A taste of his last State of the State, being given now:

HEALTH CARE

…First, the stage is set for something truly historic. We are poised to provide private, market-based health insurance to all our uninsured citizens. This isn’t government taking over healthcare and dictating who gets treated for what and by whom. No, it’s government helping people take over healthcare, to get healthcare working for them. Think about it: 500,000 people, all without health insurance today, will have quality preventative care, prescription benefits, and hospitalization coverage….
… Health insurance for all our citizens does not require new taxes. Some of you have your doubts about that. I know that the uncertainty could stall our progress, or even end it. For this reason, in my new budget, I put aside $200 million in a reserve account to fund our healthcare initiative.

EDUCATION

….This year, I hope we can agree on a comprehensive program to do two things: first, to turnaround failing schools and second, to raise the bar for all our schools to the top of international standards. Because our best teachers are underpaid, I propose that we give special bonuses to science and math teachers, Advanced Placement teachers, and to the top 1/3 most successful teachers in each school. I propose mentor teachers and more funding for teacher training. I want the state to intervene faster in failing schools, to provide leadership training, and to give principals the authority they need. I want every middle and high school student to have a laptop computer. Our kids won’t keep pace with the world of tomorrow if they learn with the technology of yesterday.
All this will cost money. Fortunately, our work together over the last three years to rein in spending, combined with the strengthening of our state economy, provides the means for investment in education. My budget will raise state education aid to its highest level ever….

TAXES

… It’s also time to honor the vote of our citizens to lower their state taxes. The best thing that we can do to keep jobs growing and paychecks flowing is to unleash the power of our people, to give them the freedom to innovate, to prosper, and to invest their own time and money as they choose. When it comes to growing our economy, what we do here on Beacon Street is no match for what our citizens do on Main Street.
…Accordingly, I have proposed in each of the last two years that we lower the income tax to 5%. Of course, we’ve just agreed to refund $250 million in capital gains taxes. Given the good news of that refund, coupled with the legislature’s reluctance to jump to the 5% rate in one step, I will propose in my budget that we reduce the tax rate in two stages, to 5.15 percent in the first year and then to 5 percent in the second year. Leaders in both parties agree: let’s lower the income tax.
Of course, if you really want to make me happy, you can do it all at once. ..

PHILOSOPHY

…I have to admit, it feels a lot better being governor today than it did my first year. Three years ago, we faced a $3 billion budget gap together. We streamlined, consolidated, eliminated every scrap of waste and inefficiency we could find, and we cut back on some of the Nice-to-Have’s. And we didn’t place our problems on the backs of the taxpayers. …