Kentucky was America's first frontier. Our ancestors succeeded by creating opportunities, working hard and having faith in God and in each other.
We often look to the past to find clues to the future. Our challenge as Kentuckians is to hold fast to the values that embody Kentucky's past, and learn from them as we create our own future.
My administration will be about the future – the future we all share. We have a responsibility to work together, and I have a responsibility to lead honestly. Our prosperity and our values are at stake. As Kentuckians, and as Americans, we share the same values, and it is more important that we focus on what brings us together, not on what divides us. Only then will we achieve truly great things.
We can accomplish much over the next four years but only if we work together for the common good; only if we are open about the challenges we face and honest about the solutions; only if we are open to new ideas and new ways of thinking; and only if we put the interests of all Kentuckians ahead of the interests of political parties, individuals and special interests.
The great Kentucky Senator Henry Clay once said: "Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees. And both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people." Let us remember those wise words as we begin the difficult and exciting task of creating a new Kentucky for the 21st Century – a Kentucky where the youngest among us have expanded learning opportunities that will serve them a lifetime; a Kentucky where citizens trust that their leaders are doing the people's business, not their own; and a Kentucky where it doesn't matter if an idea is a Democratic or Republican idea, as long as it is a good idea.
My administration will be looking for good ideas to help Kentucky innovate and be a leader among the states. I see Kentucky as one big family. We may have our disagreements, but we share the same values and we want what is best for our children and our grandchildren. And we want to keep our families together.
Achieving that will require investing more in our schools, creating more opportunities here in Kentucky by attracting better paying jobs, and making health care more affordable for all our people. We must do these things if we are going to preserve and protect our quality of life to build the future that we all want to see – a future where our children don't need to move away to find good-paying jobs; a future where new ideas will create new opportunities and new industries; and a future where Kentucky is competing not just with our neighbors, but with the world.
This inauguration is a new beginning. Now is the time to put aside our preconceived notions and our ideologies. Instead, let us strive to work with those who differ with us and forge new alliances. Let us consider new ideas and revisit old ones. Let us demand excellence and honesty. And let us listen. For if we listen, we will never forget why we are here or who we are here to serve.
I will not forget that I serve the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Now, let's get to work!