Weekly Radio Address: Building on Our Successes for Wisconsin's Future

Statement

Hi, this is Scott Walker.

This is an exciting time -- with a new year and a new beginning ahead of us. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to serve you, the citizens of this great state, for a second term.

As we get ready to ring in the New Year, the outlook for our state is very bright. We have the opportunity to build upon our successes and continue to invest in our priorities. And it's clear to see our investments are paying off in big ways.

In our first term, we provided more than $2 billion in total tax relief. We enacted important reforms saving taxpayers billions and gave schools the flexibility to hire and fire based on merit, and pay based on performance -- which means we can put the best and the brightest in our classrooms and pay them to keep them there.

Wisconsin is growing jobs and moving forward. Our unemployment rate down to 5.2 percent -- that's the lowest it's been since October of 2008.

We invested heavily in workforce development and worker training, as well as in our veterans, to ensure they receive all the assistance they need when they return from serving our country abroad.

Early next month, I'll introduce our next state budget. In it, you'll see the priorities have not changed. I'll lay out a clear plan to continue investing in workforce development and education, while also working to ensure our property tax bills are lower in 2018 than they are today.

As we look forward to the future, Tonette, Matt, Alex, and I, all wish you a safe and happy New Year and a 2015 full of peace and prosperity.

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