Motivated as ever to continue fighting for the conservative pro-growth beliefs.
It has been a privilege and an honor to serve as your Lt. Governor the past seven years. When I was sworn in as Lt. Governor in 2003 I pledged to follow a conservative pro-growth pro-family agenda and I have kept my word.
Texas has not been immune from the national recession but compared to Washington D.C. and almost all other states Texas is in good shape. I believe it is important for all Texans that we continue to build on our successes and work together to make our state an even better place to live raise a family and grow a business.
This spring we saw thousands of Texans peacefully organizing throughout our state to protest Washingtons unprecedented expansion of the federal government and the Administrations almost doubling the national debt; which we and our children will have to pay.
Contrast that with what we have done in Texas. As President of the Senate I have worked hard with the Legislature to keep Texas fiscally strong our economy growing and our quality of life improving. We were successful in reducing the taxes Texans pay by over $4 billion per year and our unemployment rate approximately 2 below the national average. Forbes magazine ranked Texas five largest cities as Americas best cities for jobs.
This makes me even more determined to keep taxes low help businesses grow and add jobs. I not only have worked to balance the last four state budgets but also in 2007 seeing the economic downturn coming I led the effort to convince the Legislature to save $7 billion. Consequently Texas is now one of six states this year in the black - not facing a budget deficit and not having to cut spending on public education and universities.
This year Governor Perry and Speaker Straus joined me in insisting the Legislature not use any money from the Rainy Day Fund meaning Texas once again will be able to balance our budget in 2011 without raising taxes.
In addition during this years Legislative Session we reduced taxes on Texas small businesses by approximately $172 million. The Texas Senate passed groundbreaking legislation fundamentally reforming our public school accountability system for the better.
We passed legislation creating a framework to add more top research universities which will create more opportunities for students in Texas. We cracked down on gang-related crimes and violence with new homeland security initiatives and the Senate passed landmark legislation to improve the quality accessibility and affordability of our Texas healthcare system.
Im honored to serve as your Lt. Governor. Im proud of our accomplishments over the past seven years. Im as motivated as ever to continue fighting for the conservative pro-growth beliefs and values we both hold dear.
For this reason I am asking for your endorsement and support for my re-election as Lt. Governor of Texas in the 2010 election.
Weve done a lot but theres more to do and I look forward to the challenges ahead. With your help I can continue my work as your Lt. Governor to help make Texas an even better state to live raise a family and grow a business.
