Governor Owens gives his State of the State address
"Anyone who came here expecting a farewell address will be sorely disappointed. There will be a time and a place for that, but not here, not now. My agenda is ambitious - and in the words of my favorite president, Ronald Reagan, the message to you today is: 'Put on your work shoes - we're still on the job.'"
With those words, Governor Owens delivered his State of the State address yesterday morning, citing Colorado's progress on such issues as tax-reform, transportation, and children's health care, along with commending Coloradoans for their immediate and generous assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, before stating, "My friends, the state of our state is indeed strong."
The governor praised the bi-partisan effort that passed Referendum C and cautioned that the income derived from it should not be an excuse to rebuild government bureaucracy. He went on to outline his recommendations for the Colorado budget, beginning with restoring the 40% of the cuts made to higher education from the General Fund over two years. The state of the state address finished with Governor Owens's urging for continued progress to move forward on such issues as education, taxes, transportation, and quality of life. The entire State of the State address is reproduced here.