Governor Riley's State of the State address

It's that time again apparently. The full text of the Governor's speech tonight is here. A list of highlights (from the AP) is here. The Democratic response, as delivered by House Majority leader Ken Guin (D.-Carbon Hill), is here.

Many of the Governor's proposals were rehashed from previous years - various ethics reforms, additional funding for pre-K education, raising the threshold (again) for paying income taxes, and forming an independent transportation commission.

One of the most intriguing new ideas on the Governor's agenda is to develop public-private partnerships to build - and I presume to maintain and operate - new roads and highways. That's longhand for toll roads, and I think it's a great idea. Private toll roads and bridges will help address the state's transportation needs quickly and efficiently without the need to raise gas taxes. Here's hoping that the legislature will go along.