And one of the things I’ve tried to do in my first months in office is to give more Georgians – reporters and members of the general public alike – a closer look at how their government works.

I am committed to making Georgia a model for open and honest government.

We will never forget those like my great-grandfather who fought at Vicksburg.

Neither political party is clean when it comes to tactics that divide our people.

By creating a Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, we will give local governments a framework for working together on an issue that affects our whole state.

Repeating a grade needs to be the last resort, not an automatic response to a child who is struggling to learn.

We are all one – or at least we should be – and it is our job, our duty, and our great challenge to fight the voices of division and seek the salve of reconciliation.

In my first year as governor, we solved some of the problems that had begun to undermine the Open Records Act. We gave the act teeth by providing criminal penalties for knowing violations.

Business and the state have a common interest; not an adversarial interest.

Georgia is in an enviable position today, but we can’t rest on our laurels.

There is no country on earth with a stronger tradition of protecting the public’s right to know.

And this week, I am proposing legislation to strengthen our Open Records laws to make public access to our public records surer, faster, and more comprehensive.

One thing I learned a long time ago as a prosecutor is that it’s tough to get people to obey a law if there is not penalty for breaking it.

And one of the things I’ve tried to do in my first months in office is to give more Georgians – reporters and members of the general public alike – a closer look at how their government works.

We made a good start toward preserving recreational areas like the Chattahoochee River.

We changed the names of our technical schools to colleges, we expanded the eligibility for HOPE scholarships for technical training, and we added some formula funding.

As the population of Georgia increased dramatically, so did development.

We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Enhancing revenues will help us improve education and solve our infrastructure problems.

The First Amendment rejects red tape, cover-up and double-speak.

As the leaders and decision-makers of this great state, it is our responsibility to strive for perfection.

What I am proposing this year are not lofty concepts far removed form the daily struggle so of ordinary Georgians. They are proposals that directly effect the lives of the people we serve.

So today I say, the outlook in Georgia has never been brighter.

But the fact is, no matter how good the teacher, how small the class, how focused on quality education the school may be none of this matters if we ignore the individual needs of our students.

Traffic is only one of the side effects of growth.

The time has come to end social promotion in our schools.

I want business to prosper and make a profit caused by business expansion and prosperity.

After all, I have spent the better part of my adult life insisting that government be open… that government be accessible… and that government be held accountable to people who voted us into office.

No one in government should ever think that the citizens they work for can’t or won’t scrutinize their actions.