GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER’S STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS
Wednesday, 01/05/2005 05:00 pm
…In these State of the State speeches, governors often begin by listing their accomplishments of the past year. I will do the same.
The year before I took office as governor, California had 300 days of sunshine. Last year, under my administration, we had 312 days of sunshine. That’s what true leadership is all about.
In all seriousness, this last year we faced some dark days. The shadow of 22 billion dollars in inherited debt loomed over us. The great state of California, the sixth largest economy in the world, the symbol of the American dream, faced economic ruin.
The most important thing we did last year–we grabbed California by the collar just before it slipped into a financial black hole. We slowed the growth in spending, renegotiated contracts, secured more than a billion dollars in new federal financial support. We should feel good about what we accomplished together.
Yet the greatest rescuers of the state are not those of us in this room, but the people of California. They are the ones who passed Prop 57, which issued the bonds to prevent the state’s collapse. They are the ones who passed Prop 58, which prevents the state from borrowing money to cover future deficits. I want to thank my fellow Californians for their confidence that together we can turn this government and its finances around
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The opinions expressed in this essay are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of CCS.
