Let me begin by congratulating our newest members, Representatives Mark Ferrandino and Christine Scanlan. We look forward to serving with each of you. I would also like you to welcome my mother to the chamber.
Thank you for allowing me to share some thoughts with you on this occasion. This is the fifth year I've had the privilege – it's also the last.
Representatives Borodkin, Garcia, Hodge, Jahn, Madden, Marshall, Stafford, White and I came in together – and we're going out together. Congratulations to each of you.
Today I want to tell you a story. It's not a story with a lot of characters in it. We're going to have plenty of those stories in the months ahead. We'll be talking about the 12,000 students who drop out of Colorado's high schools each year, the 107,000 Coloradans who don't have jobs, the 792,000 who don't have health insurance.
This morning I want to focus on just one person. A child, to be specific. A baby.
Some 70,000 babies will be born in Colorado in 2008 – enough to populate a House district.
This little fellow was one of the first to arrive. His name is Wyatt James Sheets. He was born on New Year's Day, at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs. He weighed in at 6 pounds and measured 18½ inches long.
Wyatt showed up four weeks ahead of schedule. His parents live in Colorado Springs, but they spent the holidays on the Western Slope. Wyatt's mother began having contractions during a New Year's Day service at the Rocky Mountain Baptist Church in Rifle, where her father-in-law is a pastor. I think Wyatt was just in a hurry to make good on his father's wish – that he become a NASCAR driver (His dad wanted to name him Dale, as in Earnhardt, but he lost that argument.)
Wyatt's father, James, is an Army mechanic at Fort Carson. He served two tours of duty in Iraq, where he drove a tank with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. Wyatt's mother, Alicea, directed an after-school program and takes care of their three daughters. Wyatt's sisters helped decorate his room and pick out his crib. His oldest sister, Ashley, even said she thought it was "cool to have a little brother."
James and Alicea want what all parents want – a better quality of life for their children. They want Wyatt to get the best education in the world. They want a doctor or a nurse to care for him when he gets sick and to help make sure that he stays healthy. They want Wyatt to live a happy and rewarding life.
James and Alicea have high expectations for their son – and for the state in which they plan to raise him. But for Wyatt to fulfill his potential, we have to fulfill ours. Wyatt's well-being will depend on the decisions that James and Alicea make in the months and years ahead. In the long run, his success will hinge on the decisions that he makes for himself.
But the quality of Wyatt's life will also rest on the decisions that we make here, in this chamber, this year. We're not his parents; nobody can take their place. But we can make it easier for James and Alicea to prosper and for Wyatt to thrive. That's what I want to talk about this morning.
Let's fast forward a few years. It's 2011 or 2012, and Wyatt is old enough to start preschool. Whether he does is a choice his parents will have to make. But right now, you and I have a choice to make as well. Let's make the right choice. Let's say yes to high-quality preschool and full-day kindergarten.
Early childhood education is one of the single most effective investments we can make. Let's help more parents like James and Alicea give their children a smart start on school.
By 2014, Wyatt will be old enough to start first grade. Most of the teachers he'll have then have already been hired or are being recruited right now.
We need to do a better job of training, retaining and rewarding high-skilled teachers, especially those who agree to work in the schools, with the students, and in the subjects that present the greatest challenges.
Let's equip our teachers with the tools they need – the time, the training, the technology – to give Wyatt a world-class education. Let's put a top-flight teacher in his classroom, and in every classroom.
Of course, even the best teacher in the world will find it tough to teach in a school that's falling down. Wyatt deserves a learning environment that is safe and healthy and educationally enriching – not a building where the roof is caving in or the floorboards are so rotten that they can't even hold up his desk. Yet students are going to back to school this week in buildings just like that, especially in rural Colorado – in the San Luis Valley and the Arkansas Valley and the Eastern Plains.
That is fundamentally unacceptable in a state as affluent as ours. Dozens of factors will affect Wyatt's ability to get a good education, but his zip code shouldn't be one of them.
It's time for the BEST plan – to Build Excellent Schools Today, schools designed not for the 19th century or the 20th century but for Wyatt's century, the 21st century. This plan will allow us to meet our schools' most critical health and safety needs. I want to thank Treasurer Kennedy for helping us identify nearly $1 billion in state and local resources. This will be the most significant investment in school construction since statehood.
It's a little too soon to ask Wyatt what he wants to be when he grows up. But here's one thing we do know: What he earns will depend on what he learns.
The workforce Wyatt enters 20 or 25 years from now will face stiff competition not just from other states but from other countries, too. We should prepare Wyatt to meet the demands of a global economy. He'll need more than a high-school diploma. He'll need some form of higher education – whether that means vocational training or an advanced degree.
Let's keep the cost of college within his reach. Wyatt and his classmates should be able to get a good education even if their parents aren't very well off. In our country, where you come from shouldn't dictate where you end up.
Wyatt may be a long way from joining the workforce, but there are some steps we can take right now to strengthen the economy that awaits him. First, we should continue to invest in our infrastructure. Wyatt shouldn't have to spend all of his money fixing the roads and bridges that you and I neglected.
Second, we should support homegrown industries like aerospace, bioscience and renewable energy – industries in which Colorado is already gaining a competitive edge.
We should make sure there are plenty of good jobs for Wyatt to choose from – whether he farms wind or wheat, pilots a jet or peers into a microscope.
Third, we should simplify our tax code, so that Wyatt's employer doesn't have to hire an army of accountants just to do business here. And as for our smallest employers – the 45,000 entrepreneurs who form the backbone of Colorado's economy – we should spare them the burden of the business personal property tax once and for all.
There's one other step we should take to shore up Wyatt's financial future – and that is to save for a downturn. Even in a state as sunny as Colorado, a rainy-day fund makes good sense.
We've talked about helping Wyatt get a smart start, a top-flight teacher, and a safe place to go to school. We've talked about his prospects for college and for work. But more than anything else, what will enable Wyatt to live a long and productive life – the top priority of every parent – is his health.
If Wyatt had been born in 1908, he would have been lucky to live past the age of 50. That was the average life expectancy in America a hundred years ago. Babies born in the United States today can expect to live 78 years or more. Wyatt's parents hope that he'll live to see the 22nd century.
Wyatt is lucky to have been born in the most prosperous nation on the face of the earth. America's medical facilities and services are among the finest in the world. What we need to figure out, as a state and as a nation, is how to make those services available to Wyatt and his parents, at a price they can afford – and how to help them stay healthy enough to avoid having to go to a hospital in the first place.
Those are some of the questions we're going to answer over the next four months. But there are several steps we should take right now.
First, we should cut the cost of health care. Administrative expenses eat up as much as a quarter of every health-care dollar.
We can get a much bigger bang for our buck. We can save more than $100 million just by standardizing ID cards and claim forms, streamlining the processes we use to verify eligibility and credential providers, and simplifying procedures for prior authorization and appeals.
When Wyatt was born, his condition, his progress and his test results were all recorded on paper. Valley View Hospital is still developing an electronic information system. We can save money and reduce the risk of medical errors – without compromising Wyatt's privacy – by bringing more of our hospitals into the 21st century.
Second, we should reduce the ranks of the uninsured. Wyatt's family has health insurance. But one out of every six people in this state doesn't. The average family in Colorado will spend $1,000 this year treating the uninsured.
Here's one point I hope we can agree on – every child should have health coverage. Children without insurance are 10 times more likely to miss out on the immunizations and check-ups they need to stay healthy. Uninsured children are more likely to get sick. They are more likely to stay sick. And they are more likely to die. Let's end this debate and cover our kids.
Third, we should put a premium on prevention. The emergency room ought to be a last resort, not a primary source of care. We should give Wyatt and his parents every incentive to stay healthy – and to exercise personal responsibility. Let's reduce their premiums if they curb their cholesterol, lower their blood pressure, or quit smoking. Let's minimize their co-payments for preventive care and chronic-care management. Let's encourage them to take advantage of health and wellness programs.
The last – and in some ways, the most important – step we can take to improve Wyatt's health is to protect his environment. The more we contaminate Colorado – the more we foul our air and pollute our water – the more we diminish Wyatt's quality of life.
We can do better. We can restore the health of our forests and replenish our rivers. We can help our ranchers and farmers hold on to their lands for future generations. And – this is key – we can find new and more efficient ways to heat our homes, fuel our cars, and power our economy.
Greenhouse gases pose the most serious threat to Wyatt's environment. If we don't acknowledge and attack the causes of global warming – if we don't become, in Governor Ritter's words, more "stubborn stewards" of this fragile planet – we will jeopardize Wyatt's chances of surviving on it.
Now some folks will try to trick James and Alicea into believing that they have to choose between a high standard of living for themselves or for their son. That's a false choice. When it comes to energy, James and Alicea do have choices to make – and so do we. But these choices won't enslave Wyatt's family or bankrupt their budget. In fact, our new energy economy is already creating thousands of new jobs.
We don't have to savage the economy in order to salvage the environment. Quite the opposite: we can sustain both.
For James and Alicea, that means conserving more energy. It may even mean generating their own.
For us, it means providing rebates, loans and credit for those who produce renewable energy, and removing the barriers that stand in their way.
For Wyatt, it will mean a cleaner, greener place to call home.
In the end, what James and Alicea want – what Wyatt deserves – is a shot at the American Dream: the chance to enjoy a solid education, a steady job, a safe and healthy place to live and grow up. That's not too much for them to expect, and it's not too much for us to deliver.
There may be some distant corner of the earth where it is considered acceptable for children to languish without those opportunities. There have certainly been such times in our nation's history. But not here, not now, not in the 21st century.
By the time Wyatt reaches the ripe old age of 42, this century will be half-over, or half-begun. Colorado will be home to nine million people – four-and-a-half times as many as there were when I was born, 42 years ago.
What will become of Wyatt, of James and Alicea, and of all the people lucky enough to live here in the year 2050? That's mostly up to them. But for the next 120 days, it's also up to us. Let's get started.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Transcript of Hillary Clinton's New Hampshire Primary Speech January 8, 2008
Thank you. Thank you so much. I come tonight with a very, very full heart. And I want especially to thank New Hampshire. Over the last week, I listened to you and in the process, I found my own voice.
I felt like we all spoke from our hearts, and I am so gratified that you responded. Now, together, let’s give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me.For all the ups and downs of this campaign, you helped remind everyone that politics isn’t a game. This campaign is about people. It’s about making a difference in your lives. It’s about making sure that everyone in this country has the opportunity to live up to his or her God-given potential. That has been the work of my life.
We are facing a moment of so many big challenges. We know we face challenges here at home, around the world, so many challenges for the people whose lives I’ve been privileged to be part of. I’ve met families in this state and all over our country who have lost their homes to foreclosures. Men and women who work day and night but can’t pay the bills and hope they don’t get sick because they can’t afford health insurance. Young people who can’t afford to go to college to pursue their dreams.
Too many have been invisible for too long. Well, you are not invisible to me.
The oil companies, the drug companies, the health insurance companies, the predatory student loan companies have had seven years of a president who stands up for them. It’s time we had a president who stands up for all of you.
I intend to be that president, to be a president who puts you first - your lives, your families, your children, your future. I believe deeply in America, in our can-do spirit, in our ability to meet any challenge and solve any problem. I believe in what we can do together. In the future, we will build together. There will be no more invisible Americans. So we’re going to take what we’ve learned here in New Hampshire, and we’re going to rally on and make our case. We are in it for the long run.
And that is because we are in it for the American people. This victory will serve notice that people across our country know what’s really at stake, that we will all be called upon to deliver on the promise of America.
We’ll be called upon to deliver on the promise that the middle class will grow and prosper again, to deliver on the promise the government will be of the people, by the people and for the people, not just the privileged few, to deliver on the promise that every generation will have their shot at the American dream, to deliver on the promise that we’ll have the will and the wisdom to end the war in Iraq the right way, to deliver on the promise to take care of our brave veterans and restore America’s standing, respect, and credibility around the world.We know that for the promise of America to be real, we are called upon to deliver on that promise. And if you join in this call to greatness, we will, together, answer. So tomorrow, we’re going to get up, roll up our sleeves and keep going.
I invite you to come join us at Hillaryclinton.com. We’re going to tap into all of the spirit, the talent and just the plain grit of this great nation again.
We are determined to tackle our toughest problems and stand up to those who most need a champion because we are determined to make America work again for all of our people.We came back tonight because you spoke loudly and clearly. You want this campaign to be about you because there is so much at stake for our country.
I have so many people to thank. I want to thank the two most important people in my life, Bill and Chelsea. I want to thank them for their incredible commitment, their passion and their heart. I want to thank my entire family, particularly my mother, who is watching tonight.
I want to thank the extraordinary team here in New Hampshire that never faltered one minute. That team had a great staff. It had volunteers and supporters from across the state and this country. I want to thank the young people across New Hampshire who came out.They asked the hard questions and they voted their hearts and their minds and I really appreciate it.
Finally, I want to say how much I respect our Democratic candidates. Senators Dodd and Biden who were in the race earlier have given great service to our country. Governor Richardson, Congressman Kucinich, Senator Edwards and Senator Obama.
They all have put themselves on the line day and night on behalf of this country we love so much.
This campaign will transform America because we will take on the challenges. We will seize the opportunities. Every single day, I am not going out there on my own. I am going out there accompanied by millions and millions of people who believe, as I do, that this country is worth fighting for.
Thank you, and God bless you!
I felt like we all spoke from our hearts, and I am so gratified that you responded. Now, together, let’s give America the kind of comeback that New Hampshire has just given me.For all the ups and downs of this campaign, you helped remind everyone that politics isn’t a game. This campaign is about people. It’s about making a difference in your lives. It’s about making sure that everyone in this country has the opportunity to live up to his or her God-given potential. That has been the work of my life.
We are facing a moment of so many big challenges. We know we face challenges here at home, around the world, so many challenges for the people whose lives I’ve been privileged to be part of. I’ve met families in this state and all over our country who have lost their homes to foreclosures. Men and women who work day and night but can’t pay the bills and hope they don’t get sick because they can’t afford health insurance. Young people who can’t afford to go to college to pursue their dreams.
Too many have been invisible for too long. Well, you are not invisible to me.
The oil companies, the drug companies, the health insurance companies, the predatory student loan companies have had seven years of a president who stands up for them. It’s time we had a president who stands up for all of you.
I intend to be that president, to be a president who puts you first - your lives, your families, your children, your future. I believe deeply in America, in our can-do spirit, in our ability to meet any challenge and solve any problem. I believe in what we can do together. In the future, we will build together. There will be no more invisible Americans. So we’re going to take what we’ve learned here in New Hampshire, and we’re going to rally on and make our case. We are in it for the long run.
And that is because we are in it for the American people. This victory will serve notice that people across our country know what’s really at stake, that we will all be called upon to deliver on the promise of America.
We’ll be called upon to deliver on the promise that the middle class will grow and prosper again, to deliver on the promise the government will be of the people, by the people and for the people, not just the privileged few, to deliver on the promise that every generation will have their shot at the American dream, to deliver on the promise that we’ll have the will and the wisdom to end the war in Iraq the right way, to deliver on the promise to take care of our brave veterans and restore America’s standing, respect, and credibility around the world.We know that for the promise of America to be real, we are called upon to deliver on that promise. And if you join in this call to greatness, we will, together, answer. So tomorrow, we’re going to get up, roll up our sleeves and keep going.
I invite you to come join us at Hillaryclinton.com. We’re going to tap into all of the spirit, the talent and just the plain grit of this great nation again.
We are determined to tackle our toughest problems and stand up to those who most need a champion because we are determined to make America work again for all of our people.We came back tonight because you spoke loudly and clearly. You want this campaign to be about you because there is so much at stake for our country.
I have so many people to thank. I want to thank the two most important people in my life, Bill and Chelsea. I want to thank them for their incredible commitment, their passion and their heart. I want to thank my entire family, particularly my mother, who is watching tonight.
I want to thank the extraordinary team here in New Hampshire that never faltered one minute. That team had a great staff. It had volunteers and supporters from across the state and this country. I want to thank the young people across New Hampshire who came out.They asked the hard questions and they voted their hearts and their minds and I really appreciate it.
Finally, I want to say how much I respect our Democratic candidates. Senators Dodd and Biden who were in the race earlier have given great service to our country. Governor Richardson, Congressman Kucinich, Senator Edwards and Senator Obama.
They all have put themselves on the line day and night on behalf of this country we love so much.
This campaign will transform America because we will take on the challenges. We will seize the opportunities. Every single day, I am not going out there on my own. I am going out there accompanied by millions and millions of people who believe, as I do, that this country is worth fighting for.
Thank you, and God bless you!
Transcript of Barack Obama's Speech Announcing His Candidacy for President February 10, 2007
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS
Thank you so much. Praise and honor to God for bringing us together today. Thank you so much. I am so grateful to see all of you.
Let me begin by saying thanks to all of you who've traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today.
I'm fired up.
We all made this journey for a reason. It's humbling to see a crowd like this , but in my heart I know you didn't come here just for me. No, you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe that we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union.
That's the journey we're on today. But let me tell you how I came to be here. As most of you know, I am not a native of this great state. I moved to Illinois over two decades ago. I was a young man then, just a year out of college; I knew no one in Chicago when I arrived, was without money or family connections. But a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for the grand sum of $13,000 a year. And I accepted the job, sight unseen, motivated then by a single, simple, powerful idea — that I might play a small part in building a better America.
My work took me to some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. I joined with pastors and lay-people to deal with communities that had been ravaged by plant closings. I saw that the problems people faced weren't simply local in nature — that the decision to close a steel mill was made by distant executives; that the lack of textbooks and computers in schools could be traced to the skewed priorities of politicians a thousand miles away; and that when a child turns to violence, I came ot realize that there's a hole in that boy's heart no government could ever fill.
It was in these neighborhoods that I received the best education I ever had, and where I learned the meaning of my Christian faith.
After three years of this work, I went to law school, because I wanted to understand how the law should work for those in need. I became a civil rights lawyer, and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened electorate. It was with these ideas in mind that I arrived in this capital city as a state Senator.
It was here, in Springfield, where I saw all that is America converge — farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them clamoring to be heard. I made lasting friendships here — friends that I see in the audience here today.
It was here we learned to disagree without being disagreeable — that it's possible to compromise so long as you know those principles that can never be compromised; and that so long as we're willing to listen to each other, we can assume the best in people instead of the worst.
It's why we were able to reform a death penalty system that was broken. That's why we were able to give health insurance to children in need. That's why we made the tax system right here in Springfield more fair and just for working families, and that's why we passed ethics reforms that the cynics said could never, ever be passed.
It was here, in Springfield, where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people — where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America.
And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.
Now listen, I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness — a certain audacity — to this announcement. I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.
The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed. And we should take heart, because we've changed this country before. In the face of tyranny, a band of patriots brought an Empire to its knees. In the face of secession, we unified a nation and set the captives free. In the face of Depression, we put people back to work and lifted millions out of poverty. We welcomed immigrants to our shores, we opened railroads to the west, we landed a man on the moon, and we heard a King's call to let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done. Today we are called once more — and it is time for our generation to answer that call. For that is our unyielding faith — that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.
That's what Abraham Lincoln understood. He had his doubts. He had his defeats. He had his setbacks. But through his will and his words, he moved a nation and helped free a people. It is because of the millions who rallied to his cause that we are no longer divided, North and South, slave and free. Because men and women of every race, from every walk of life, continued to march for freedom long after Lincoln was laid to rest, that today we have the chance to face the challenges of this millennium together, as one people — as Americans.
All of us know what those challenges are today — a war with no end, a dependence on oil that threatens our future, schools where too many children aren't learning, and families struggling paycheck to paycheck despite working as hard as they can. We know the challenges. We've heard them. We've talked about them for years.
What's stopped us from meeting these challenges is not the absence of sound policies and sensible plans. What's stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics — the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle the big problems of America.
For the last six years we've been told that our mounting debts don't matter, we've been told that the anxiety Americans feel about rising health care costs and stagnant wages are an illusion, we've been told that climate change is a hoax, we've been told that tough talk and an ill-conceived war can replace diplomacy, and strategy, and foresight. And when all else fails, when Katrina happened, or the death toll in Iraq mounts, we've been told that our crises are somebody else's fault. We're distracted from our real failures, and told to blame the other party, or gay people, or immigrants.
And as people have looked away in disillusionment and frustration, we know what's filled the void. The cynics, the lobbyists, the special interests who've turned our government into a game only they can afford to play. They write the checks and you get stuck with the bills, they get the access while you get to write a letter, they think they own this government, but we're here today to take it back. The time for that kind of politics is over. It is through. It's time to turn the page right here and right now.
Now look, we have made some progress already. I was proud to help lead the fight in Congress that led to the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate.
But Washington has a long way to go. And it won't be easy. That's why we'll have to set priorities. We'll have to make hard choices. And although government will play a crucial role in bringing about the changes that we need, more money and programs alone will not get us to where we need to go. Each of us, in our own lives, will have to accept responsibility — for instilling an ethic of achievement in our children, for adapting to a more competitive economy, for strengthening our communities, and sharing some measure of sacrifice. So let us begin. Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation.
Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let's set high standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let's recruit a new army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability. Let's make college more affordable, and let's invest in scientific research, and let's lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America. We can do that.
And as our economy changes, let's be the generation that ensures our nation's workers are sharing in our prosperity. Let's protect the hard-earned benefits their companies have promised. Let's make it possible for hardworking Americans to save for retirement. Let's allow our unions and their organizers to lift up this country's middle-class again. We can do that.
Let's be the generation that ends poverty in America. Every single person willing to work should be able to get job training that leads to a job, and earn a living wage that can pay the bills, and afford child care so their kids can have a safe place to go when they work. We can do this. And let's be the generation that finally tackles our health care crisis. We can control costs by focusing on prevention, by providing better treatment for the chronically ill, and using technology to cut the bureaucracy. Let's be the generation that says right here, right now, we will have universal health care in America by the end of the next president's first term. We can do that.
Let's be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil. We can harness homegrown, alternative fuels like ethanol and spur the production of more fuel-efficient cars. We can set up a system for capping greenhouse gases. We can turn this crisis of global warming into a moment of opportunity for innovation, and job creation, and an incentive for businesses that will serve as a model for the world. Let's be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here.
Most of all, let's be the generation that never forgets what happened on that September day and confront the terrorists with everything we've got. Politics doesn't have to divide us on this anymore — we can work together to keep our country safe. I've worked with Republican Senator Dick Lugar to pass a law that will secure and destroy some of the world's deadliest weapons. We can work together to track down terrorists with a stronger military, we can tighten the net around their finances, and we can improve our intelligence capabilities and finally get homeland security right. But let us also understand that ultimate victory against our enemies will come only by rebuilding our alliances and exporting those ideals that bring hope and opportunity to millions of people around the globe. We can do those things.
But all of this cannot come to pass until we bring an end to this war in Iraq. Most of you know that I opposed this war from the start. I thought it was a tragic mistake. Today we grieve for the families who have lost loved ones, the hearts that have been broken, and the young lives that could have been. America, it is time to start bringing our troops home. It's time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war. That's why I have a plan that will bring our combat troops home by March of 2008. Letting the Iraqis know that we will not be there forever is our last, best hope to pressure the Sunni and Shia to come to the table and find peace.
And there is one other thing that is not too late to get right about this war — and that is the homecoming of the men and women — our veterans — who have sacrificed the most. Let us honor their courage by providing the care they need and rebuilding the military they love. Let us be the generation that begins that work.
I know there are those who don't believe we can do all these things. I understand the skepticism. After all, every four years, candidates from both parties make similar promises, and I expect this year will be no different. All of us running for president will travel around the country offering ten-point plans and making grand speeches; all of us will trumpet those qualities we believe make us uniquely qualified to lead the country. But too many times, after the election is over, and the confetti is swept away, all those promises fade from memory, and the lobbyists and the special interests move in, and people turn away, disappointed as before, left to struggle on their own.
That's why this campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us — it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice — to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
By ourselves, this change will not happen. Divided, we are bound to fail.
But the life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible.
He tells us that there is power in words.
He tells us that there is power in conviction.
That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people.
He tells us that there is power in hope.
As Lincoln organized the forces arrayed against slavery, he was heard to say this: "Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through."
That is our purpose here today.
That is why I'm in this race.
Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation.
I want to win that next battle — for justice and opportunity.
I want to win that next battle — for better schools, and better jobs, and better health care for all.
I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America.
And if you will join with me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I am ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you. Today, together, we can finish the work that needs to be done, and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth.
Thank you very much everybody — let's get to work.
Thank you so much. Praise and honor to God for bringing us together today. Thank you so much. I am so grateful to see all of you.
Let me begin by saying thanks to all of you who've traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today.
I'm fired up.
We all made this journey for a reason. It's humbling to see a crowd like this , but in my heart I know you didn't come here just for me. No, you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe that we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union.
That's the journey we're on today. But let me tell you how I came to be here. As most of you know, I am not a native of this great state. I moved to Illinois over two decades ago. I was a young man then, just a year out of college; I knew no one in Chicago when I arrived, was without money or family connections. But a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for the grand sum of $13,000 a year. And I accepted the job, sight unseen, motivated then by a single, simple, powerful idea — that I might play a small part in building a better America.
My work took me to some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. I joined with pastors and lay-people to deal with communities that had been ravaged by plant closings. I saw that the problems people faced weren't simply local in nature — that the decision to close a steel mill was made by distant executives; that the lack of textbooks and computers in schools could be traced to the skewed priorities of politicians a thousand miles away; and that when a child turns to violence, I came ot realize that there's a hole in that boy's heart no government could ever fill.
It was in these neighborhoods that I received the best education I ever had, and where I learned the meaning of my Christian faith.
After three years of this work, I went to law school, because I wanted to understand how the law should work for those in need. I became a civil rights lawyer, and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened electorate. It was with these ideas in mind that I arrived in this capital city as a state Senator.
It was here, in Springfield, where I saw all that is America converge — farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them clamoring to be heard. I made lasting friendships here — friends that I see in the audience here today.
It was here we learned to disagree without being disagreeable — that it's possible to compromise so long as you know those principles that can never be compromised; and that so long as we're willing to listen to each other, we can assume the best in people instead of the worst.
It's why we were able to reform a death penalty system that was broken. That's why we were able to give health insurance to children in need. That's why we made the tax system right here in Springfield more fair and just for working families, and that's why we passed ethics reforms that the cynics said could never, ever be passed.
It was here, in Springfield, where North, South, East and West come together that I was reminded of the essential decency of the American people — where I came to believe that through this decency, we can build a more hopeful America.
And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.
Now listen, I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness — a certain audacity — to this announcement. I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.
The genius of our founders is that they designed a system of government that can be changed. And we should take heart, because we've changed this country before. In the face of tyranny, a band of patriots brought an Empire to its knees. In the face of secession, we unified a nation and set the captives free. In the face of Depression, we put people back to work and lifted millions out of poverty. We welcomed immigrants to our shores, we opened railroads to the west, we landed a man on the moon, and we heard a King's call to let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done. Today we are called once more — and it is time for our generation to answer that call. For that is our unyielding faith — that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.
That's what Abraham Lincoln understood. He had his doubts. He had his defeats. He had his setbacks. But through his will and his words, he moved a nation and helped free a people. It is because of the millions who rallied to his cause that we are no longer divided, North and South, slave and free. Because men and women of every race, from every walk of life, continued to march for freedom long after Lincoln was laid to rest, that today we have the chance to face the challenges of this millennium together, as one people — as Americans.
All of us know what those challenges are today — a war with no end, a dependence on oil that threatens our future, schools where too many children aren't learning, and families struggling paycheck to paycheck despite working as hard as they can. We know the challenges. We've heard them. We've talked about them for years.
What's stopped us from meeting these challenges is not the absence of sound policies and sensible plans. What's stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics — the ease with which we're distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our preference for scoring cheap political points instead of rolling up our sleeves and building a working consensus to tackle the big problems of America.
For the last six years we've been told that our mounting debts don't matter, we've been told that the anxiety Americans feel about rising health care costs and stagnant wages are an illusion, we've been told that climate change is a hoax, we've been told that tough talk and an ill-conceived war can replace diplomacy, and strategy, and foresight. And when all else fails, when Katrina happened, or the death toll in Iraq mounts, we've been told that our crises are somebody else's fault. We're distracted from our real failures, and told to blame the other party, or gay people, or immigrants.
And as people have looked away in disillusionment and frustration, we know what's filled the void. The cynics, the lobbyists, the special interests who've turned our government into a game only they can afford to play. They write the checks and you get stuck with the bills, they get the access while you get to write a letter, they think they own this government, but we're here today to take it back. The time for that kind of politics is over. It is through. It's time to turn the page right here and right now.
Now look, we have made some progress already. I was proud to help lead the fight in Congress that led to the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate.
But Washington has a long way to go. And it won't be easy. That's why we'll have to set priorities. We'll have to make hard choices. And although government will play a crucial role in bringing about the changes that we need, more money and programs alone will not get us to where we need to go. Each of us, in our own lives, will have to accept responsibility — for instilling an ethic of achievement in our children, for adapting to a more competitive economy, for strengthening our communities, and sharing some measure of sacrifice. So let us begin. Let us begin this hard work together. Let us transform this nation.
Let us be the generation that reshapes our economy to compete in the digital age. Let's set high standards for our schools and give them the resources they need to succeed. Let's recruit a new army of teachers, and give them better pay and more support in exchange for more accountability. Let's make college more affordable, and let's invest in scientific research, and let's lay down broadband lines through the heart of inner cities and rural towns all across America. We can do that.
And as our economy changes, let's be the generation that ensures our nation's workers are sharing in our prosperity. Let's protect the hard-earned benefits their companies have promised. Let's make it possible for hardworking Americans to save for retirement. Let's allow our unions and their organizers to lift up this country's middle-class again. We can do that.
Let's be the generation that ends poverty in America. Every single person willing to work should be able to get job training that leads to a job, and earn a living wage that can pay the bills, and afford child care so their kids can have a safe place to go when they work. We can do this. And let's be the generation that finally tackles our health care crisis. We can control costs by focusing on prevention, by providing better treatment for the chronically ill, and using technology to cut the bureaucracy. Let's be the generation that says right here, right now, we will have universal health care in America by the end of the next president's first term. We can do that.
Let's be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil. We can harness homegrown, alternative fuels like ethanol and spur the production of more fuel-efficient cars. We can set up a system for capping greenhouse gases. We can turn this crisis of global warming into a moment of opportunity for innovation, and job creation, and an incentive for businesses that will serve as a model for the world. Let's be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here.
Most of all, let's be the generation that never forgets what happened on that September day and confront the terrorists with everything we've got. Politics doesn't have to divide us on this anymore — we can work together to keep our country safe. I've worked with Republican Senator Dick Lugar to pass a law that will secure and destroy some of the world's deadliest weapons. We can work together to track down terrorists with a stronger military, we can tighten the net around their finances, and we can improve our intelligence capabilities and finally get homeland security right. But let us also understand that ultimate victory against our enemies will come only by rebuilding our alliances and exporting those ideals that bring hope and opportunity to millions of people around the globe. We can do those things.
But all of this cannot come to pass until we bring an end to this war in Iraq. Most of you know that I opposed this war from the start. I thought it was a tragic mistake. Today we grieve for the families who have lost loved ones, the hearts that have been broken, and the young lives that could have been. America, it is time to start bringing our troops home. It's time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war. That's why I have a plan that will bring our combat troops home by March of 2008. Letting the Iraqis know that we will not be there forever is our last, best hope to pressure the Sunni and Shia to come to the table and find peace.
And there is one other thing that is not too late to get right about this war — and that is the homecoming of the men and women — our veterans — who have sacrificed the most. Let us honor their courage by providing the care they need and rebuilding the military they love. Let us be the generation that begins that work.
I know there are those who don't believe we can do all these things. I understand the skepticism. After all, every four years, candidates from both parties make similar promises, and I expect this year will be no different. All of us running for president will travel around the country offering ten-point plans and making grand speeches; all of us will trumpet those qualities we believe make us uniquely qualified to lead the country. But too many times, after the election is over, and the confetti is swept away, all those promises fade from memory, and the lobbyists and the special interests move in, and people turn away, disappointed as before, left to struggle on their own.
That's why this campaign can't only be about me. It must be about us — it must be about what we can do together. This campaign must be the occasion, the vehicle, of your hopes, and your dreams. It will take your time, your energy, and your advice — to push us forward when we're doing right, and to let us know when we're not. This campaign has to be about reclaiming the meaning of citizenship, restoring our sense of common purpose, and realizing that few obstacles can withstand the power of millions of voices calling for change.
By ourselves, this change will not happen. Divided, we are bound to fail.
But the life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible.
He tells us that there is power in words.
He tells us that there is power in conviction.
That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people.
He tells us that there is power in hope.
As Lincoln organized the forces arrayed against slavery, he was heard to say this: "Of strange, discordant, and even hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought to battle through."
That is our purpose here today.
That is why I'm in this race.
Not just to hold an office, but to gather with you to transform a nation.
I want to win that next battle — for justice and opportunity.
I want to win that next battle — for better schools, and better jobs, and better health care for all.
I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America.
And if you will join with me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I am ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you. Today, together, we can finish the work that needs to be done, and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth.
Thank you very much everybody — let's get to work.
Transcript of Barack Obama's Iowa Caucus Speech January 3, 2008
DES MOINES, IOWA
Thank you, Iowa.
You know, they said this day would never come.
They said our sights were set too high.
They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.
But on this January night – at this defining moment in history – you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this New Year, 2008. In lines that stretched around schools and churches; in small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come.
You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that's consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that's been all about division and instead make it about addition – to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that's how we'll win in November, and that's how we'll finally meet the challenges that we face as a nation.
We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America.
You said the time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they don't own this government, we do; and we are here to take it back.
The time has come for a President who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who won't just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know. And in New Hampshire, if you give me the same chance that Iowa did tonight, I will be that president for America.
Thank you.
I'll be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois – by--by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done.
I'll be a President who ends the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the working Americans who deserve it.
I'll be a President who harnesses the ingenuity of farmers and scientists and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil once and for all.
And I'll be a President who ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home; who restores our moral standing; who understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes, but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century; common threats of terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.
Tonight, we are one step closer to that vision of America because of what you did here in Iowa. And so I'd especially like to thank the organizers and the precinct captains; the volunteers and the staff who made this all possible.
And while I'm at it, on "thank yous," I think it makes sense for me to thank the love of my life, the rock of the Obama family, the closer on the campaign trail; give it up for Michelle Obama.
I know you didn't do this for me. You did this—you did this because you believed so deeply in the most American of ideas – that in the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.
I know this—I know this because while I may be standing here tonight, I'll never forget that my journey began on the streets of Chicago doing what so many of you have done for this campaign and all the campaigns here in Iowa – organizing, and working, and fighting to make people's lives just a little bit better.
I know how hard it is. It comes with little sleep, little pay, and a lot of sacrifice. There are days of disappointment, but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this – a night—a night that, years from now, when we've made the changes we believe in; when more families can afford to see a doctor; when our children—when Malia and Sasha and your children—inherit a planet that's a little cleaner and safer; when the world sees America differently, and America sees itself as a nation less divided and more united; you'll be able look back with pride and say that this was the moment when it all began.
This was the moment when the improbable beat what Washington always said was inevitable.
This was the moment when we tore down barriers that have divided us for too long – when we rallied people of all parties and ages to a common cause; when we finally gave Americans who'd never participated in politics a reason to stand up and to do so.
This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. This was the moment.
Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment – this was the place – where America remembered what it means to hope.
For many months, we've been teased, even derided for talking about hope.
But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.
Hope is what I saw in the eyes of the young woman in Cedar Rapids who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can't afford health care for a sister who's ill; a young woman who still believes that this country will give her the chance to live out her dreams.
Hope is what I heard in the voice of the New Hampshire woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq; who still goes to bed each night praying for his safe return.
Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an empire; what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation; what led young women and young men to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom's cause.
Hope—hope—is what led me here today – with a father from Kenya; a mother from Kansas; and a story that could only happen in the United States of America. Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.
That is what we started here in Iowa, and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down; the one that can change this country brick by brick, block by block, calloused hand by calloused hand – that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things; because we are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America; and at this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again.
Thank you, Iowa.
Thank you, Iowa.
You know, they said this day would never come.
They said our sights were set too high.
They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.
But on this January night – at this defining moment in history – you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this New Year, 2008. In lines that stretched around schools and churches; in small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come.
You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that's consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that's been all about division and instead make it about addition – to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. Because that's how we'll win in November, and that's how we'll finally meet the challenges that we face as a nation.
We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America.
You said the time has come to tell the lobbyists who think their money and their influence speak louder than our voices that they don't own this government, we do; and we are here to take it back.
The time has come for a President who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face; who will listen to you and learn from you even when we disagree; who won't just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know. And in New Hampshire, if you give me the same chance that Iowa did tonight, I will be that president for America.
Thank you.
I'll be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois – by--by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done.
I'll be a President who ends the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and put a middle-class tax cut into the pockets of the working Americans who deserve it.
I'll be a President who harnesses the ingenuity of farmers and scientists and entrepreneurs to free this nation from the tyranny of oil once and for all.
And I'll be a President who ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home; who restores our moral standing; who understands that 9/11 is not a way to scare up votes, but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the twenty-first century; common threats of terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease.
Tonight, we are one step closer to that vision of America because of what you did here in Iowa. And so I'd especially like to thank the organizers and the precinct captains; the volunteers and the staff who made this all possible.
And while I'm at it, on "thank yous," I think it makes sense for me to thank the love of my life, the rock of the Obama family, the closer on the campaign trail; give it up for Michelle Obama.
I know you didn't do this for me. You did this—you did this because you believed so deeply in the most American of ideas – that in the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.
I know this—I know this because while I may be standing here tonight, I'll never forget that my journey began on the streets of Chicago doing what so many of you have done for this campaign and all the campaigns here in Iowa – organizing, and working, and fighting to make people's lives just a little bit better.
I know how hard it is. It comes with little sleep, little pay, and a lot of sacrifice. There are days of disappointment, but sometimes, just sometimes, there are nights like this – a night—a night that, years from now, when we've made the changes we believe in; when more families can afford to see a doctor; when our children—when Malia and Sasha and your children—inherit a planet that's a little cleaner and safer; when the world sees America differently, and America sees itself as a nation less divided and more united; you'll be able look back with pride and say that this was the moment when it all began.
This was the moment when the improbable beat what Washington always said was inevitable.
This was the moment when we tore down barriers that have divided us for too long – when we rallied people of all parties and ages to a common cause; when we finally gave Americans who'd never participated in politics a reason to stand up and to do so.
This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. This was the moment.
Years from now, you'll look back and you'll say that this was the moment – this was the place – where America remembered what it means to hope.
For many months, we've been teased, even derided for talking about hope.
But we always knew that hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it.
Hope is what I saw in the eyes of the young woman in Cedar Rapids who works the night shift after a full day of college and still can't afford health care for a sister who's ill; a young woman who still believes that this country will give her the chance to live out her dreams.
Hope is what I heard in the voice of the New Hampshire woman who told me that she hasn't been able to breathe since her nephew left for Iraq; who still goes to bed each night praying for his safe return.
Hope is what led a band of colonists to rise up against an empire; what led the greatest of generations to free a continent and heal a nation; what led young women and young men to sit at lunch counters and brave fire hoses and march through Selma and Montgomery for freedom's cause.
Hope—hope—is what led me here today – with a father from Kenya; a mother from Kansas; and a story that could only happen in the United States of America. Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.
That is what we started here in Iowa, and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond; the same message we had when we were up and when we were down; the one that can change this country brick by brick, block by block, calloused hand by calloused hand – that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things; because we are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America; and at this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again.
Thank you, Iowa.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
2008 Colorado Legislature preview with Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) & Rep. Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch)
I interviewed Representative Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch) and Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) about the upcoming legislative session starting this week, Wednesday, January 9, 2007.
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): both of these men are smart, articulate, and dedicated advocates for their constituents. They answered the questions and did not run from legitimate questions about their positions. Sadly, none of those qualities is going to result in more hugs on the House floor...
Koombyah: both legislators agreed that approximately 95% of all legislation anticipated this session will have bi-partisan support.
Battlelines: as predicted, the hot topics this session will labor, education, health care, and how to pay for it all.
LABOR
Rep. McNulty left little doubt that Governor Ritter's November 3, 2007 Executive Order formally recognizing unions in state government for the first time and allowing union representatives to negotiate with department heads over "issues of mutual concern" would be a front-burner issues for Republican lawmakers. Legislation will be offered by the GOP to ensure that state government employees cannot strike, a concern raised by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers in his November 29, 2007 formal opinion.
TAXES
Last year's law passed by the Legislature permitting the state to prevent the regularly scheduled decrease in property taxes for most of Colorado continues to inflame GOP passions. Rep. McNulty, echoing the position taken by Republicans since the law was signed into effect, stated the move was a "tax increase" that the Colorado Constitution mandates goes to the voters for final approval, not the legislature. Speaker Romanoff countered that voters in all but 3 school districts in Colorado already voted in compliance with the Colorado Constitution to permit the type of property-tax provision signed into law by Governor Ritter.
EDUCATION
For Speaker Romanoff, an issue of concern this session is providing the tax resources necessary to provide for the improvement of many of the oldest and most poorly maintained school buildings in the state. He specifically cited an elementary school he toured in Pueblo.
For Rep. McNulty, an important legislative goal this session is to provide mandated state standards for education, such as 4 years of mathematics in high school, but allow individual school districts to determine how to best meet those standards.
ENVIRONMENT
We didn't really discuss it. I presume both legislators want to save trees by authoring and amending less laws this session. Then agan...I doubt it.
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): both of these men are smart, articulate, and dedicated advocates for their constituents. They answered the questions and did not run from legitimate questions about their positions. Sadly, none of those qualities is going to result in more hugs on the House floor...
Koombyah: both legislators agreed that approximately 95% of all legislation anticipated this session will have bi-partisan support.
Battlelines: as predicted, the hot topics this session will labor, education, health care, and how to pay for it all.
LABOR
Rep. McNulty left little doubt that Governor Ritter's November 3, 2007 Executive Order formally recognizing unions in state government for the first time and allowing union representatives to negotiate with department heads over "issues of mutual concern" would be a front-burner issues for Republican lawmakers. Legislation will be offered by the GOP to ensure that state government employees cannot strike, a concern raised by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers in his November 29, 2007 formal opinion.
TAXES
Last year's law passed by the Legislature permitting the state to prevent the regularly scheduled decrease in property taxes for most of Colorado continues to inflame GOP passions. Rep. McNulty, echoing the position taken by Republicans since the law was signed into effect, stated the move was a "tax increase" that the Colorado Constitution mandates goes to the voters for final approval, not the legislature. Speaker Romanoff countered that voters in all but 3 school districts in Colorado already voted in compliance with the Colorado Constitution to permit the type of property-tax provision signed into law by Governor Ritter.
EDUCATION
For Speaker Romanoff, an issue of concern this session is providing the tax resources necessary to provide for the improvement of many of the oldest and most poorly maintained school buildings in the state. He specifically cited an elementary school he toured in Pueblo.
For Rep. McNulty, an important legislative goal this session is to provide mandated state standards for education, such as 4 years of mathematics in high school, but allow individual school districts to determine how to best meet those standards.
ENVIRONMENT
We didn't really discuss it. I presume both legislators want to save trees by authoring and amending less laws this session. Then agan...I doubt it.
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