Roy Barnes
We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River to the Blue Ridge Mountains.Collection: Beauty
But the fact is, no matter how good the teacher, how small the class, how focused on quality education the school may be none of this matters if we ignore the individual needs of our students.Collection: Teacher
We are all one - or at least we should be - and it is our job, our duty, and our great challenge to fight the voices of division and seek the salve of reconciliation.
Neither political party is clean when it comes to tactics that divide our people.
No one in government should ever think that the citizens they work for can't or won't scrutinize their actions.
And this week, I am proposing legislation to strengthen our Open Records laws to make public access to our public records surer, faster, and more comprehensive.
I want business to prosper and make a profit caused by business expansion and prosperity.
Enhancing revenues will help us improve education and solve our infrastructure problems.
Business and the state have a common interest; not an adversarial interest.
We changed the names of our technical schools to colleges, we expanded the eligibility for HOPE scholarships for technical training, and we added some formula funding.
We will never forget those like my great-grandfather who fought at Vicksburg.
What I am proposing this year are not lofty concepts far removed form the daily struggle so of ordinary Georgians. They are proposals that directly effect the lives of the people we serve.
One thing I learned a long time ago as a prosecutor is that it's tough to get people to obey a law if there is not penalty for breaking it.
I am committed to making Georgia a model for open and honest government.
And one of the things I've tried to do in my first months in office is to give more Georgians - reporters and members of the general public alike - a closer look at how their government works.
After all, I have spent the better part of my adult life insisting that government be open... that government be accessible... and that government be held accountable to people who voted us into office.
There is no country on earth with a stronger tradition of protecting the public's right to know.
The First Amendment rejects red tape, cover-up and double-speak.
In my first year as governor, we solved some of the problems that had begun to undermine the Open Records Act. We gave the act teeth by providing criminal penalties for knowing violations.
We made a good start toward preserving recreational areas like the Chattahoochee River.
So today I say, the outlook in Georgia has never been brighter.
Traffic is only one of the side effects of growth.
As the population of Georgia increased dramatically, so did development.
By creating a Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, we will give local governments a framework for working together on an issue that affects our whole state.
The time has come to end social promotion in our schools.
Repeating a grade needs to be the last resort, not an automatic response to a child who is struggling to learn.
Georgia is in an enviable position today, but we can't rest on our laurels.
As the leaders and decision-makers of this great state, it is our responsibility to strive for perfection.
The law should be a shield for the weak and powerless, not a club for theCollection: Law
No one in government should ever think that the citizens they work for can't or won't scrutinize their actionsCollection: Thinking
If the goal of the No Child Left Behind Act is to ensure that all children meet state standards, then allowing large numbers of the most disadvantaged children to fall between the cracks is unacceptable.Collection: Children
a quiet worker but a very productive one and a great one for the state of Georgia.Collection: Georgia
Publications such as Forbes and Fortune continually rank Georgia cities as among the best places to live, work and run a business.Collection: Running
One thing I learned a long time ago as a prosecutor is that it's tough to get people to obey a law if there is not penalty for breaking itCollection: Law
I am committed to making Georgia a model for open and honest governmentCollection: Government
Traffic is only one of the side effects of growthCollection: Growth
I want business to prosper and make a profit caused by business expansion and prosperityCollection: Expansion
Georgia is in an enviable position today, but we cant rest on our laurels.Collection: Today