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Show HINCKLEY JOURNAL OF POLITICS 2002/2003 One Thousand Days of Progress: The 2002 State of the State Address Governor Michael O. Leavitt Good evening President Mansell, Speaker Stephens, members of the Legislature, Chief Justice Howe, Lieutenant Governor Walker and my fellow Utahns. I'd like to begin tonight with special recognition of a man whose career in public service is unequaled. When Hill Air Force Base needed a fighter, Jim Hansen was a warrior. When our state's forests and range lands needed safeguarding, Jim Hansen built a fortress. And when the people of the First Congressional District asked for a dedicated representative, Jim Hansen gave them integrity, tenacity and seniority. There is no adequate postscript to his 22 years in Washington, but a passage from the cowboy novel Shane comes close: "One day a great man passed this way. He rode out of the West." It's been an incredible ride, Jim. Ladies and gentlemen ... Congressman Jim Hansen. On September 11, the civilized world was upended by a group of men who struck a deadly blow at America. The toll still cannot be finalized: at least 3,000 lives lost, the Twin Towers in ruins, our economy reeling, our nation at war. It forced us to make changes and rearrange priorities. It also reminded us who we are. From the rubble of collapsed buildings rose a wall of unity and resolve. From heartbreak came a new breed of hero. The character of America often maligned and doubted was no longer an abstract. It could be seen: seen in the faces of firefighters; seen in the precision of our military; seen in flag after flag after flag. Let anyone who judged our society too soft or too contented visit that field in Pennsylvania where a group of passengers ordinary Americans summoned all that is best in the human spirit and forced Flight 93 down. Let those who questioned our bravery trade places for a moment with American ground troops in Tora Bora as they crawled through bin Laden's caves to deliver justice. And let us all remember those days when a diverse nation of 282 million stood proudly together, raised the colors and with our hands on our hearts, declared ourselves "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Michael O. Leavitt (R) is Utah s fourteenth governor. He is the second governor in the state's history to be elected to a third term in office. Gov. Leavitt was born in Cedar City, Utah, and earned a Bachelors degree in Business and Economics from Southern Utah University. This speech was presented at the Utah State Capitol in January 2002. This is the courage and the conviction of principle that won America's independence, defeated Nazism and Communism and now terrorism. This is strength of character, and like so many before us, this generation will not be found lacking. In the words of our president, "We will not tire. We will not falter, and we will not fail." The immediate task is to repair and press on. In Utah, the focus is familiar. We have jobs to create, children to educate and an economy to revive. THE 1000-DAY PLAN The economic fallout from September 11th has not subsided. Financial downdrafts have pushed our nation into recession and forced far too many Utahns out of work. Our capacity to invest in schools and communities has been deferred, but not our aspirations. Last November, in Olympia, Greece, near the site of the first Olympics in 776 B.C., I witnessed the lighting of the Olympic Flame in the ancient temple of Hera. Sunlight was magnified to create heat, then fire. The torch was lighted, and a global relay began. From there, the torch will have exchanged hands 11,500 times, traveling 14,000 miles through 46 states. And just one week from today, the sun will rise on an unforgettable sight: the Olympic Flame passing under Delicate Arch. A portrait for the ages. This long-awaited day must signify more than the start of Olympic competition. Let that morning mark day one of a thousand-day march to reclaim our economic momentum. Tonight I propose the 1,000-Day Plan a blueprint for turning our Olympic moment into our Olympic legacy. To turn 17 days of attention into a 1,000 days of progress toward a vibrant, strong economy with a 10,000-day horizon. This is a singular opportunity because, used well, the Olympic experience can be a catapult to world economic prominence. Like the athletes, we have dreamed it, planned it and practiced it. Now we'll play it. TECHNOLOGY CAPITAL The first step will be to position Utah as a top-tier state for technology employment, investment and entrepreneurship because, in the information age, economic leadership starts with world-changing ideas. 69 |