Howdy everyone — I look forward to being part of the conversation here on the PJ Tatler blog. Here in Texas, our legislature meets for 140 days every other year, and this year’s legislative session started Tuesday. I had the pleasure of addressing both the Texas Senate and House of Representatives and discussing the important tasks we have before us in the months to come.
Nationwide, conservatives sent a powerful message to their politicians, and nowhere was that message louder than in Texas. Voters told us to balance our state’s budget without taking more money from employers and working families, and they told us to make state government leaner and more efficient.
We’re going to do just that.
Like any place, Texas has not been immune to the effects of the national and global recession, even though we have weathered the impact better than most states. As a result, we face challenges this session as we begin the budget-writing process, which has the expected naysayers shouting doom and gloom from the rooftops. But we’ve handled similar challenges before, as in 2003, when the tough choices we made positioned our state as a leader in job creation and economic success throughout the rest of the decade.
We’ll balance the budget this time too, by setting priorities and making tough choices, not by raising taxes. This is what will keep Texas the nation’s example when it comes to prudent, good governance, and I’m confident that with newly elected conservative leaders across the country, more states will follow our footsteps.
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