Conway Delivers Response to Gov. Brown's State of the State Address* from CA Assembly GOP on Vimeo.
TRANSCRIPT:
As Californians, we are blessed to live in a state that in many ways is the best in the world. Yet we also face challenges that threaten both our way of life, and the future of our beloved state.
We are struggling with the nation's 2nd highest unemployment rate and a budget deficit that is out of control.
That's discouraging, but also challenging. The pioneers who settled our state never were deterred by the obstacles they faced. We simply have to forge ahead, as they did.
Tonight, Governor Brown put forward his ideas to solve California's most urgent problems. Assembly Republicans stand ready to work with the governor and the majority party to achieve our common goal - getting California back on track.
We share the governor's goal of passing an honest and on-time budget. It is our hope that Governor Brown focuses on cutting spending and on long-term reform.
We need to break away from the failed status quo. That means rejecting higher taxes, attacking wasteful spending, and doing away with the policies and programs that got us into this mess in the first place.
Will that be easy? No. We have a $25 billion deficit. But living within our means is the right thing to do. It’s what families and businesses already do.
At churches and grocery stores, I meet people who are coping with our economy in a sensible manner. They are hardworking, industrious and innovative Californians who don't care about political games.
They don't have a sense of panic nor a sense of dread. They simply want big government to become responsible, reasonable government. We must provide essential services but we must do so with efficiency and frugality. We must cut spending. And we must do it now.
The people have made it clear: they don't want to pay higher taxes. Voters have rejected every tax increase on the last two statewide ballots. It's time for Sacramento to finally to listen to the people.
Republicans stand united as the only line of defense for California taxpayers. We believe the best solution to help close our deficit is not by raising taxes, but by creating private sector jobs. That is done by lifting regulations and by reducing frivolous lawsuits.
For far too long, the Legislature has strangled our economy by imposing mandates, regulations and taxes. It's no wonder that companies have been leaving California for other states.
For the past six years, CEO magazine has ranked our state as the worst place to do business in the entire nation. We cannot allow that to continue.
Let's make life more simple by focusing on what's most important. Let's maintain our parks, roads, schools and public safety. Let's create jobs by helping business owners instead of hurting them.
And let's balance the budget. Remember, with more people earning a living and paying their fair share of modest taxes, we can make our state great again.
We must also rein in soaring public pension costs and make government programs run more cost-effectively.
As simple as that sounds, it won't be easy, because years and years of poor decisions precede us. But we can learn from those mistakes. To do so, Democrats and Republicans must work together to restore the people's faith in their government.
Assembly Republicans offer our hand of cooperation. We look forward to working across party lines to cut the deficit, encourage new hiring and end the "tax-and-spend" mentality with true common sense.
I hope you will be part of this movement against our broken system. Call or email your legislators to express your views. Together, we can do this. Thank you. ◼ VIDEO: Assembly Repubican Leader Responds To Governor Brown's State Of The State Address at The Flash Report
◼ VIDEO: Senate Repubican Leader Responds To Governor Brown's State Of The State Address also at The Flash Report
◼ CRP Response to PPIC Poll Regarding Brown's Budget Plan
