Deval Patrick in 2013 Governor's State of the State speeches
On Corporations:
Opportunity requires growth, and growth requires investment
For pilgrims seeking to worship freely, for slaves seeking freedom, for immigrants seeking a better way, for your mothers and fathers and grandmothers and grandfathers seeking a toehold in the middle class, Massachusetts has beckoned seekers as a land of
opportunity. Everybody in this Chamber gets that. You respond to seekers, just as I do. You see their craving for opportunity, and you know that opportunity is at the core of the American Dream itself. From good jobs to good communities,
creating opportunity is at the center of our best work.
Opportunity is too important to leave to chance. Opportunity requires growth. And growth requires investment. It's just as true of government as in any business. The economy is not like the
weather; it is not some natural force that is beyond our control, something where we have to wait for others to predict or explain. What we choose to do, and not to do, shapes our future. That is why we invest in education, innovation & infrastructure.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Commonwealth Legislature
Jan 16, 2013
On Education:
Invest in education, innovation, infrastructure
We invest in education, in innovation, and in infrastructure. - We invest in education because well-prepared young minds and mid-career talent is our global calling card and our economic edge.
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We invest in innovation because, with a workforce like ours, enabling and encouraging new ideas is the best way to take advantage of the knowledge explosion happening in the world economy today.
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We invest in infrastructure because rebuilding our roads, rails, bridges, expanding broadband to every community, building new classrooms and labs and more affordable housing gives private initiative and personal ambition the platform for growth.
Education, innovation, infrastructure. It's a strategy proven through history. And it's working for us today.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Commonwealth Legislature
Jan 16, 2013
On Gun Control:
More gun safety measures to help stop tragedies
Only this morning we re-filed several gun safety measures to help stop tragedies like Newtown. Yes, there is more to do. The truth is that, in any successful organization, the work of self-improvement is never finished. I am proud of the fact that,
working with the House and Senate, no administration has ever delivered more sweeping reform of state government than ours has. We have our proposals. There are many others before you now as well. Let's continue this work together.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Commonwealth Legislature
Jan 16, 2013
On Tax Reform:
Reduce sales tax; and raise income tax
I propose to restructure our tax system by placing a greater reliance on the income tax and less reliance on the sales tax. In my budget, I will propose that we cut the sales tax from the current rate of 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent and dedicate all the
proceeds to a public works fund. That fund will support the transportation plan I have laid out--as well as the school building fund and other public infrastructure. Under my plan, sales tax proceeds would be off limits for any other purpose.
To support our education initiatives, my budget will propose that we increase the income tax by 1 percentage point--to 6.25 percent. To make that increase fair to all according to their ability to pay, I will propose that we double the personal
exemptions for every taxpayer and eliminate a number of itemized deductions. Making those changes gives us a tax code that is simpler and fairer. These changes our sales, income and business taxes will be competitive with other states in the region.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Commonwealth Legislature
Jan 16, 2013
On Technology:
Imagine a 21st Century transportation network
We have unmet needs in our transportation system. Let's give our citizens a 21st Century transportation network. Just imagine it.Imagine if you could depend on a bus or subway that came on time, was safe and comfortable and ran until a student at
UMass Boston or a worker in a downtown tower finished up at 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. Imagine if a young innovator in the Seaport District could get a fast train to an affordable apartment in New Bedford at the end of the day or the family in New
Bedford had access to the work and social opportunities in Boston. Imagine if the Green Line ran to Medford and the commuter rail ran to Springfield and the Housatonic line was reopened between Pittsfield & NYC. Imagine if you could drive at highway
speeds the whole length of the Pike and let technology collect your tolls. Imagine that the interchanges on 128 in Canton and Woburn were smoothed out and you didn't have to add 45 minutes to your commute at rush hour just to get through the bottlenecks.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Commonwealth Legislature
Jan 16, 2013
On Technology:
Our citizens do not want less transportation; they want more
Our citizens do not want less transportation. They want more. They do not want us to spend more on the same old thing or just move money around from one idea to the next. They want us to invest in a disciplined and strategic way in the things that
improve the quality of their lives and grow their opportunities. The Department of Transportation showed us what we need to properly operate the system we have and to add additional projects that unlock growth and opportunity in long-neglected
parts of our Commonwealth. The transportation plan shows us specific needs we all knew were unmet. And meeting those needs demands new revenue.Second, in transportation in particular, new funding must be dedicated. We need disciplined, sustained
investments in specific service improvements and expansion projects over time, without the risk that funds will be diverted to the next good idea. And we need to be able to show the people of Massachusetts that their money is targeting specific results.
Source: 2013 State of the State address to Commonwealth Legislature
Jan 16, 2013
Page last updated: Dec 05, 2018