Lt. Governor's Inaugural Address January 8, 2007

To share this stage with our Governor and other statewide officers and to be surrounded by my family and friends is a dream come true…and it is a great honor to stand up here before you as the 11^th Lt. Governor in the history of Georgia.

It's been a long road to get here, and I know that I have a lot of work ahead of me to build on the legacies of the 10 men who have served before me.

I want to thank my predecessor Mark Taylor for his service to Georgia and for being so hospitable to us during this period of transition.

The men who came before me in this office were institutions in Georgia…people like Pierre Howard and Zell Miller.

People of principle…people of vision.

People whose dedication to a more successful Georgia drove them to take the reins of leadership.

I share their dedication, and I am here today for that same opportunity.

I too have a vision for a successful Georgia, and I am committed to making that dream become a reality and confident that it will sustain me in the days ahead.

The truth is, when we started this whole thing two years ago, a vision was about the only thing that we had. We didn't have much money, didn’t have much name recognition outside of Hall County, and people honestly didn’t think I had much of a chance.

But I knew that my belief in a successful Georgia would be enough to overcome these obstacles.

I knew that given the opportunity I could follow in the footsteps of these others and write my own history for this office – not as just the first Lt. Governor for the Republican Party, but the next Lt. Governor for ALL of Georgia.

Because this vision for success calls for unity…a Senate united around a common purpose and a state united around a common cause.

I have a vision for a Georgia where all children receive a world-class education…where each child has the chance to go as far as they desire.

I envision a Georgia where we remove our one-size-fits-all blinders and bring local solutions to achieve statewide results.

Our educational system should be a partnership, not a dictatorship. An environment in which the state sets the standards but lets the schools, parents, and administrators decide how they reach them.

And our government should provide the tools to help them…not put roadblocks in their way.

Just up the road in Hall County we can see what happens when we give communities the chance to work together.

Gainesville City Schools are a model for public education for the entire nation…where parents and teachers have come together to create the system that works best for their children.

I envision a Georgia in which we learn from that success and increase local control…expanding charter schools to charter systems and encouraging the growth and expansion of our career academies.

Because any meaningful attempts to improve education MUST focus on the needs of the individual child.

So we have to untie the hands of our teachers, parents and administrators and let them do what we have hired them to do…educate our children.

If we do these things…ladies and gentlemen…I am confident we will see educational excellence.

Beyond education, our vision for Georgia must focus on ways to grow and strengthen economic development in our state.

Georgia’s economic engines are fueled by the sweat of the Tifton peanut farmer and the ambition of the Atlanta businessman.

And we must keep those engines running.

We must focus on creating and maintaining quality, well paying jobs for our workers.

Because more than just a paycheck, jobs give us a sense of purpose…They give us a sense of pride. And through a good job, our citizens can truly experience the American Dream.

I have a vision for a Georgia that fosters a pro-jobs culture throughout state government, where the entire legislature works to create an environment in which businesses can thrive.

I am ready to build upon our past successes and use the office of Lt. Governor to bring even more jobs and opportunities to our state.

We have the potential to lead the nation in several industries like alternative fuels…biotechnology…logistics…healthcare…just to name a few.

As Lt. Governor I am committed to growing these industries…and being a strong ally to our great Governor Sonny Perdue…And working together I am confident we will see economic excellence.

The bottom line is that ours is a vision of hope.

It is a vision of opportunity.

It is about believing in success and not stopping until it’s achieved.

It’s about delivering on promises.

As many of you know I was raised by a single mom. Growing up in Hall County I didn’t always have the latest toys and fancy vacations that some of the other kids had.

And there were times when it seemed that success was not likely for me…But it happened.

And it happened because of the love of a mother.

Because of the love of someone who had a vision for my success and who promised to help me see it.

It happened because of someone who taught me the values of faith and hard work…and a love for God that carries me through even to this day.

Because of her vision…I have achieved this success.

Because she delivered on her promises…I am here before you today.

And that's the vision that we should have for all Georgians…believing in the success of this state and creating the environment in which that success is achieved.

And working together, ladies and gentlemen…I am confident we can do it.

Working together we can create a successful Georgia.

Working together we can create the right environment for our citizens to realize their own dreams…to find their own opportunities.

Working together we can deliver on the promises of hope and opportunity for every citizen.

It has been said over and over that to whom much is given much is asked. God has blessed me with many gifts in my life…my wife Nita…my three wonderful boys. And you have blessed me with the gift of this opportunity of serving as your Lt. Governor.

The office of Lt. Governor belongs to you the people of Georgia. You have entrusted me to serve in this role, and I will forever be grateful.

I will always know that I didn’t get here alone. I know that it was the countless hours and dedicated efforts of our volunteers and the gracious contributions of our donors that allowed us to achieve this success. And from the bottom of my heart I thank you.

But I know that now I am asked to rise above party and serve all Georgians, to set aside politics and put the needs of our state first.

To believe that every Georgian can achieve success…just as my mom believed it in me…and to follow through on the promises that will guide us towards that success.

Today marks the first day of our call to action. Today I reaffirm my commitment to you that I will always give you my best.

I will always be guided by the principles and values that make our Georgia so great.

And I will always strive to have your best interests at heart each and every day.

May we always be led by the understanding that life is not about self but about service and service to others.

And I will serve you faithfully…I will deliver on my promise to create opportunities for all Georgians and together we will make our vision for Georgia a reality.

And when our day is ended, we can look back like a proud mother, knowing that we have preserved Georgia for generations to come.

Thank you. God bless you, and God Bless Georgia.

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