Radio Address - January 13, 2005

Download Governor Perry's Radio Address [2MB MP3]

Gov. Rick Perry
Date: January 13, 2005
Topic: Revenue Surplus

My fellow Texans...

Two years ago, the state of Texas faced a record $10 billion budget shortfall as a result of the national economic downturn... a deficit that some thought we couldn't overcome without raising taxes.

But in Texas, we know that the best way for government to meet the needs of the people is to work to grow the economy, rather than raising taxes on Texas families.

Not only did we reduce state spending instead of raising taxes in 2003... we increased education funding by $1 billion, added a billion more for healthcare and established a new job creation fund to help bring greater opportunity to our state.

Because of our fiscal discipline, and the growth in the private sector, we have transformed a record shortfall into a revenue surplus.

That means more funds are available to invest in critical priorities like education, healthcare and protective services.

The revenue surplus proves that our investments in job creation are wise because jobs provide the resources we need to pay for education and other priorities.

No other state in the nation has matched our commitment to creating jobs... and few, if any, can boast of such a dramatic turnaround in just two years because of fiscal restraint and wise investments.

With several leading economic indicators pointing towards even stronger economic growth for Texas in the coming years, I see a bright future ahead for all Texans because of the right decisions we made in 2003.