House Journal: Page 39: Tuesday, January 9, 1996

Secretary of State, Paul Pate; Treasurer of State, Michael
Fitzgerald; Secretary of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Dale
Cochran, State Auditor, Richard Johnson and Attorney General,
Tom Miller, were escorted into the House chamber.
The Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court and the
Chief Judge and Judges of the Appellate Court were escorted into
the House chamber.
Mrs. Chris Branstad, wife of the Governor, and their children
Eric, Allison and Marcus, were escorted into the House chamber.
Lieutenant Governor Joy Corning was escorted into the House
chamber.
The committee waited upon Governor Terry E. Branstad and
escorted him to the Speaker's station.
President Boswell presented Governor Terry E. Branstad who
delivered the following condition of the state and budget
message:
Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, Justices and
Judges, State Officials, Senators and Representatives,
Distinguished Guests and Friends.
Birthdays are a time to celebrate, give thanks, and reflect. And
so it is today as we gather in this, the 150th year of Iowa's
Statehood.
We should celebrate. We have a right to. The condition of our
state is not just good - it is great. Iowa is as strong as it's
ever been and poised to grow even stronger.
We should give thanks. Thanks to the pioneers who tamed the
wilderness and forged the communion we still today have with
this beautiful land. Thanks to the leaders like former Governor
and current Sesquicentennial Chair Bob Ray, Co-chair C.J. Niles,
members of the Sesquicentennial Commission and the many former
elected state officials and congressmen who have joined us for
this special occasion. I ask that this group stand and be
recognized.
We should reflect. Reflect on this special place between two
great rivers that we call Iowa. It's a place where hard work,
common sense, family, and faith in God still count for
something. I believe, as sure as I am standing before you today
that this is a blessed place; that this state has not happened
by chance, but by the grace of God. We are so fortunate to be
Iowans.
It is entirely proper that our celebrations, our thanksgivings,
and our reflections turn to the past as we mark this important
milestone in our state's history.
Hugh Sidey, the Greenfield, Iowa native who is a contributing
editor of Time magazine, put it best when he wrote that our
state "has a subtle magic which was God-given at first, but has
been protected and enlarged by Iowa's generations and now yields
a culture that has remarkable virtues."
Ours is a state of good people, closely tied to the rhythms of
nature with a stability and resilience that was, and still is
uncommon. Where else can a young boy be taught by his father
that life is not a sprint, it's a marathon and take that lesson

Iowa General Assembly

Index: House Journal (76th General Assembly: Session 2)

© 1996 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

Comments? hjourn@legis.iowa.gov.

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