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Text Size23rd Annual Economic Outlook Conference
Prepared Remarks of Governor Sonny Perdue
23rd Annual Economic Outlook Conference
(Note: The Governor sometimes deviates from prepared remarks)
Thank you very much and good afternoon. This is the fourth time I have addressed the Economic Outlook Conference. And the outlook keeps getting better, so I'm glad to keep coming back.
The first time was in 2002, as Governor-elect. You may recall that my election then came as a big surprise to many people.
You'll also remember that when I spoke in 2002, I had inherited a Georgia economy that was, some said, the worst it had been since the Great Depression.
Even worse, our state government's long addiction to big spending, combined with two years in a row of falling revenues, had knocked a $620 million hole in the state budget.
The cupboard wasn't quite bare – but provisions were running low.
So I spoke then of the need to tighten our belts, live within our means and put the state budget on a diet.
Now fast forward to 2005. As I stand here today, three years later, our economy is growing again, more Georgians are working, state revenues are up and state spending is better targeted to our true priorities.
Georgia 's comeback has been a remarkable story and a tribute to our strengths as a state and the optimism and enterprise of our citizens.
Most exciting of all to me, it's a comeback and a story that are still underway. We're not done by any means.
I'm proud of the supporting role I've been able to play in our recovery by putting our state government on a new course.
But I'm even more proud of the everyday Georgia workers and business owners who have done the true heavy lifting. They've taken the risks of starting and growing businesses that create jobs.
They've learned new skills to prepare themselves for good jobs and better jobs.
And, most of all, Georgians have been -- and are -- working hard day in and day out. Getting the job done. Building up our state and strengthening our communities day after day after day.
As Governor, I'm happy to be here today and celebrate the progress Georgia has made.
I thank President Adams, Dean Benson and the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia for again organizing this annual conference. I thank all of you for being here.
But, with apologies to our economic experts, if you want the true economic outlook, you can best hear it from the people who truly make Georgia work – your employees, your neighbors, and the millions of Georgians who are on the job each day.
I would like to stand here and take credit for every good thing that has happened in Georgia since I was elected Governor.
And maybe I should – because if I don't, I'm sure someone else will.
But I recall a line from one of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry movies: "A man's got to know his limitations."
Governors, and governments, don't create prosperity. State government's job, and my job, is to create the right conditions so that Georgians themselves can build prosperity.
It's like viewing a beautiful rose garden.
We know we didn't create the roses; we just prepared the conditions to let those roses grow and bloom.
My job is to make sure that state government is a partner in creating prosperity, not an obstacle. That's my commitment to the people of Georgia .
So today, yes, I am proud of the turnaround we've led. The budget shortfall we faced three years ago seems like a lifetime ago. This year, state revenues are robust and we're on the mend.
I'm proud of cutting the size of state government by over $1 billion and making our state government more effective and efficient.
And I take great pride in transforming the culture of state government and bringing a new commitment to customer service at every level.
Getting where we are today took diligence. It took discipline. It took patience.
It took attention to detail. It took hard work and commitment at every level of state government.
It took agency heads setting the example and our front line employees making constant improvement and customer service their priorities.
But whatever it took, we committed to a course of action and got down to work.
I will admit that finding efficiencies, improving accountability and making steady state improvements is not glamorous.
Consolidating leases, combining bank accounts, streamlining state procurement and reforming procedures for capital construction projects – these aren't exactly headline grabbers. But they're important.
This is a business-oriented audience, so let me put it in business terms.
As business owners and managers, you're accountable for producing an acceptable return on assets. That's your benchmark of success.
Government has never had that mindset of accountability.
The question of "what result X are you producing for every Y invested in your program?" was never asked.
Instead the question was "How much more can we spend this year over last year?"
The word "results" was not in the government dictionary.
But it is now. We're bringing a business-like approach to state government.
We're instilling accountability in the budgeting process to reward better results, not more spending.
And this approach coupled with your hard work has brought us from a deficit to a surplus.
Today we can look up from our work and find that we have exceeded any expectations we could have had when we started.
The natural question is: "What are we going to do now?"
My answer to that question is, once again, not flashy and dramatic. But it's the right answer – we're going to keep doing what got us here.
We will continue to find new efficiencies in state government.
We will keep on cutting unnecessary state bureaucracy.
And we will recommit ourselves each day to being good stewards of the taxpayer dollar and good servants of the people of Georgia .
Growing up on a farm in Middle Georgia as I did, you learn patience in a lot of different ways.
You plant, and then you wait patiently for the seeds to sprout.
You wait patiently for the plants to grow.
You wait patiently for the crop to come.
Well, you do more than wait patiently. You work patiently. At each step, you support those seedlings as they grow to ensure that you get a healthy crop.
Those habits stick with you because that's my approach to transforming and improving state government. Step by step. Bit by bit. Keep making constant progress.
Reporters often ask me, "What will be your legacy?" I know what they want to hear. They want to know what grandiose signature program I will create.
They never like my answer. Because I did not become Governor to create some gigantic billion dollar boondoggle I can put my name on.
The only legacy that matters to me is fulfilling my commitment to the people of Georgia .
So my answer is very simple -- "I will leave Georgia healthier, safer, more educated, more prosperous and stronger than I found it."
I am determined that the next generation of Georgians will inherit a state of opportunity where they can aspire to a better education, a better job and a better life.
I am determined that our children and grandchildren will inherit a state with its priorities – and its books -- in order.
And they will inherit a state where the government knows its limitations as well as its responsibilities and strives to be a better servant, not a more intrusive boss.
Thinking back again to the autumn of 2002, one bright spot amid the gloomy economic news was our Georgia Bulldogs. They had just won the SEC Championship.
The famous theme of their championship season was "Finish the drill."
Well, the Dawgs are SEC Champions again. And we're going to follow their winning advice in transforming state government.
We're going to finish the drill by being efficient and accountable with taxpayer money.
We will continue requiring every department to evaluate everything they do by asking --
Why is the state providing this particular service?
Who is the customer for this service?
Should the state continue to be in the business of providing this service?
And let me tell you now, I believe there are still functions for which the answer to that last question should be a confident "No!"
"No, this is a business the state does not need to be in.
This is a task we can do without or which can be done better by someone else outside state government."
Our state government has taken on many functions over the years. Some are essential services the public relies on. But many are no longer needed, if they ever were. It's time to shuck it down to the essentials, and that's what we're doing.
You see, most Georgians only want a few things from the state government. They want access to an excellent education for their children.
They want opportunities to find quality jobs. They want to live in safe communities. And they want a basic social safety net in place for difficult times.
Outside of that, they simply want to be left alone.
Those are our marching orders from the people of Georgia . Those are the priorities I've had since my first budget, even as we dealt with a fiscal crisis.
And those are the priorities you will see reflected in my 2007 budget.
If you show me the entries in your personal checkbook, or your credit card statement, I can tell you what matters to you.
How we spend our money reflects our priorities. It is the same for the state budget. Look at my budget when it is released in January and you will see that my priorities are the priorities of Georgians.
As we project and welcome a budget surplus, we will make significant investments in education, job creation, and safer neighborhoods. And we will shore up our depleted "rainy day" reserves.
But one thing we won't do is go back to the bad spending habits of the past. That's what I mean by finish the drill.
Never again will we spend a single taxpayer dollar simply because we can. Simply because it is there to spend.
So as we make the wise investments I've mentioned, we will spend no more than we need to.
As our state revenues improve, I don't believe that government should enjoy a windfall at the expense of hardworking Georgians.
We returned just such a windfall to taxpayers in September when I suspended collection of the gas tax after Katrina. That action put up to $66 million back in the pockets of Georgia families.
It was the right thing to do as good public stewards. But not only are we expected to be good stewards, Georgians expect their government to be compassionate.
We're still feeling the effects of Katrina in higher natural gas prices this winter.
When emergencies come, we must respond to the real human needs of our citizens. I want to assure Georgians that my budget will reach out to our neighbors who need help with their home heating bills.
Combining our universal service fund with direct appropriations, our state will provide $10 million for low income heating assistance. Added to federal funds, this money will help over 200,000 low income seniors and families stay warm this winter.
We will continue investing in Georgia families and their kitchen table issues, alongside our investments in education, job creation, and public safety.
Under my 2007 budget, we will continue creating the conditions for prosperity by funding the priorities of a stronger Georgia .
To put it plainly, my budget meets the responsibilities of stewardship that I owe the people of Georgia and that state government owes our citizens.
In recent months, I have traveled to nearly every corner of our state. I've met with hundreds of ordinary Georgians. Farmers and students. Small business owners and factory workers. Young parents and retirees.
They share with me their stories of success … their plans … their dreams … and their optimism about Georgia 's future. And I feel very strongly about my responsibility toward every Georgian.
But there is one group of Georgians toward whom I feel, I must admit, an extra measure of responsibility – our men and women of the Armed Forces serving overseas.
Especially on my mind are the troops of the Georgia National Guard's 48th Brigade, currently on active duty in Iraq .
I spent the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend with our troops in Iraq .
I told them how proud I am, and how proud Georgians are of their courage and their service. And I asked if there was anything I could do for them.
They wanted Georgians to know that they understand their mission to help a true democracy take root in Iraq and they are committed to completing the job.
Some wanted me to let their loved ones know they are safe and doing well, and I did that.
And others said, "Governor, I want to know that when we've finished the job here and come home, that we'll have a job to come home to."
I've spoken here about my commitment to the people of Georgia .
Let me tell you my commitment to the brave Georgians in the military who are defending our freedom overseas.
As their Governor and as their Commander-In-Chief, they have my solemn promise that every Georgia service member fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan will find a job waiting for them when they get back.
Most of our Guard and Reserve members already have employers holding jobs for them. If not, I believe they will have little problem finding employment when they return home.
But I say to our troops now, if you do have trouble finding work when you get back home to Georgia , call my office.
I will find you a job. It's the least we can do after the job you have done for your country.
We owe them that. I trust that all of you will join me as partners in keeping that promise.
And for those returning Georgia service members who want to continue their education, my budget will fund the "GI Bill for Georgia " program I signed into law earlier this year.
This program will provide Georgia National Guard and Reserve members returning from combat zone service with educational grants of up to $2000 a year for up to four years of study at a Georgia college, university or technical college.
Again, we owe it to our men and women in uniform to honor their service.
Everything we hope to build in Georgia and every dream we hope to attain for our state is made possible by the shield and protection that they provide.
They make possible the progress I expect to report when I return here next year.
And they help ensure that for Georgia , as for all of America , our best days are always ahead of us.