Senate Transcript, January 18, 2011

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.  The inaugural ceremony is about to begin, so please take your seats.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the posting of the colors. Representative Dan Branch and Stacy Branch. Dr. Ed Young and JoBeth Young. The most reverend Joe S. V·squez, Bishop of Austin. Mr. David Robinson. Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson and Wanda Jefferson. Senator Steve Ogden, president pro tempore of the Texas Senate. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Joe Straus and Julie Straus. Lieutenant Governor DAVID DEWHURST and Mrs. Patricia Dewhurst, 13   accompanied by Carolyn.14                 The first family of the State of Texas, Sydney Perry, Griffin Perry and Meredith Perry. Governor RICK PERRY and First Lady Anita Perry.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Ladies and gentlemen, the University of Texas Longhorn Band will now play the National Anthem.  Please rise.

(Band Playing National Anthem.)

Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated.               

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  The Senate will come to order.  A quorum is present.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  The House will come to order.  A quorum is present. The two houses have convened today for the purpose of inaugurating the governor and lieutenant governor.  The invocation will be delivered by Dr. Ed Young, senior pastor at Second Baptist Church in Houston.

DR. ED YOUNG:  Our Heavenly Father, what a privilege it is to be a citizen of the great state of Texas.  We know to whom much is given, much is required.  And we are here today to issue a prayer of thanksgiving that the economy of the life of this state has selected these two men to serve us as stewards and as leaders in this moment of the 21st century. We ask that you would put your hand upon them and give them your wisdom in such a time as this as they stay on the wall in service to you and to these, your people.  We believe the best is yet to be, and we thank you for the privilege of this moment as we make this prayer in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Please be seated.  The oath of office -- I'm sorry. Please stand as Captain Daniel Moran leads us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States and the Texas flags.               

CAPTAIN MORAN:  Would you please join me? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible in liberty and justice for all. Now, to our great state. Honor the Texas flag.  I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  Now, please be seated.  The oath of office will now be administrated to the lieutenant governor, the Honorable DAVID DEWHURST, by the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Wallace B. Jefferson.                 

CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON:  It is my honor to administer the oath using the bible Sam Houston used 150 years ago for the administration of the oath of office. Governor, if you'll raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, DAVID DEWHURST, do solemnly swear . . .                 

DAVID DEWHURST:  I, DAVID DEWHURST, do solemnly swear . . .  

CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON:  That I will faithfully execute the duties . . .

DAVID DEWHURST:  That I will faithfully execute the duties . . . 

CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON:  Of Lieutenant Governor of the state of Texas . . . 

DAVID DEWHURST:  Of Lieutenant Governor of the state of Texas . . .

CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON:  And will to the best of my ability . . .

DAVID DEWHURST:  And will to the best of my ability . . .

CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON:  Preserve and protect and defend . . .

DAVID DEWHURST:  Preserve, protect and defend . . .

CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON:  The Constitution and laws of the United States . . .

DAVID DEWHURST:  The Constitution and laws of the United States . . .

CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON:  And of this state . . .

DAVID DEWHURST:  And of this state . . .

CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON:  So help me God.

DAVID DEWHURST:  So help me God. 

CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON:  Congratulations.

DAVID DEWHURST:  Thank you very much. 

(Applause).

SEN. OGDEN:  As senate pro tempore of the Texas Senate, it is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce our admired and respected lieutenant governor, the lieutenant governor of the state of Texas, DAVID DEWHURST.

(Applause).

DAVID DEWHURST:  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you, Senator Ogden.  I so admire you and all of our fine senators sitting over to the left, members of our house here, my friends, Governor Perry, Speaker Straus, CHIEF JUSTICE JEFFERSON, members of the legislature, my fellow Texans. I am deeply honored to be here today, and once again, to take the oath of office as your lieutenant governor, to serve the greatest people on the planet of earth, the people of Texas.

(Applause).

You have my profound gratitude. And Tricia, it's very special for me to have you by my side.  And I have our little lovely daughter Carolyn with us today. To me, there's no greater blessing in life than having a wonderful wife and family, and I learned that from a very special woman who loved her children unconditionally, who overcame great adversity, who put her children's future ahead of her own so that we might have a chance to grow up and be half the man our dad was.  She was a member of the greatest generation.  She was prepared to sacrifice, and she did for both Gene, Don and myself. You know, I'll never forget, when I first told Mom that I was going to run for statewide office, she looked me square in the eye and she said, "Son, have you completely lost your mind?"  And then she thought about it a little while, and with moist eyes, she said, "David, you've got my blessing as long as you promise me that every day you're in office, you'll push the envelope, you'll help people who have no one else to help them, and the day you don't, you'll get out of office."

Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you today as your lieutenant governor on the shoulders of a very special woman and also with a very special wife.  As long as I have the opportunity to serve the people of Texas, I will keep that solemn vow.  I will help those who have no one else to help them to ensure that the promise of opportunity is available to all without favoring the few.

To you, the good people of Texas, I'm honored -- truly honored by the responsibility that you've entrusted to me.  And I promise you that I will use the power that you've loaned me -- loaned me -- humbly to help all people.  You know, there's a lot special about being a Texan.  We're independent, optimistic to the core, occasionally stubborn.  There's men and women who've made their way to Texas, who've settled these unforgiving lands. They weren't looking for a handout or a stimulus check.  They were simply looking for freedom.  To me, what makes Texas so great, it isn't the cattle or the cotton or the crude oil, it's the people of Texas.  Yep, we got --

(Applause).

Yes, we've got a lot of challenges facing us in this 2011 session.  But we will be successful because our challenges are not bigger than the sheer will and determination of the people of Texas.  I know this to be a fact, because eight years ago when I was sworn in the first time, we were facing some of the same very problems.  We didn't shrink from those challenges.  We looked at that mountain straight ahead of us and we started climbing.  That's exactly what we're going to do again.  Working together, we passed major lawsuit reforms, school finance, we balanced four state budgets without raising taxes while protecting the essential services for our most vulnerable.  Job one is to balance our budget without raising taxes.  To me, when you look at this --

(Applause).

To me, in the worst economy in 70 years -- although we're doing better in Texas than virtually an other state -- with unemployment at its highest in decades, now is not the time to ask families to make do with less so government can spend more. President Ronald Reagan once said, "There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. Simply put, government must live within its means."

This last election, we all know that the people of this country, the people in Texas, spoke loud and clear when they said "No" to the Washington way -- the Washington way where you spend $5 for every $3 of revenue you take in.  That's crazy.  In contrast to Washington, we offer limited government to create unlimited opportunity.

(Applause).

And we know people agree because they're voting with their feet.  They're moving to Texas in larger numbers than any other state in the country.  Last year, out of the 500,000 population growth we had in the state of Texas, about 250,000 of the 500,000 came to Texas, voted for Texas with their feet. They came from the other 49 states. And it wasn't because of our weather.  It's because we're a fortress of economic freedom, a lone bastion of opportunity in the midst of a global economic crisis.

I tell you what I've been hearing over the last 18 months as I've been crisscrossing the state of Texas.  I've heard neither a clamor for new taxes nor a call for more government.  What I heard was anger over reckless spending in Washington.  I've listened to ranchers, doctors, lawyers, factory workers, small business owners -- some of the same people who formed a grass roots rebellion against reckless spending, the patriots of the Tea Party.  From Boston Harbor in 1773 to Austin, Texas in 2011, I hear the cry of everyday citizens who want to be freed from a distant government which doesn't listen to us, but tries to control our lives at the expense of our liberty.  Washington should listen to the people and look to the states, which I believe are the laboratory of innovation and good government.

Chief party members, independents, Republicans, conservative Democrats ought to be proud of Texas.  The work Governor Perry, myself, the speaker, the legislature have done is a shining example of limited government, low taxes and economic growth.  I'm proud of the role I've been able to play working with Governor Perry and the speaker and our fine colleagues in the Senate and the House when we cut the size of government in 2003 and we cut government again in 2010.  We'll cut it again in 2011.  And working together, we've held the line on spending over the last eight years.  In Texas, we're never going to concede freedom to Washington, because we believe that government exists to empower people, not to rule over people.

(Applause). 

Like many of you, I've had the chance over the years to study the constitution and I've got a profound respect for its enduring wisdom.  You know, as amazing as our constitution is for what it does, it's amazing for what it doesn't do.  It does not make Washington all powerful. 

(Applause).

Think about it for a second.  Our founding fathers had a chance to centralize power in the government that they themselves would run, yet they chose to give it away. They gave power to the people in our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, in the 10th Amendment in peacetime on purpose. Theirs was an act of courage that's rare in the annals of history.  Our founding fathers knew the absolute power in the hands of a few that lost liberty for the many.  The same is true today.  The only thing as outrageous as the amount of money that Washington is borrowing from foreign nations is the amount of money they're withholding from states who don't go along with their edicts.

(Applause).

Washington has been running roughshod over our sovereignty.  The examples get more and more outrageous -- offshore drilling ban, misguided congressmen who are blocking a billion -- almost a billion dollars of your money going to deserving school children. Nuts.  The EPA taking over 167 clean air permits, cap-and-trade, which they're trying to pass through regulation cost you increased taxes, and Obamacare, the largest expansion of government in a generation.  What the Obama administration hasn't been able to pass, they're trying to pass through regulation.  Unfortunately, Texas has been forced to its last option -- and thank you, our attorney general -- our last option, litigation. And while Washington is intruding on all the rights of the states, they have yet to meet their most basic constitutional obligation, to secure our borders.

Today, our borders are under siege by gangs and cartels and traffic in drugs and weapons and human beings.  Border security is a federal job, but we the states have to pay the price.  That's why here in Texas, we spent over a quarter of a billion dollars of your tax money over the last four years putting state troopers and helicopters and local law enforcement on the border.  And you know what we found empirically?  Man power is the key to securing our border.  Every time we do surge operations massing personnel on our southern border, nothing moves, not even jack rabbits, nothing moves.  Therefore, my friends, today, I'm calling on the federal government to triple the number of border patrol agents on our borders.  And if that doesn't secure our borders, then I'll demand more people to be on our borders until we've got -- we've got enough people on our border to secure our border, to seal it, to control it and to enforce it.

(Applause).  

My priorities this session, ladies and gentlemen, members, I think are clear.  In addition to securing our borders, we're going to pass legislation to encourage more job growth this state.  And we're leading the nation, but we've got a lot of people that are voting with their feet and coming here.  This is the land of opportunity for them.

I want to protect the integrity of our elections, and we'll again pass voter I.D. out of the Senate.

(Applause).

Our public education, our higher education is the key to the door for success for every deserving child.  We'll continue to improve our public schools and work with our fine universities to make them even better, because a quality education gives every child a chance to realize their dreams.  We'll continue to building -- we'll continue to build world class transportation systems, because quality roads without congestion are the economic arteries of our future prosperity.  We'll make health care more accessible and more affordable with better medical outcomes at a lower cost by passing reforms that will lead the nation, because Texas deserves better health care, not more bureaucracy.

(Applause).

And we'll achieve all these goals, and did I mention, we'll balance our budget without raising taxes.

(Applause).

Because I want, and I believe you want, a budget that grows our Texas economy and not the Texas government.

(Applause).

Now, can we accomplish all these things?  You bet.

Eight years ago, my friend, your friend, Dr. Ed Young, at our inaugural prayer service, joked that Texans are sometimes accused of having an accent.  Can you believe that?  That causes us to mispronounce words.  Do you remember what you said, Dr. Young? Causes us to mispronounce words.  For instance, we in Texas pronounce the word c-r-i-s-i-s, c-r-i-s-i-s as "opportunity."  

You know, people talk about the miracle of the Texas growth and -- and growth in jobs and growth in the state.  Let you in on a little secret.  Our economic decent hasn't been a miracle.  It's the result of a lot of hard work.  It's the result of bedrock, conservative principles, limited government, low taxes, creating a level playing field that's predictable and dependable and that's why people invest.  For years, the Texas landscape has bloomed with opportunity.  One of the many things I love about Texas and which I personally experienced is that the Texas that we love is a place where any day, anyone from any background can climb heights as improbable as they are breathtaking.  We are Texans, and we can do anything we set our minds to do.

(Applause).  But our optimism in the Texas it is and the Texas it can be cannot and should not cause us to lose sight of some of the vulnerable in our society, helpless, hopeless, jobless.  I want everybody -- everybody to have the opportunity to be all they can be.  To me, the best investments that we can do are investments that give Texans the tools of self-sufficiency -- a world class education, quality, affordable health care, a stable, dependable business climate that encourages entrepreneurs to build successful companies and where workers can make better income.  These are the kinds of investments that we must make in good times and bad.  But government can't solve every problem or address every ill.  Centralized government that attempts too much achieves too little.

This morning at the prayer service, Pastor Richard was talking about God-given faith fueled with vision.  And he was talking about standing on the wall for God. Pastor Young -- Dr. Young, on leadership urging the governor and myself and all of our elected officials to stand to be stewards to God and to the people.  For those of all of us who've been very blessed over the years, I think we've got a very special calling: to serve and sacrifice to help people.  Service and sacrifice are what define our greatest generation -- the men and women who fought tyranny in the trenches of Europe, on the islands of the Pacific, on the high seas and the high altitudes.  During in World War II, 750,000 Texans, 12,000 women, served in World War II.  Governor Perry's dad and my dad.  My father was one, an ordinary Texan who went to war, did his job, became a highly decorated B26 bomber pilot flying 85 missions over Nazi Europe.  His bombardier is still alive and we talk to him.  Every time he roared down that runway, he knew it might be his last, but he did it anyway, just like your fathers did and your grandfathers.  I've been to the shores of Normandy, where thousands and thousands of brave Americans are buried -- Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice.  The indescribable peace that permeates such hallowed ground where heroes rest, the silence speaks.  It just wasn't my dad or Rick's dad and the millions of servicemen who sacrified; it was everybody in America, everybody sacrificed.  Factory workers and women who were not only raising families without their husbands home, but they worked in plants to support the war effort.  It was citizens who bought war bonds and prayed every night for their loved ones that they'd come home just like mom.  Each had a role to play, and virtually all rose to the challenge.

I think we see that spirit of sacrifice alive and well today in our fighting men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq.  To me, they are freedom's greatest ambassadors, warriors willing to sacrifice all including their own safety for all of us for greater good.  We must never be oblivious to their sacrifice or fail to remember generations that came before.  We, too, as individual citizens and civilians, we, too, must be willing to sacrifice for the good of our state and for the good of our country.  You know, many in America have been trained to believe that we can have what we want when we want it, but at the core of being a Texan, the core of being an American is not what we get back from society, it's what we can give.  For most of us Texans, the question is not what 24   government can do for us, but what we can do if government would just get out of the way.

(Applause).

Because we all know that government cannot replace the role of parents and families, cannot legislate personal responsibility, cannot replace the private sector in creating jobs, and cannot govern an individual's life better than his own conscience. Texas still offers the promise of a better tomorrow.  Where a little boy or little girl can grow up with nothing, work hard and have the storybook ending they would never imagine in their -- ever as a child.  I know.  It's my story.  And it's a story of millions of you and other Texans who've lived the American dream in the state of Texas, so abundant with opportunity.  Those who sacrifice, those who persevere, those who dust off the dust on their boots, when they get knocked down, they get back up.  They're the ones who 10   know the meaning of the American dream, the Texas dream.

The promise of Texas is a light on the distant horizon, piercing the darkness.  It's a promise available to any and all of us if we're willing to work hard, sacrifice and never give up.  I think this has never been more true than today with the thousands of new pilgrims settling here every day in Texas -- in this modern promised land called Texas.  We who have inherited that promise must preserve and protect it.  We must never allow its light to lose its luster.  We must be united in our quest for a better Texas, a Texas rich in values, abundant in opportunity, wealthy in spirit, one people, one star, one destiny.  God bless the great state of Texas.  God bless each and every one of you.  Thank you.

(Applause).

REP. STRAUS:  The oath of office will now be administered to the governor, the honorable RICK PERRY, by Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson.

MR. JEFFERSON:  It is my honor to administer the oath, Governor.  If you'll raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, RICK PERRY, do solemnly swear . ..

RICK PERRY:  I, RICK PERRY, do solemnly swear . . . 

MR. JEFFERSON:  That I will faithfully execute the duties . . . 

RICK PERRY:  That I will faithfully execute the duties . . . 

MR. JEFFERSON:  Of the office of governor of the state of Texas . . . 

RICK PERRY:  Of the office of governor of the state of Texas . . . 

MR. JEFFERSON:  And will to the best of my ability . . . 

RICK PERRY:  And will to the best of my ability . . . 

MR. JEFFERSON:  Preserve, protect and defend . . . 

RICK PERRY:  Preserve, protect, and defend. . .

MR. JEFFERSON:  The constitution and laws of the United States . . .

RICK PERRY:  The constitution and laws of the United States . . .

MR. JEFFERSON:  And of this state . . .

RICK PERRY:  And of this state . . .

MR. JEFFERSON:  So help me God.

RICK PERRY:  So help me God.

MR. JEFFERSON:  Congratulations.

(Applause).

RICK PERRY:  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  His excellency, the governor of Texas, the honorable RICK PERRY.

(Applause).

RICK PERRY:  Thank you.  Thank you.  Speaker Straus, Julie, thank you both for being great partners and I look forward to working with you again this session. Lieutenant Governor, Patricia, its been a distinct honor for me to get to spend the last eight years working with you and look forward to four more glorious years.

(Applause).

My fellow statewide elected officials, members of the judiciary, members of the House and the Senate, my friends, Texans, it's an honor to once again take the oath of office as your governor.

(Applause).

I just think the capital looks awesome in maroon.

(Applause).

You know, it's interesting, for 154 years -- 154 years, they kept an Aggie out of the governor's office.  You know, there's some people out there that think I'm not ever going to leave.

(Applause).

But here's a -- here's a fact:  Even if I had never served a day in this office, I'd still be the most blessed man on earth because of my wife.               (Applause).

She has served this state as the first lady with grace, with dignity, and, simply put, I love you.

(Applause).

And like you, I -- I thank God every day for the gift of two wonderful children, Sydney and Griffin and our wonderful new daughter-in-law Meredith.  

(Applause).

And I'm blessed -- I'm blessed to have -- I got to tell you, I got the best parents that a guy could ever hope to have, and Mr. and Mrs. Ray Perry, Mom and Dad, thank you both for being here.  Wonderful inlaws.  I mean, I'm one of those rare guys, that I got the best mother-in-law in the world.  She loves me; I love her.  And Dr. Joe, thank you for being a great father-in-law.  You know, both our fathers they -- like yours, David -- they fought in World War II and we didn't have to look past our family to find true heroes.  I look around this audience today and there are heroes amongst us here, ordinary kinds, kind who get up everyday and they work hard, you pay your taxes, you teach your children values that will sustain them.  And there's also some extraordinary heroes amongst us scattered out across this crowd, on this stage -- those who know the enormous price of freedom because they paid it with their own blood.  And I speak of the veterans of our nation's wars, men and women who call to serve us, who answered that call.  They train for the rigors of battle then they push their bodies and their minds and their spirits to the limits.  Their sacrifice -- or their service, I should say, required sacrifices that no man or woman should ever have to endure, the terror of battle, the death of friends, the lasting injuries, the ones that you see and the ones that are unseen.  For these men and women, sacrifice isn't just a word, it's a way of life.  I'm talking about Texans like R.V. Burgin from Lancaster, Texas, who fought his way across the pacific islands of Peleliu and Okinawa; John Keith Wells of Abilene, Texas, a Navy Cross recipient who led a platoon of marines through the hell of Iwo Jima; Ben Berger, who hit the Normandy beaches on D-Day with Earl Rudder and the 5th Ranger Battalion.  And then there was teenage Marine Jay Kimbrough of Dallas, Texas, who was badly wounded when his assault helicopter was shot down southwest Danang, and Marine Captain Dan Moran, who you've already seen this morning, who was hit by an IED in Iraq's Anbar province.  If anyone here in this audience here today, if you defended freedom as a member of our armed forces, David you and your veterans please stand or wave so we can recognize you and tell you "thank you" for the service that you have done to this country.  God bless you, everyone of you.

(Applause).

On behalf of 25 million Texans, I want to thank you.  Thank you for your service.  Those of us fortunate enough to work in this building must always remember that it is an honor and a privilege to serve.  You see, words like "sacrifice" should be reserved for those who have made our service possible, as we reflect together on all that has transpired since that icy cold of our last inaugural.  You know, much has changed in the world. You know, while conditions have improved for our troops in Iraq, Dan, they've gotten worse in Afghanistan.

Here at home, we have seen catastrophic events in the marketplace, unleashed an economic recession unlike anything we've seen for 70 years.  The failure of major financial institutions led to tighter credit, massive foreclosures, staggering layoffs, risky practices in the private sector were compounded by poor spending decisions in the public sector. With bloated stimulus spending, record debt and massive entitlement programs, Washington has America on a collision course with bankruptcy.  While Texas has fared better than most states, we have not gone untouched by this global recession, and we cannot forget those Texans who are dealing with the fear and uncertainty of joblessness.

While much has changed in the last four years, one thing will never change: the character, resilience and resourcefulness of our citizens. Texans just don't like the word "impossible."  If something has never been done, it's because we simply haven't tried.  We tamed the frontier, formed our own republic, discovered oil, pioneered space and transformed the marketplace.

The first word spoken on the moon was:  "Houston."  That's right.  A city's name sake.  A Texan who wasn't from Houston, but Texan by choice like millions who would follow.

While our budget challenges are substantial, for the good of the 25 million pioneers that we call Texans, for the people who work hard to get ahead, we must balance our budget without raising taxes.

(Applause).

Since the last legislative session ended, I have traversed this great state, as David has, meeting with Texans from every walk of life, and I've listened.  And I heard their belief that tough economic times require strong leadership and tough choices for everyone.  And I've heard their calls for government that's smarter, leaner, more accountable.  They reminded me that there is no such thing as government money.  It's the people's money in government's hands.  Texas families -- 

(Applause).

Texas families have endured this long season of economic trouble by tightening their own budgets and making tough choices.  Texas employers have streamlined operations; they've become more and more innovative and efficient.  Making their lives harder just makes our jobs easier.  That's no answer.  That's a failure of leadership.  As Texans, we always take care of the least among our -- our population, the frail, the young, the elderly, the people on fixed income, those in situation of abuse and neglect, we've always done that.  People whose needs are greater than the resources at their disposal, they can count on the people of Texas to be there for them.  We're going to protect them, support them, empower them.  But we cannot risk the future of millions taxpayers in the process.  We must cut spending to keep our economic engine on track.

(Applause).

As our legislatures -- legislators do the hard work of trimming the agency budgets, the headlines are going to be dominated by impacted constituents.  But these tough times dictate government doing more with less.  That's what we campaigned on, and that's what we're doing to deliver.  We need to prioritize, justify every penny, validate every investment made.  During this session, Texas will prove again that fiscal responsibility, sound policy making, a passion for individual liberty are essential to the success of employers, institutions and families.

(Applause).

You see, we cannot exercise fiscal discipline in governing Texas -- if we can't do that, I doubt it can be achieved any where, least of all, Washington.  With our nation now mired in more than $14 trillion in debt, accountability and fiscal responsibility will not come from Washington; it will come from places like Texas.  Texas is still the engine of America's economy, and we're proud to lead the nation in fortune 1,000 companies, international exports, job creation.  Those jobs are more than just statistics.  They provide a wealth and opportunity for our citizens and families.  The jobs just aren't going to the big cities either.  They're going to little towns like Cuero, Seguin, or employers have relocated or expanded their operations thanks to the job friendly climate we have created and worked so hard to create.

Texans are also creating new technologies that are saving lives in companies like Falcon International in Odessa, Texas, they're creating a new body armor technology there that will protect our troops who go into harm's way, those same young men and women who are protecting the American way.  Texans are also on the leading edge of discovery in the race to find cures for various form of cancer, a disease that has extinguished the hopes of too many, too young.  Through initiatives like the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas in conjunction with our universities, medical centers, high tech firms, we are doing ground-breaking medical research that will save lives that would otherwise be lost.  As Texans continue to invent and innovate and change the face of medicine, science and business, we must apply the same creativity and commitment to creating a safe and secure border.

(Applause).

Now, with us today, with us today is a delegation of governors and businessmen from our neighboring states in Mexico.  I am very grateful for the honor of their presence today, and I appreciate our excellent working relationship.  You see, we not only share a common border with these leaders, but a common past, a common present, a common future.  We're not only joined together by geography and economics, but by cultural ties, family roots.  We share great opportunity and great challenges.  But on this celebration day, the drug-related violence along our border, it may seem like its a million miles away, but the reality is, it has arrived at our doorstep.  And the fact is, it should be addressed by our respective federal governments, but we can't stand idly by while our citizens are threatened.  Our state's efforts to secure the border have made our citizens safer and we must continue to prevent the flow of cross-border violence.  For all of us, a secure border means a more stable economy, safer families, and brighter future.

Throughout history, in good times and bad, Texans have endured, identifying opportunities, counting the cost, and then just outworking everyone else in the race for success.  As their elected leaders, we have an obligation to govern as we promised. As elected leaders, we have sworn to uphold the constitution of this great state.  In these bill of rights, this key phrase resides:  "All political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority and instituted for their benefit."  

(Applause).

As we do so, our vision must extend beyond the next 140 days across the next decade, into the rest of this century.  We must continue investing in our people, developing young minds, grooming and attracting the best and the brightest in the fields of science and medicine, giving individuals the tools and the freedom to prosper.

Given our state's economic success compared to the others and Washington's ongoing irresponsibility, I believe Texas will lead the way out of this turmoil.  You might say historians will look back at this century and call it the Texas Century.

(Applause).

Think about it.  Americans once looked to the East Coast for opportunity and inspiration, and then they went to the West Coast.  Today, they're looking at the Gulf Coast and they're looking to Texas.

(Applause).

Our state is the new best hope for entrepreneurs and small businesses, the place where Americans can redeem their promise and fulfill their potential.  We have the resources to meet our challenges, the vision to apply them for a more prosperous future.  This is our time.  This is our place in history.  We must seize the moment.

(Applause).  

Plant the seeds of opportunity that -- that bloom beyond the years.  We must show the world the endless possibilities of freedom and free enterprise.  And if I said it once, I said it a thousand times and will say it a thousand more, there is still a place where opportunity looms large in this country and that place is called Texas.  Texas. Texas.  God bless you, and through you, may God continue to bless the great state of Texas.

(Applause).

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  The inaugural blessing will be delivered by Joe S.19   V·squez, the Bishop of Austin.

MR. JOE:  Let us join in prayer.  Almighty and eternal God, you have revealed your glory to the nations, God of power and might, wisdom and justice.  Through you, authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted and judgment is decreed.  Today, we invoke your blessing upon our governor, RICK PERRY, and lieutenant governor, DAVID DEWHURST.  Make them compassionate men after your own heart.  Give them wisdom to make just decisions, courage to speak truth in difficult times and strength to act for the good of all Texans.  May they be good and faithful leaders always seeking to do you're will.  Bless those who collaborate with them, especially those who serve in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of our state government.  Help them apply their gifts generously and selflessly in service to the common good.  May they walk in your ways and do what is good in your sight. Keep them safe and give them good health.  Bless their families.

As we gather today, may all Texans realize that you, God, are the giver of life.  Help us to preserve, protect and defend it.  Because we are your servants, teach us to share our time, talents and treasure with the people of Texas and all humanity.

From the beginning of time, you made us stewards responsible for the gifts you're given us.  Father, inspire all Texans to participate actively in the civic affairs of this great state.  You have blessed the people of Texas with the gifts of family life through the hope of our young people and the wisdom of our elders.  You have blessed us with the fruits of hard work, sacrifice and generosity.  You have blessed us with the gift of service made possible by our unique ability strengthened by our faith.  Stir our faith.  Wake us from the sleep of faith grown tired.  May our faith produce good works. Restore to our faith the power to move mountains.

Our faith in you challenges us to respond to the needs of the least among us so that we may feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick and visit the imprisoned.  Bless all of us.  Keep safe the men and women of our armed forces, watch over their families and be with them in times of difficulty.  Many have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.  We ask your blessing upon those who mourn and miss them.

Because we are thankful for the rich, diversity of our state, take away all that divides us.  Separately, we are men and women of different ethnicities, cultures, backgrounds and traditions.  Our coming together as a community is what makes Texas great.

Father, may your face shine upon us and be gracious to us.  Look upon us with loving kindness and give us peace all the days of our lives.  We pray to you, our lord and God, who reigns forever and ever.  God bless, Texas.  Amen. 

(Applause). 

REP. STRAUS:   The benediction will be pronounced by Mr. David Robinson. 

MR. ROBINSON:  Let us pray.  God of our fathers, creator of the heavens and the earth, you sit high and you look low.  You show us mercy and you give us kindness that we don't deserve.  Today, we ask for your forgiveness for our transgressions, and we pray that you would cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God, grant wisdom of heart and proper counsel to our leaders to serve the state of Texas and protect the rights, the freedom and the spirit of its people.  Lord, grant strength, conviction, and peace to our soldiers at home and abroad who continually pour themselves out in defense of our nation's ideals and its peoples.  Father, bless Governor Perry, Lieutenant Dewhurst and their families with your richest blessings.  Let them lead by example with love, compassion and mercy.  Your word says that you are our keeper and the shade upon our right hand, that you shall preserve us from all evil.  You shall preserve our souls.  Lord, watch over us in our going out and coming in from this time forth 20   and even forever more.  Amen.

REP. STRAUS:   The Texas A&M Singing Cadets will now sing the Naval Hymn. Please rise.

(Cadets singing.)

REP. STRAUS:  Please remain standing as the Texas A&M Singing Cadets accompany the Texas A&M University Band playing "Texas, Our Texas."

(Cadets singing.) 

REP. STRAUS:   Please be seated.  Governor Perry and Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst have asked that I extend on their behalf an invitation to all guests, to enjoy the festivities of the day here on the capital grounds.  And now, ladies and gentlemen, upon adjournment of both houses, please remain in your seats for the exit march of the governor, lieutenant governor and their families. 

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER:  The purpose for which this Senate has been convened having been completed, we will stand adjourned until 11:00 a.m. tomorrow according to a motion previously adopted.

REP. STRAUS:   The purpose for which this joint session was convened having been completed, the House will stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow according to a motion previously adopted.