David Ige in 2015 Governor's State of the State speeches

On Budget & Economy: We are spending more than we take in; fix the imbalance

• First, we have fully committed our current funds to existing programs and services, and
• Second, we are spending more than we take in.

Federal officials tell me there is significant money-- about $940 million--available to the state for the right projects, proposed for the right reasons and at the right time. We also need to do a better job of collecting taxes already on the books.

On Civil Rights: Follow the lessons offered by our host culture

Their voyage banner, Malama Honua, means "to care for our earth." Living on an island, we know better than most that the limited resources of this planet must be protected if we are to thrive as a species. That is the lesson offered by our host culture. It is their gift to all of us.

On Corporations: $10 million for HI Growth initiative to support innovation

It also includes the thousands of small businesses that make up the core of our economic engine--those ma and pa stores whose predecessors include success stories like Foodland and the ABC Stores.

We need to nurture an "innovation economy," in which entrepreneurs use technology to develop new processes and products from existing ones, like smart phone makers who have taken their products far beyond the original concept of a mobile phone and created entire new markets.

It's a whole new economic paradigm which we need to support with modern infrastructure, whether it's expanding our broadband network or building innovation parks. That's why we are providing $10 million for the HI Growth initiative to support innovation.

On Families & Children: Government builds a home for our kupuna and our children

Home.

It's a sentiment I intimately understand.

After I graduated from the University of Hawaii, I was fortunate enough to be offered a number of jobs. But only one was located in Hawaii and that's the one I accepted. To this day, I know it was the right choice because this is my home.

For me, that one word brings everything into focus and gives purpose and direction to everything we do. And what is it we really do here at the Capitol?

It's quite simple: We are building a home for our kupuna, ourselves and our children.

We build schools, hospitals, community centers, and places to work and play. And we safeguard the things that are important to us: our families, our freedoms, our environment and our future--because this is our home.

On Homeland Security: Proactive and aggressive support of troops in Hawaii

Moreover, the military plays a significant part in our economy, spending more than $6.5 billion annually with a total economic impact of $14.7 billion. It is the second largest sector of our economy supporting more than 101,000 jobs.

Even with the Pentagon's new focus on the Pacific, there is no guarantee that we can protect the military's presence in the islands simply because of our geographic location. We will need to be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to support our troops here. And I am prepared to do just that.

On Jobs: Make Hawaii farms more sustainable; above 15% level now

The cost of importing foods adds up to more than $3 billion leaving the state annually. If we replace just 10% of imports with locally grown food, it would generate $188 million in total sales, $94 million for farmers, $47 million in wages, $6 million in new taxes and 2,300 jobs.

To do that, we need to preserve farm lands, develop agricultural parks, combat invasive species, and reassess the areas that determine whether a local farmer can survive.

We will be meeting with farmers from each island to hear what they need to make Hawaii more self-sufficient. In the meantime, we are adding $5 million to the agriculture loan program and expanding use of the fund to include biosecurity and food safety needs.

On Local Issues: Good hospitals must be distributed throughout the islands

We have some wonderful private hospitals, but not everyone has access to them. That's why our public hospitals play such an important role in Hawaii--a greater one than in most other states. That's especially true on our neighbor islands where they're often the only provider of acute care.

Public-private partnerships offer great potential, but only if they are shaped in the right way. But no matter our direction, changing how we operate our hospitals to meet changing needs will be key to any long-term solution.