January 8, 2007
Dear Fellow Nebraskans:
In recent days, our state celebrated several new beginnings, from the start of a new year, to the opening of the 100th Legislature, and the swearing in of state officials during Inauguration ceremonies. As I said in my Inaugural Address to members of the Legislature and other leaders from across our state, I am honored to be able to continue as the 39th Governor of this great state.
The experiences of the past year have provided me renewed energy and optimism about what lies ahead for our state, and while I have no doubt that there are exceptional opportunities on the horizon for Nebraska, we also find ourselves at a crossroads.
The reality we must face is that we have limited resources, which means that state government cannot afford to be all things to all people. While the days when the state could provide funding for every project are in the past, I would argue that we have extraordinary potential when it comes to making the strategic investments that will move Nebraska forward and make our communities even stronger.
Among those investments are opportunities to strengthen our education and economic development efforts. Nebraska provides excellent education to students of all ages, yet the reality we must confront is that too many of our young people leave Nebraska to begin their careers in other states and other countries.
Supporting efforts to create dynamic, 21st Century jobs for our sons and daughters will be one of my top priorities in the years to come. Education and Nebraska’s continued economic vitality go hand-in-hand, and it is my hope is that we can make these pillars of our state even stronger in the future. To do that we need to come together as educators, as business leaders and perhaps most importantly, as parents to ensure that we create opportunities for our young people to remain in Nebraska and be part of our great future.
A sustained focus on job creation and making Nebraska a competitive place for new business development is key to turning the tide and making our state a more attractive place for young workers and their families.
The need to create a 21st Century business climate across our state presents an opportunity for every Nebraskan to be involved in making changes that will positively impact our communities. The challenge from the state government perspective is to help create that dynamic business climate by controlling the growth of government spending, providing real and broad-based tax reform in the years ahead, and finding new ways for government to work with businesses in their job creation efforts.
I believe that we have a unique opportunity to make changes that will help create the real and sustained growth that is needed to ensure that our sons and daughters can remain here in our state.
We will begin the discussion of Nebraska’s future when I deliver the State of the State Address in the days to come. That discussion will center on providing tax relief for Nebraskans and moving our state toward a lower tax burden, starting with the reform of our income tax system.
There is also a need for our state to have an open, honest discussion on issues ranging from property taxes, to water supply challenges and efforts to restructure government in order to better serve the people of this state. These are just a few of the challenges I hope we can confront head-on in the months and years to come.
I have confidence in the people of this great state. My confidence stems from my belief that our people are our greatest resource. We have seen time and time again that Nebraskans have an incredible ability to come together to find solutions to the challenges we face, and so I want to encourage every Nebraskan to get engaged in these discussions. We have an unprecedented opportunity to make changes for the good of our state, and I am excited about what lies ahead.
Early on, I said that I had faith that Nebraskans would reward good performance so I am grateful for the confidence that’s been placed in me. A new term represents a new beginning, and so I pledge that I will continue to work as hard in the years to come as the first two I’ve spent as Governor of this great state.
