John Kitzhaber in 2015 Governor's State of the State speeches

On Budget & Economy: State recovering from Great Recession, but not every person

We currently measure economic recovery by two things: the number of jobs we are creating and the rate at which our state GDP--the creation of wealth--is growing. By those metrics we are doing very well in Oregon. We have gained back all the jobs we lost during the Great Recession and--as measured by growth of the state GDP--Oregon had the 4th fastest growing state economy in the US in 2012.

But how does that translate to the well-being of our fellow Oregonians--to their ability to meet their basic needs, to feed their children and support their families? The answer is: not very well. It is not that good jobs are not being created; they are--but not fast enough to replace the ones lost during the Great Recession. This is not something new. It has been going on for a long time.

In the midst of this economic "recovery" a growing number of people are now trapped in low-wage and/or part-time jobs on which they cannot possible support a family--and with no hope of getting ahead.

Source: State of the State address to 2015 Oregon Legislature Jan 12, 2015

On Principles & Values: 36 years in government: state House; state Senate; Governor

I remember standing in this chamber in 1979--36 years ago--being sworn in as a freshman in the Oregon House of Representatives. And I remember the first time I sat on this dais 30 years ago as a newly elected Senate President in 1985. I have spent most of my adult life in this building and I love it very much. I have just been sworn in for the very last time--what I would like to accomplish over the [next] four years--which will complete the arc of my political career. Source: State of the State address to 2015 Oregon Legislature Jan 12, 2015

The above quotations are from 2015 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts from 2015 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts by John Kitzhaber. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018