Arrowhead Republican Women
Thank you for having me, Judy.
* I always feel at home here in the West Valley with fellow Republican women.
* Encouraged to see so many active, intelligent women interested in public service and politics.
* Reminds me of a story President Reagan used to tell:
* The victim of a traffic accident was stretched out on the side of the road. A crowd had gathered, and a man elbowed his way through. He pushed aside a woman bending over the victim, shouting, "I'll take over. I've had First Aid training."
* He tried a few things he had learned in his First Aid class. Then the woman tapped him on the shoulder and said, "When you get to that part about calling a doctor I'm right here."
* Women in politics have made great strides in this country.
* We're more than just running for office we're winning!
* Just look at Arizona.
* In the year I was elected Secretary of State, a woman won every major statewide office.
* Four of AZ's last five Governors were women.
* No other state comes close.
* Of course, public service is about a lot more than the election.
* You've got to do something worthy of the public trust once you
take office.
* You have to make difficult decisions choices that can affect millions of Arizonans.
* The decisions you make can upset people sometimes even your friends.
* In those instances, I've found that it helps if they know how I made the decision.
* Here's my philosophy:
* I want the best information available. I want to hear from my advisers and people I trust.
* Finally, whatever I decide is going to be guided by my conservative principles my faith and my heart.
* Many of the decisions I've made as Governor have been difficult.
* That's what happens when you take office and inherit a multiBillion-dollar deficit.
* But I've been blessed with the opportunity to make big changes for this state changes I know will leave Arizona better off.
* That's really all you can ask as a public servant.
* I never set out to be Governor 30 years ago.
* I just wanted to change things for the better.
* I was guided by a pretty simple set of principles things like the Free Market, Competition, and Limited Government.
* These principles came in handy when I had to clean up the mess left by Governor Napolitano and the gang.
* We did two simple but tough policy changes.* One was to stop spending money we didn't have.
* The second was to reduce bureaucracy and unleash the private sector.
* Guess what? Working with the Legislature we've turned a shortfall into a surplus.
* We've turned our economy around.
* Arizona's taxes are more competitive and its regulations are leaner than ever before.
* We're seeing the results.
* Just yesterday, I was in Tempe to announce Go Daddy's plans to bring hundreds of new jobs to the East Valley.
* That same day, CEO Magazine named Arizona the 6th Best place in the nation to do business!
* Long term, the quality of our schools is critical to the Arizona economy.
* That's why we're raising standards asking more of our teachers and making sure parents get the information they need.
* That's why Arizona is the strongest School Choice state in the nation!
* It's also at the heart of my performance funding plan for schools.
* It's time that we start rewarding schools based on their performance and improvement encouraging classrooms to be innovative and get results.
* This performance funding plan is a key part of my budget proposal.
* I hope you'll speak with your legislators to let them know how important this is.
* Finally, I began today by talking a little about how I make a difficult decision.
* Now I'm going to talk about one of the toughest decisions I've faced in public office: Medicaid.
* As you know, I opposed ObamaCare.
* I even led Arizona's legal challenge all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
* Politically, I did everything I could to help the GOP retake the White House and Senate.
* As Republicans, we fought the good fight.
* It didn't go our way, though in court or at the ballot box.
* ObamaCare is with us, and I had to decide what to do about it.
* Here's what I know:
* I know there are hundreds of thousands of Arizonans without health insurance.
* I know that, when they get sick or injured, they go to the ER for care.
* Those costs are passed along to the rest of us in the form of higher health premiums.
* I know many of our hospitals
especially in rural areas
are
facing financial disaster as a result of these costs.
* Lastly, I know Arizonans have twice voted to expand Medicaid coverage to our working poor.
* In making this decision, I took all of that information into account.
* I weighed the fact that the federal government will pay 100 percent of Arizona's costs for the first three years and 90 percent after that.
* And I considered how this will keep Arizona tax dollars at home so they can provide health care to hundreds of thousands of our friends and neighbors in need.
* I didn't reach this decision easily.
* I prayed on it quite a bit.
* But I know my Medicaid plan is the right one for Arizona.
* And I'm going to see it through.
* More than 200 community groups all over Arizona have reached the same conclusion I have.
* I'm talking about business leaders the Catholic Diocese County Sheriffs veterans groups and more.
* Now I need YOU to join this effort.
* You know me. You know my track record. You know what's in my heart.
* If you put stock in me, I ask that you join me in supporting this critical initiative.
* Reach out to your legislator and let them know that this Medicaid issue matters to you.
* Give them the support they'll need to take a vote that I know will be difficult.
* Before taking questions, so grateful for opportunity to speak before Arrowhead Republican Women.
* Thank you for keeping up the fight for our Grand Old Party and conservative principles.
* Most of all, thank you for continued friendship. Means so much.
* Now, happy to take your questions. Only ask that you keep them easy
Source