I am proud to live in a country with an African-American president. But President Obama cannot be proud of the fact that the prevalence of black poverty has actually increased under his leadership. The specific policies advanced by the president and his allies on the left amount to little more than throwing money at the problem and walking away.

It's time to bring tough medicine to Washington. No longer will policy be set by K Street, it will be dictated by Main Street.

I stand before you as the governor of Texas but also stand before you the son of two tenant farmers. Ray Perry who came home after 35 bombing missions over Europe to work his little corner of land out there and Amelia who made sure that my sister Milla and I had everything that we needed, included hand sewing my clothes until I went off to college.

Those jobs flee other states because of factors like excessive taxation, punitive regulation and frivolous lawsuits.

The fact is there is forgiveness for those who seek God. And I believe in the power of redemption.

I grew up in a house with no running water, 16 miles from the closest place that had a post office. I had a very parochial view of the world.

How does the richest country in the history of the world fail to pay its bills?