Deval Patrick in 2009 Governor's State of the State speeches

On Budget & Economy: We're broke, not poor: recession is temporary

This is not the time to either lose our will or our way--the grim economic forecasts notwithstanding.

When I was growing up, we were forbidden from calling ourselves "poor." My grandmother taught us to say we were broke, because "broke," she said, is temporary. See, we will cycle out of this downturn eventually and start to expand opportunity again, to widen the reach of the American Dream. And I am confident that if we are honest about the challenges we face, responsible in the choices we make, and committed to work together for the common good, we will see our way through today's economic clouds to a stronger and brighter tomorrow.

On Budget & Economy: $1.1 in cuts in services this year, including many layoffs

I will also file a balanced budget proposal later this month for the coming fiscal year. Given the decline in state revenue, spending must be at levels significantly below what they have been in better times.

No one's priorities will be spared. Local services will be cut, and in many cases, police, firefighters and teachers will face layoffs. But as we debate these proposals among ourselves and with the advocates, let us remember that we are doing no more in state government than the people of the Commonwealth are having to do in their own lives--to make do with less, to trim down wherever we can to get through to a better time.

I know the impact is real. We need everyone to contribute.

On Crime: Misuse of CORI system prevents getting back on their feet

On Health Care: 98% of all Massachusetts citizens now have health insurance

On Tax Reform: Let municipalities raise property, meals, and lodging taxes

In that spirit, we will again propose a series of measures that give cities and towns greater authority over local decisions. That includes raising new revenue through a modest meals and lodging tax, eliminating the outdated exemption the phone company enjoys from paying the same local property taxes everyone else has to pay, and encouraging as much regionalization of local services as practical. If we cannot provide direct aid, let's at least untie the hands of local communities to capture the savings and raise the revenue within their reach. Let's enact a municipal reform package this spring.

On Technology: Invest in broadband, wind turbines, roads & rails

At the federal level, we are working hard to help shape a federal stimulus package to bridge us to a better economy. If and when that package is passed, we will be ready to get projects underway and put people to work.

That means jobs extending broadband services; jobs installing solar panels, wind turbines, and weather stripping; jobs rebuilding roads, rails and bridges; jobs modernizing our health care records management system and building schools.

Of course, our job in state government demands more than waiting for a federal lifeline. We have launched one billion dollars of capital projects to start over the first 6 months of this year, creating new jobs and making it more attractive for companies and families to put down stakes in Massachusetts.