away. the impact knocked the wind out of state government. revenue fell is staggering $778 million short of projections. the biggest one-year drop in missouri history. the state government did what every family had to do. we tighten our belts, which stretched every dollar, and we reined in spending. we did not bellyache about it. we just did it. [applause] . we reduced our utility bill by 6%. i had to kutch $600 million at of the state budget, but i did so. -- i had to cut $600 million out of the state budget, but i did so. in terms of efficiency, we're not done yet. state government has been creating boards and commissions for this centennial or that special interest. some do good work, while others do not do much of anything. they just kept growing and growing, until they turned into bureaucratic subsidies. in an effort to root out waste and inefficiency, i have already eliminated 13 of these boards and 2700 positions and i call on the legislature to get rid of -- and to order 70 positions. and i call on the government to cut more. [applause] working together, we have been able to avoid meltdowns we are seeing in other states. massachusetts and nevada jacked up their sales tax. arizona is on the verge of closing their state parks and selling their senate house building. nevada's governor has proposed cutting k throughçó 12 funding y $700 million. this is not going to happen in misery. -- in missouri. our early action and sound action have kept the aaa credit rating. we have saved the taxpayers millions in tax payers. it signaled that it is where smart money goes to grow. we're one of the nation's premier financial ratings firms, making us one of the top states to lead the nation's recovery. by balancing the budget without raising taxes, making hard choices, and managing debt, missouri is in a strong position to accelerate out of this downturn, but we never could accomplish that without the stead fastñi bipartisanship last year. i want to thank allçóñi of you n this roomçó for standing togethr with us. thank you very much. [applause] we must summon that same bipartisan spirit for the hard work that lies ahead. this year, although we are in better shape than other states, we still face so bring financial challenges. revenue projections for fiscal 2011 are austere. we will have less revenue than we did it in 2009. we need the patience and good faith of every person in this general assembly, all 163 members of the house and all the members of the senate working as a team to manage our limited resources to move missouri forward on a path to prosperity. we must move off board once again. [applause] while we were taking steps to get immediate economic returns, we also need to be banking strategic investments to secure our long-term economic growth. investments in children's education, health care, communities that are safe and that vibrant and the beauty of our state. in our rapidly changing world, the education of our children is a high-stakes enterprise. [applause] where students excel, we have a dedicated teachers to thank. [applause] all across our state, our public schools are stronger for the commendable work teachers do, and i in my just talking about the work in the classrooms. from the first bill on monday morning to the last bell on friday afternoon. i am talking about the extra hours, giving students extra help with math or english, and the weekends that teachers devote to 8 p. and band competitions. teaching is not just a job, it is a calling. criticizing public education is easy and cheap. educating children it is hard and takes a serious investment. [applause] it is not enough to tell our teachers how much we value them. we must show them. that is why my budget this year has continued funding for our career ladder. our teachers have earned it. [applause] last year we provided record funding for classrooms even in the face of severe economic challenges. other states like kansas and georgia are restricting education funds already appropriated. let me be clear, every penny appropriate by the legislature last year will go to our class terms this year. -- will go into our classrooms this year. our budget challenges next year are no less daunting. until the revenue picture changes, most folks in government understand getting the job done with fewer resources is necessary, but budgets are about protecting priorities. as we discussed my budget, and where and how much to cut, i took one thing off the table -- k through 12 classrooms. [applause] our children are precious. their education is too important. even in these difficult times, i recommend increased funding at a record level for our classrooms. [applause] our commitment to education must extend beyond high school. for too long, steep tuition hikes have put college average for many missouri families. one family had three kids in college at the same time, still do. that is a big price tag. but they understood the value a college degree had it and were milling -- and were willing to make a sacrifice. they wondered how they would manage to pay all three tuition bills. i sure, we froze tuition at all two- and four year public colleges and our state. for thousands of families, that was a godsend. please welcome these outstanding parents, tom and sandy. [applause] we are not done. i call on you to join me and lead the nation by example. in supporting another tuition freeze this year. that would mean missouri students and their families will not have to pay any more in tuition and fees two years in a row. [applause] i want to bring college within reach for even more missouri students by addressing a blatant inequity in the eight-plus scholarship program. it pays for high-school kids to keep up their grades, give back, and stay out of trouble. today, one-third of the kids in our public high schools cannot even apply for the scholarships because their schools are not officially designated as a-plus schools. that is not fair. the scholarships should be open to every hardworking public high school student and missouri, and i count on your support to make that happen this very year. [applause] our children are growing up in a high-speed digital world. jtqt watch them texting their friends. access to the fast lane on the information superhighway, without it, we will be on a dusty de corps. this year we are competing to bring high-speed internet to every part of our state, from the urban core to the last mile of the road. for small businesses like strawberries bar-b-que, that means instant access to customers from jamaica to japan. a college student could take courses on her laptop, a cancer specialist could read it medical records from the doctor. we will compete for every possible dollar to turn this project into reality to help missouri stay competitive. you bet we will. [applause] there is an undeniable correlation between a state's competitiveness and the cost of health care. last year we were poised to make good progress on health care. the senate voted overwhelmingly to provide health care to missouri at no additional cost for taxes. [applause] unfortunately, the proposal failed on the last day of the session. this year, having noticed there has been a little talk about health care, from halls of congress to town hall meetings across our country -- [applause] congress is debating significant health care legislation, but if that passes, if that legislation passes, it is our job to show steady bipartisan leadership, to maximize the benefits for the people of our state. [applause] there is another important health care issue that demands our immediate attention, autism. [applause] this spectrum of disorders is diagnosed in one out of 110 children, and the sooner it is treated, the better their lives will be. miles and laura have a child with autism, and they have been an outstanding advocates not just for their son but for all children with autism. please welcome here -- please welcome them here this evening. [applause] blake's father tells and moving story about hearing his son speak his first words at the age of three. reaching that milestone took months of intensive therapy. it was an enormous victory for blake, summed up rather nicely in his first word -- "mine." when their insurance company refused to pay for his therapy, they willingly took a hit because they know there is a critical period of time to turn on the light in the developing mild -- in the developing mind of a job with autism. if that critical time passes, the light goes out. children with autism should not have to wait for their parents to come up with the cash or insurance companies to grow a conscience. they need our help now. [applause] for months, i have stood with democratic and republican legislatures -- legislators on this and laid out a key bill that we will make a difference in these children's lives. this is the year we stand up to insurance companies. this is the year we make them cover all to some. this is the year we turn on the light for thousands of children, this very year. -- this is the year we make them cover autism. this is the return on the light for thousands of children, this very year. [applause] there is another young man here tonight i would like to tell you about. his name is travis, and he is up in the balcony tonight with his family. both of his legs were crushed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. his mother almost died of her injuries. they told me they feel lucky to be alive. travis is 11 now. he has had five operations on his legs so far and he will need three more. but he is making steady progress. please welcome this brave young man. travis. [applause] a man behind the wheel of the car that struck him and his family was convicted of drunk driving previously, but there he was again, not drunk again, coming at them the wrong way on an exit ramp. -- he was drunk again. that is what i have proposed legislation to effectively prosecute and punish drunk drivers and remove their licenses and get them off the roads before they shatter more lives. i urge you to send that bill to that my desk -- i urge you to send that bill to my desk this year. [applause] and the long term strategy for improving missouri's economy and enhancing our quality of life must take full advantage of natural heritage. hunting, fishing, hiking, camping are part of our way of life. you bet they are. [applause] when i was a kid, i did a lot of fishing with my dad. we will get up early, toss our gear in the back of our station wagon, and head down to the springs. i would be hip deep in cold water before the mist had rolled off the river. i learned many hours on how to read the river, time flies, and fish for trout. i hope they will pass that along to their children. we need to get more kids off the couch, away from video games, back at a worse. -- back outdoors. [applause] because there are some lessons only nature can teach. tonight, i am pleased to announce the creation of a missouri state parks district. we will put more than 1000 young people to work this summer and are 85 state parks and historic sites. you bet we will. passed on+'ñiñ9iñr us by peopln extraordinary vision and generosity. it even in these lean times, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of these treasures and preserve them for future generations. the youth corps will learn to be good stewards of the land from the ground up, picking up trash, cutting brush, building trails. they will also be an outdoor ambassadors in my effort to reduce a 10-year decline in our beautiful state parks. you bet. [applause] more visitors will also pump more money into our tourism industry for families that love the outdoors. there is just no better deal around. now we just have to spread the word. if you like to kayak or fish, bird watch or a mountain bike, come to missouri first. [applause] our land has always been the foundation of our economy. our farmers have fed the nation and could feed a ton in greek -- they can feed a hungry world. we're trying to expand exponentially. we have to sell globally and buy locally. this year we will sell a record amount of corn -- corn and soybeans to taiwan. that is good for our farmers. [applause] here at home, every family should be able to share the bounty of the land, including fresh, healthy produce. that is why we will promote missouri's locals farmers' markets and encourage more people to start community gardens all across the state. [applause] i have focused this evening on our shared obligations. creating jobs, managing the budget, holding down taxes. i have talked about working together to make our communities safer, stronger, and healthier. i have talked about making strategic long-term investments in our future. but we have one more piece of unfinished business -- ethics. it is time we gave the people of missouri a state government is as honest and straight-shooting as they are. [applause] last year, we demolished the patronage system long used for awarding licenses. we created a more efficient system with transparent processes, and it will produce revenue that we can put to good use. yeah. [applause] two years ago, the legislature passed a bill to pay for college of families of veterans killed or seriously injured in combat. just one problem -- no funding. last year the legislature passed a bill to pay survivors' benefit to the families of firefighters, police officers, state troopers, and deputies killed in the line of duty. same problem -- no funding. with the $800,000 the new office will produce, we can finally do right by these heroes and families and found both of these programs this year. -- and fund both of these programs this year. [applause] çógood government really does pd dividends. but we can do more. we can pass meaningful ethics reforms this year. there are a number of good proposals out there. to my mind, meaningful reform must do iour basic things -- four basic things. one, stopped seeking back door donations to committees. no. 2, ban someone from working for a political consultant for another office holder. 3, shut the revolving door between the legislature and the lobbyists for good. and most importantly, set strict limits on campaign contributions. [applause] ñimissouri voters overwhelmingly mandated them. as attorney general, i fought for them. the u.s. supreme court upheld them. it is just the right thing to do. [applause] in the last year, i have logged thousands of miles traveling our great state. i have had coffee with small business owners on main street and chewed the fat with cattlemen. i have visited with combat veterans and college kids. school teachers and scientists. i have met hard-working families struggling to pay their bills and laid off factory workers with no health insurance. a lot of people are worried about their jobs. about how they're going to pay the mortgage or their medical bills. they are anxious about retirement. what if anything will be left for their kids and grandkids? but not once, not one single time did i hear anyone say, "por mi." -- "poor me." not once did anyone tell me, governor, i give up. times may be tough, but people from missouri are tougher. remember the lesson of the ice storm. our greatest strength lies in one another. if we can hang tough a little longer, work together, stay on the path, we will keep climbing and climbing and climbing, until we see the bright horizon. because missouri's future is bright. even now, there are glimmers of recovery. health-care and technology are starting to hire again. at the home sales and industrial production are picking up. consumers are cautiously starting to spend. these first warm rays are a sign that our hard work and discipline are paying off for our people of missouri. and at the end of the day, whether we vote red, blue, or purple, most of us want the same things. a state that is competitive and prosperous. a state where hard-working people can find a decent job, buy a house, and raise a family. a state brimming with opportunities, where our children can sink roots and raise families of the run. or health care and funding is affordable. where every child gets a first- rate education. a state whose beauty beckons us to haunt, bite, and fish. a state where neighbors helped neighbors. -- a state whose beady beckons us to hunt, bike, and fish. will we make progress this year? yes, we will. it can we work faster, if we work together? absolutely. [applause] so tonight, let's swear an oath to the people of state we so dearly love, and to each other, that nothing will stand in the way of rebuilding our economy and imagining our future. let's work together to make 2010 the year that we put politics second and put missouri first. thank you, and god bless missouri. [applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] >> in his weekly online address this week, president obama talked about the supreme court decision clearing the way for corporations to spend freely on political advertising. house minority leader john boehner followed with the republican address, discussing scott brown the victory in the massachusetts special senate election and urging the obama administration and congressional democrats to work together on an alternative health care bill. >> one of the reasons i ran for president was because i believed so strongly that the voices of the everyday americans, hard- working people doing everything they can to stay afloat or not being heard of a powerful voices of special interest in washington. the result was a national agenda too often skewed in favor of those with the power to curry favors. we push back on the power by implementing a historical reforms, to get rid of the influence of special interests. on my first in office, we close to resolving. revolving door between lobbyists and government that nobody in my administration would make decisions based on the interests of former or future employers. we to executive officials. we imposed tough restrictions on funding to line the public of the well-connected. for the first time in history, we have publicly disclose the names of lobbyists and non- lobbyists like to visit the white house every day so that you know what is going on in the white house, the people's house. we have been making steady progress. this week, the united states supreme court handed a huge victory to the special interests and lobbyists and a powerful blow to our efforts to rein and corporate influence. it's strikes at our democracy itself. by a 5-4 vote, the court overturned more than a century of law, including a bipartisan campaign finance lot written by john mccain and russ feingold that barred corporations from using the nato clout by running advertisements for or against candidates. this opens the floodgates for an unlimited amount of special interest money into our democracy. this gives the special interest lobbyists new leverage to spend millions on average -- on advertising, swaying voters to vote their way or punishing those who did not. that means any public servant who has the courage to stand up to special interest and stand up for the american people can find themselves under assault come election time. even foreign corporations can now get into the action. i cannot think of anything more devastating to the public interest. the last thing we need to do is hand more influence to the lobbyists in washington or more power to the special interests to tip the outcome of elections. all of us, regardless of party, should be worried it will be that much harder to get fair, common-sense financial reforms, to close on awarded tax loopholes that reward corporations for sheltering -- unwarranted tax loopholes that reward corporations for sheltering their money. even foreign entities will be allowed to mix in our elections. a gives the health insurance industry more leverage to fend off reforms that would protect p