Bill Ritter’s State of the State Address
A day after Peter Groff made history by being the first black man to be President of the Colorado Senate, Peter Groff was making history by being the first black man to hold a joint session between the Colorado Senate and the Colorado House of Representatives to hear Gov. Bill Ritter’s State of the State Address. About-DenverCO blogsite was there, and here are the highlights and key points of Ritter’s moving, and hope-filled speech. Let’s recap:
Colorado’s “new energy economy has built up our economy [across the state].”
when looking back on 2007, Ritter said, “we can celebrate those successes but we cannot be satisfied.”
“We need to make real progress in education reform.”
key mentions were:
“Strengthen our economy by investing in higher ed”
“Meaningful immigration reform”
“Fiscally responsible with every tax payer dollar”
“We must invest in our research universities”
“Rigorous K-12 is vitally important”
“Wind farms, solar farms, bio-diesel plants”
“Legitimate ways for government to intersect with where people struggle.”
“The people. . .did not elect us to wage partisan warfare.”
“Hope wins out over cynicism.”
“We have a responsibility [lawmakers] to help them [citizens] achieve their full potential.”
Ritter also stressed making sure businesses can stay competitive and creating job opportunities. Ease the tax burden for thousands of businesses. Help small businesses.
in the areas of transportation, Ritter spoke about demand and cost both soaring and that the focus must be on safety and efficiency.
The governor also addressed the importance of reducing repeat crimes and repeat offenders.
Healthcare
Ritter had this to say: “every uninsured person means higher costs for every family.”
“Restraining costs must be at the heart (of healthcare reform)”
“Address cost and quality.”
The overriding question for education in Colorado, the one question Ritter asks lawmakers to consider when concerning education legislation, “is it good for Colorado children; their future?”
And the overriding focus that Ritter called on lawmakers to consider was, “in Colorado, we cannot wait for reforms to come from Washington.”
Whether you are Republican or Democrat or Independent, you can probably agree with a good portion of the Colorado Governor’s words and his message for lawmakers and citizens in 2008. And whether your political beliefs are aligned to the left or to the right, you can probably agree with some of the changes (healthcare, education, etc.) that need to take place in Colorado this year.
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