serve. i love kansas and iowa kansas.

they are thoughtful, decent. they prize liberty, celebrate achievement, and recognize shared responsibility. they want government to focus on its poor functions -- to provide quality services, good schools, good roads, low taxes. they understand the importance of living within our means and meeting our obligations. they know the importance of a promise, whether to friends family, or business, and recognizing that promise, they pay their debts on time and in full. the kansas constitution should reflect that as well. i am proposing legislature to pass a constitutional amendment put before the voters, stating that the debt of the state is a general obligation of the state and we will pay at first.

those who make state policy in the people's name have to make the tough choices. those who refuse, don't lead. everyone will be able to find things in the budget i put forth that they disagree with or don't like. i hope as you review the budget, you put forth what you would do to make it better. but as we go about this work please bear two things in mind. first, the family budget is more powerful than the government budget. --, a growing economy that is and second -- a growing economy that is adding private sector jobs and increasing personal income can fix a government budget. [applause] conversely, a growing government budget cannot bring lasting prosperity to its citizens by

appropriating ever more of their earnings. if we could spend our way to paradise, we would already be there. [applause] i found this amazing. it took 40 governors of kansas to get to our first $1 billion level government fund expenditure. it was 40 governors before we ever reached $1 billion in general fund expenditures. the next four governors saw that number hit $6 billion. that government spending growth was not reflective of the trajectory of our population or of the economy. it was government getting too big too fast. taking too much of your money. the era of ever-expanding government is over, because it has to be. [applause]

the major drivers in state spending increases are what you think they are -- k-12 education, public pensions, and medicaid. over the past several years, in addition to providing medical care in war zones around the world, lt. governor colyer has led our efforts to improve services and control costs in medicaid. the results have been good. waiting lists are down and services are up. costs are growing, but at a slower rate than before. on pensions, we have enacted reform and succeeded in devoting considerably more resources to what was a badly underfunded system. in 2010, according to the pew center, kansas had the second

worst funded pensions system in america among all the u.s. , states. thanks to the reforms undertaken since, done with bipartisan support, our rankings have improved and we are now middle-of-the-pack. understand though, that the unfunded liability in kpers vastly exceeds any issues with our year-to-year budget. it dwarfs every other item on the state balance sheet. all of those truly interested in fiscal prudence should support putting our state retirement system on a sound long-term footing. [applause] now, on the matter of k-12 spending, a majority of the projected shortfall we face is due to increases in k-12 spending since fiscal year 2014.

let me repeat that. a majority of the projected shortfall we face is due to increases in k-12 spending. since fiscal year 2014. for decades now, kansas has struggled under a school finance formula which is designed not to be understood -- to frustrate efforts at accountability and efficiency. a formula designed to lock in automatic, massive increases in spending unrelated to actual student populations or improved student achievement. a formula which calculates that we have added more than 100,000 new students to the public schools, while the actual census has grown by a fraction of that number -- an accounting scheme that claims cuts to per-pupil spending even as budget increases dramatically outpace increases in student population. not surprisingly, that formula has been under litigation in

for 40 years. just within the last few weeks the latest ruling was issued in a suit filed under the previous administration. in the words of that court ruling, "one cannot classify the school financing structure as reliably constitutionally sound." i agree. friends, it is time for a new school finance formula. [applause] that formula should reflect real-world costs and put dollars

in classrooms with real students, not in bureaucracy and buildings and artificial gimmicks. that formula should be about improving student achievement and school accountability, not bureaucratic games. [applause] my suggestion to you is simple and i believe necessary -- a timeout in the school finance wars. in this two-year budget, the legislature should appropriate money directly to school districts, so it can be spent where it is needed most, and that's in the classroom. at the same time, the legislature should repeal the existing school finance formula and allow itself sufficient time to write a new modern formula that meets our needs for great 21st century schools. and as we go about that process, it should be accountable to local parents and voters because here the people rule.

[applause] accountability. you have heard me say that we must be accountable with our budget and education policy. that accountability should extend to how our elected officials and judiciary are selected. currently, most elected officials in kansas are chosen in elections when the fewest voters participate. in general, spring elections see a mere fraction of the voters who participate in fall elections, generally with about 10% of eligible voters coming to the polls in the spring. yet that's when most of our elected officials are selected. that does not honor our values of wanting higher voter participation. it is time to move local elections to the fall. [applause]

it also is time we change the way we pick our supreme court. [applause] recently, the legislature introduced a greater element of public accountability to judicial selection by reforming the process for selecting appellate court judges. it is time for similar reforms to apply to the kansas supreme court. currently, we have the least democratic system in america to select supreme court justices. the legislature should put before kansas voters a proposed constitutional amendment for a more democratic selection process -- one either based on the federal model, or providing for direct election of supreme court justices, as we did for

the first 100 years of our existence as a state. with the court involving itself in so many public policy issues, it is time the selection process be more democratic. [applause] now we turn to a subject that will directly affect the future of every single kansan. and that is water. in my first term, i challenged my administration and the citizens of kansas to develop a long-term vision for the future of the water supply in our state. and you answered that challenge. now it is time for us to act. water is an intensely passionate issue, where local situations vary enormously. we have not yet accomplished a plan that ensures adequate water supplies throughout our state for the next 50 years, but this will happen before my second term is concluded.

when i began my comments this evening, i told you that throughout my career, i have been driven by a belief that we are here to serve others. it is a god-given responsibility , and we, as elected officials must accept that and act upon it. we are at our best when we stir within ourselves our better angels. when our hearts are tender to what god is tender to -- the poor, the voiceless, the powerless. we should see human life as sacred, and recognize its immeasurable worth in every human condition. whether at the beginning of life, or the end of life, kansas is the most pro-life state in america. and we are not going back. [applause]

so let us be wise and loving in how we serve the people, particularly those in the greatest need, at the time of their greatest need. we need a budget that is adequate and not pernicious. we need social policies that are wise and helpful, and which lead people from dependence to independence. we need strong, healthy marriages and families. as i said at the inauguration, big government can never be big enough to replace the family. and we need vision to pass on to our children and their children to come. a vision of kansas that stands the test of time because it is built on the truth. so as we move forward in this legislative session, let us be

wise and compassionate and act in the way that the ancients told us to. that is that our actions should be "first pure, then peaceable gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." thank you, and may god grant us -- thank you. i wish you all godspeed in this legislative session, and a look forward to working with you throughout it. and may god grant us all grace mercy and truth to carry out our duties. the night. -- good night. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2015]

>> the deadline for the c-span student cam video competition is to stay, so get your entries completed now. produce a documentary on the theme of the three branches and you," for your chance to win a grand prize of $5,000. coming up tomorrow night, a discussion on racism in america with the number of students, activists, and law enforcement officials. this event took place in cleveland, where african-americans recently died in jewish and involving the police. the panel looked at those and other issues related to racism and its impact on the community. >> i don't think that black people or brown people have the

power to be racist, in a sense. what i mean by that is that if you slap me, and i'm upset that you slap me, and i slap you back -- i am not encouraging anybody to slap anybody. but i am reacting to what you have done to me. that is exactly what is going on here. we do not have the power. you see what shakira has talked about. she was talking about institutionalized racism, the power to create and enact laws, the power to stop a person from doing something, or allowing them to do it. there is discrimination across the entire globe. look at what is happening in nigeria in this moment. look at what is happening in places of europe and parts of asia, and so on. there are all types of people. what we see across the globe is that there is hatred that exists, self-hatred and help -- and hatred for other people.

it is not just going on here in america, and it did not just start. we talk about racism like just starting in civil rights, but it started with the native americans. you cannot forget about all the people who have been impacted by the idea that i am better than you. i am better than you, and you do not deserve to be in the same space. you are mini me. it happens with race, with men and women, all kinds of culture -- places in africa and pakistan where there are tribal issues. my tribe is better than your tribe. once we look at it from a global perspective, we will be successful. >> you can see all that use forum, hosted by the city club of cleveland tomorrow night at 8:00 eastern here on c-span. monday night on "the communicators," we look at the new developments in the

technology industry. we met up with three guests at this year's consumer electronics show in las vegas. jerry shapiro, ceo of the consumer electronics association, the president and ceo of ford motor company, and the fcc commissioner. >> in a sense, solving problems of the world. if you look at the show, what we are talking about is transportation problems. driverless cars, safe cars. through production, there are a lot of ways to connect them, watering crops, you know what water you use. health care are exploding. sensors which get information to your doctor, analyze information, use the cloud. safety in the home, safety of everything.

we are going to do something about these things. [indiscernible] >> we're doing satellite products, video products. there is an impact on so many different items that come before

us. i get to learn a number of different products to work with that we might be involved with in the future. it is an opportunity to learn. >> monday night on c-span 2. tuesday night, president obama delivers his state of the union address. let coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern, including the president's speech, the gop response, delivered by iowa senator joni ernst, and your reaction through open phones. on c-span 2, watch the president speech and congressional reaction from statuary hall at the u.s. capitol. the state of the union address live on c-span. >> here on c-span, "newsmakers" is next, with republican senator john hoeven off north,. and mitt romney speaks to the

republican national committee at its winter meeting in california. coming up, a conversation with dr. anthony felt >> newsmakers is pleased to welcome john hoeven. he is the sponsor of the keystone xl pipeline bill. we will talk to him about that and other issues related to energy and policy. wall street journal's energy reporter. she is been following this debate. cq roll call congressional reporter. we are pleased to have both of you. >> we have been debating this bill for six years now. more and more people are saying that this debate is over blown that the job cost