Blunt responds to Nixon's response

Gov. Matt Blunt has already responded to Attorney General Jay Nixon's response to the State of the State message. The governor issued the following news release:

"I reported this evening to Missourians on the many good things being achieved by Missouri・s new direction, with massive increases in school funding, better health care, and new jobs and economic growth.
"It is my job to report to the people of Missouri on how the changes we are making are working for the best interests of Missouri. It is Jay Nixon・s job to gripe about our success in terms that serve his interests and the interests of his political campaign.
"From Nixon・s remarks tonight, we know again that he wants huge new taxes and a return to the failed liberal policies that saddled Missouri with a $1.1 billion budget deficit, severe job losses, and a state less able to help those in need. Nixon wants to go back to the old, broken health system that got caught buying Viagra for sex offenders. To pay for a trip to the past, he wants a job-killing tax hike of $769 million. Missouri has been there and done that. It doesn・t work. It was a disaster. We need new policies, new ideas, and results that work for people and their families.
"My health care proposals will reduce the number of uninsured by nearly 200,000 for low income working Missourians and the health care safety net we created is providing better care to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Missourians including the disabled, as well as an additional 83,000 women and 11,000 children, many who never had health care coverage under the old system.
"As I reported tonight, we have made education our highest priority and the budgets significantly increased education funding by $1.2 billion from Parents as Teachers to K-12 to higher education and much more. Nixon wants to go back to the past where education funding was cut, withheld and sacrificed to cover out-of-control spending in other areas. Nixon wants to go back to the old system where college was becoming more and more unaffordable for Missouri families. We changed that, too, when we added tuition controls to our comprehensive higher education package.
"Missouri・s economy is growing with nearly 90,000 jobs created since January 2005. Under the old way system Nixon supports Missouri lost 34,000 jobs. With help from the pro-jobs, pro-growth initiatives we have enacted, Missouri's economy continues to grow.
"Jay Nixon did not mention illegal immigration in his response because he wants to hide his record. As I said tonight, those who favor welfare benefits for illegal immigrants say that Missouri ・does not have a problem・ with illegal immigration. Jay Nixon supports welfare benefits for illegals and that puts him at odds with the plan I outlined tonight to require the verification of an applicants・ legal status before providing welfare benefits.
"We need ideas for tomorrow, and results in achieving world class education, expanding access to care, tax relief, and continued growth in quality, family-supporting jobs, with health care coverage. Our new direction for Missouri is working for people and their families. We are delivering good results every day, as I was able to report in the State of the State address tonight."