Missouri's Democrat Governor Jay Nixon has really impressed me with his handling of the current crisis.
Here is an except from one of his speeches:
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for being here. My thanks to Chancellor Morton and Dean Tan for this opportunity to speak with you today. I'm pleased to have Kelvin Simmons, Commissioner of the Office of Administration, with me today. Kelvin is a key member of my team, and will oversee many of the reform initiatives I will discuss today.
About three weeks ago, I met with business leaders in Springfield, and laid out my blueprint to recalibrate the size and scope of state government.
It called for a clear-eyed reassessment of what government can do - and can't do - for our citizens.
That's what this blueprint is all about: refocusing priorities and doing fewer things, but doing them more efficiently, effectively, and with greater accountability to taxpayers.
This afternoon, I chose another group of business leaders - some of the best and brightest minds of today, and the students who will become the business leaders of tomorrow - to report back on our progress. In just three weeks, we have made solid headway.
Other states facing serious economic challenges have been paralyzed by partisan bickering, or distracted by desperate, untenable solutions.
Not the Show-Me State.
<SNIP>
As a fiscally conservative Democrat, I believe government must be efficient, effective, and economical.
Thrift is a virtue for all seasons: it serves us well in flush times, and is an absolute necessity in lean times.
My administration headed down that track on Day One, and we've stuck to it.
In the 15 months I have been Governor, I have:
Our early action, frugality and fiscal discipline continue to pay off.
National economic experts, like Moody's, consider Missouri one of the top states to lead the recovery.
Missouri is the only state in the Midwest with a triple-A bond rating from all three ratings firms.
You can read the rest of his remarks HERE.
I did not vote for Jay Nixon in 2008, but, through his actions in his first term, he has won my support.
Here is an except from one of his speeches:
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for being here. My thanks to Chancellor Morton and Dean Tan for this opportunity to speak with you today. I'm pleased to have Kelvin Simmons, Commissioner of the Office of Administration, with me today. Kelvin is a key member of my team, and will oversee many of the reform initiatives I will discuss today.
About three weeks ago, I met with business leaders in Springfield, and laid out my blueprint to recalibrate the size and scope of state government.
It called for a clear-eyed reassessment of what government can do - and can't do - for our citizens.
That's what this blueprint is all about: refocusing priorities and doing fewer things, but doing them more efficiently, effectively, and with greater accountability to taxpayers.
This afternoon, I chose another group of business leaders - some of the best and brightest minds of today, and the students who will become the business leaders of tomorrow - to report back on our progress. In just three weeks, we have made solid headway.
Other states facing serious economic challenges have been paralyzed by partisan bickering, or distracted by desperate, untenable solutions.
Not the Show-Me State.
<SNIP>
As a fiscally conservative Democrat, I believe government must be efficient, effective, and economical.
Thrift is a virtue for all seasons: it serves us well in flush times, and is an absolute necessity in lean times.
My administration headed down that track on Day One, and we've stuck to it.
In the 15 months I have been Governor, I have:
- Made budget cuts totaling $ 1.2 billion;
- Trimmed the state workforce by eighteen hundred positions. Those were difficult reductions, and we will be standing by those folks as they transition to other jobs.
- We cut the state energy bill by 6 percent, saving taxpayers $3 million; and
- We reined in spending in every department.
Our early action, frugality and fiscal discipline continue to pay off.
National economic experts, like Moody's, consider Missouri one of the top states to lead the recovery.
Missouri is the only state in the Midwest with a triple-A bond rating from all three ratings firms.
You can read the rest of his remarks HERE.
I did not vote for Jay Nixon in 2008, but, through his actions in his first term, he has won my support.
