Texans are safer because governor perry has pursued an aggressive Border Security strategy that is putting more boots on the ground, more helicopters in the sky had more resources into the hands of texas peace officers standing between texans and exploding drugrelated violence across the border. He has refused to raise taxes in texas based a record 10 billiondollar budget shortfall in 2003. Instead he was the first Texas Governor since world war ii to sign a budget that lowers state spending and is now done it twice. As governor rick perry has used his lineitem veto to cut over 3 billion in proposed spending. He led the battle to pass the countries most sweeping lawsuit reforms, closing the door on junk lawsuits that of making trial lawyers rich while driving countless doctors either out of the state or out of the profession altogether. Texas voters approved these reforms malpractice claims and payments have fallen in access to health care is increasing across the state as doctors have applied in droves to practice in texas. I am sure that makes him more concerned than most governors today about the recent passage of supposed Health Care Reform here. In 2005 governor perry signed in historic 15. 7 billion property tax cut for homeowners and businesses that also included new taxpayer protections against appraisal increases. In 2000 governor perry security tax cut for approximately 40,000 Small Business is in texas and protected the Rainy Day Fund for future challenges. Governor perry is the fifth generation texan. He grew up the son of tenant farmers in the tiny west texas town of 10 great. He was one of the first in his family to go to college a degree in Animal Science at texas a m where he was also a member of the corps cadets and a yell leader so he has the science right and he has a business right and he knows how to lead inspirational way only. Between 1972 and 1977 governor perry serve United States air force flying c130 tactical aircraft in europe and middle eastern part of the world. He is a lifetime member of the National Rifle association and the American Legion post number 75. He also served as the commissioner of agriculture in texas and served in the texas house of representatives. He married his childhood sweetheart and they have two children griffin and sydney. We are delighted to once again welcome governor rick perry to the Heritage Foundation and we are delighted to hear from him today both about his ideas about how to improve america and his new book fed up which we will have Copies Available for you in and which he has indicated a willingness to sign if we have time today. Without further ado lets welcome to our podium governor rick perry from texas. [applause] thank you very much. It is indeed an honor to be here today back at the Heritage Foundation. This foundation has been a singular standardbearer of conservative thought for some time and again i want to say thank you for what you all have done. Today is almost a week now since the American Voters send a old and simple message to our nations political establishments. It wasnt complex. It was short and sweet actually. They said we are fed up and we are ready to take our country back. Americans are obviously fed up with the Democratic Party that long ago set aside interest in favor of expanding government, raising taxes and doing the bidding of labor unions and personal injury trial bar, activist judges. Americans are fed up with the repeated incursions into their liberty. However their disdain for washington doesnt stop at the party line. Americans are fed up with democrats and republicans who have embraced bailouts, champion socalled stimulus programs and supported Big Government giveaways. Voters understand the true breadth threat posed by this not met debt and are increasingly perplexed by dan grubbs federal programs like Social Security and they are deeply frustrated by federal officials who do nothing to address these serious problems. The American People are fed up with aircraft telling them how to live their lives calling the shots on Health Care Insurance that they say they must buy and what kind of food beatty and what kind of lightbulbs they use in their homes. They are also fed up with elected judges telling them when and where they can pray how we can display the 10 commandments. The simmering frustration erupted into an overwhelming landslide for republicans on Election Night and looking at the historic gains of both the house of representatives and the United States senate some commentators called that a republican tsunami. I refer to accentuate the positive and echo what senator elect marco rubio simply said. He said that this was for conservatives in washington a Second Chance. It offers a Second Chance to republicans and democrats to satisfy the accepted way of doing Business Inside the beltway devoting themselves to getting it right starting with essential constitutional limits on government. I wholeheartedly believe the United States constitution casts a very narrow path, a narrow road for government. Our Founding Fathers understanding that the government closest to the people truly governs best. In that key phrase there reads the powers not delegated to the United States by the constitution nor prohibited to it by the states. Are reserved for the states respectively or to the people. In my view the federal governments shameful disregard of the 10th amendment pushes us back words down a very slippery slope. Down that slope the precepts, the bill of rights and the end of compromise. The essence of our republic can be lost forever along with those godgiven freedoms. The words of the 10th amendment are timeless but they also are a rallying cry for such a time as this reminding citizens of their right elected officials of their responsibilities. That includes those officials who rode that wave of dissatisfaction to statehouses. I believe some 19 legislators switched to republican control that night including two North Carolina and alabama which will be experiencing Republican Leadership for the First Time Since the 1870s. Thats a long time to wait. That is a long time to wait but we must ensure that it is worth the wait. My fellow governors and i need to work with legislators to prove the wisdom of our Founding Fathers. When they limited the power federal government and entrusted the challenges of daytoday governance to leaders at the state and local level. James madison wrote, the powers delegated by the proposed constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in state governments are numerous and indefinite. If you were here today i have to wonder if mr. Madison would look at todays leaders in washington d. C. And say i believe he and his peers were incredibly clear in our nations success was proof of their wisdom for a long time. My frustration with this skewed balance of power to a subjugate states rights to federal dominance led me to write that book, fed up our fight to do is save america from washington. The federal government expansion really kicked into gear jury the progressive era sometimes called the adoption of the 16th amendment to give the federal government access to our wallets through taxation. But a lot of people think the world of those but it is a legacy of a federal Program Including the Social Security program not only big wrapped but also had very little to do with americas emergence from the Great Depression and i congratulate scholars to pop the balloon of adoration of that surrounded these flawed programs. Unfortunately the new deal law has become the third rail of american in politics that kill the political leaders who fled the courageous enough tears criticized publicly if you combine the new deal with president johnsons great society, you end up with 106 trillion of unfunded liabilities and approximately 0 set aside to pay for it to. That is not the sort of thing that we do in texas. [laughter] i consider as a prime example how responsive and effective government can be when closer to the people. It has long led the nation in job creation. Half of the jobs created this year were created in taxes. Since 2005, 80 percent of all privatesector jobs were created in texas. By people who would risk their capital every day to go to work to work long hours in a fiscally conservative environment. But there is for a simple law principles that we here to. First, we dont spend all of many which have up words of a billion dollars in a Rainy Day Fund we have a predictable and stable regulatory climate so employers know what to expect to take the risk at that point time to know what those cost are going to be. We reformed the legal system to cut down substantially on the plague of lawsuits instead of creating wealth and doing good. And before we put into place accountable Public Schools to send us a clear message a skilled work force is available if you want to move from another state 153 california businesses have relocated. My fellow republican governors including Chris Christie theyre doing the same thing were doing in texas. And that isnt to use say that each state is not a problem free nirvana the challenges are still real and whether they wrestle with pensionfund they have their work cut out for them however the difference compared to the federal government is drastic. They faced 520 per capita per capita debt at the federal level is 42,600 and growing as we speak at the same time 1,700 but 8,960 in federal taxes. Even if you take away the 20 for National Defense the federal tax burden is twice the local and state taxes combined they see the difference in value of the state and federal government and they are ready to read gave back constitutional balance. Last tuesdays vote totals reaffirms that for may. November 2nd, people pushed back against a washington establishment borrowing too much to ignore the constitution and the views of our citizens. Of the election affirms the power of individual americans and in a powerful way repudiates the overly controlled central government. We need to keep the dialogue rolling out limited government set closest to the people will maximize our liberty. They have leaders willing to fight and it is time to hold the leaders accountable. For example, repealing and defunding nationalize health care in its entirety is important vitally because you cannot go through that kind of legislation piecemeal to every element they have to start from the premise that the states can handle these questions better and look to them to support that process. They need to support the states. Not punish them. Those who profess to be a conservative should handcuff the big spenders to simplify the tax system amending the constitution to restrict federal spending. A balanced Budget Amendment would be the perfect tool and protect future generations from this new administration to run rampant. To my fellow boaters in my fellow conservatives, i dont see storm clouds on the horizon. I see some of the greatest days ahead of us. A Bright Future contingent upon a return to this central Constitutional Values and individual freedom to restore a constitutional limits to government would take a massive effort that our people are more than equal to the task. Surely the people who were willing to die in battle in the defense of freedom for others and sheltered complete strangers in aftermath id like a tree neck have the heart and compassion to tackle this with the continued influence of conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and leaders everywhere we can recapture what is great about america. Restore this nation to preeminence as a beacon of individual liberty and there is no greater cause in our time than that. Thank you for coming. [applause] i will be happy to attempt to answer any of your questions then we will sign books. Be sure you get a microphone you identify yourself or fewer with the organization in town. We can start over here. It was refreshing a to hear you on npr a couple of days ago but the sunset of the Republican Party but youd give very positive feedback that we have to work together. I used the example of my friend the a businessman and im sure theres a lot of ladies and the advance that no is products and he is a great businessman and we were talking about the issue of ground zero and he said i know how to take care of this. We build a synagogue and a mosque and a church. We have a great Muslim Community in texas. Businessmen and women who are friends and supporters and a substantial number whether the large pakistan me population to build our state with you are a democrat or independent or republican but the future of our country clearly lies to find the things that bring us together to not separator cells by a culture or religion to recognize clearly those that would use the religion as a radical islamist who could use that and they are the enemy of all. The twoparty from the republican and tsunami, how do you see that movement . How will they work with the Republican Party between the two blocks . We give the twoparty great credit. There has been more people that have been read the constitution in the last 18 months they and the last 50 years and i absolutely give that credit to the twoparty if for no other reason, their engagement has been a positive impact on our country. Politically, i saw the teapartier and went to many of their defense and focused on conservatism and small government of very Diverse Group of people from the political spectrum. I suspect theres engagement is still positive and i hope they will stay engaged for a number of reasons, to hold the feet of the officials to the fire when it comes to the constitution to respect the tenth amendment to become a the laboratory of innovation i will share with you an anecdote that crystallizes it very well cnbc is a yearly ranking of the states of which measure and they rank the states for the Business Climate the best to do business and it came out texas was number one and rightfully so. [laughter] but number two was virginia. The first foul call i got was from Bob Mcdonnell to was very upbeat and gracious he said congratulations to be number one in the cnbc poll enjoy it because were coming after you. [laughter] that is exactly the type of competition and the spirit that should happen in all 50 states. Not having washington d. C. Mandate from on high the one size fits all whether health care or education in our transportation policies, those can best be addressed at the state level. They can be done more efficiently, more effectively and we can help save washington and substantial amounts of money in that process as well. I am with the huffington opposed. George w. Bush is doing us a tour for his book right now can you reflect