And Governor Scott walker of wisconsin. And from the line and Harry Bradley foundation richard graber. [applause] [music] okay. Good morning everyone. My name is rick bremer president of the Bradley Foundation it is great to be here. Our topic today is federalism. And certainly over a lifetime as we witnessed a frightening and really disturbing expansion of federal government. Far beyond what our founders ever anticipated and they truly did work hard to work against and present and that expansion of federal government has only gotten worse over the last eight years under president obama. Today we have a great privilege of arizona. Governor Sam Brownback from kansas. [applause] governor of kansas elected in 2010. He is now in his second term. Attorney by training. Also of course a former congressman and senator. He signed the largest income tax cut in kansas history and 2012. [applause] he has been a champion for government Education Systems and environments that promote job creation. And Governor Scott walker. The 45th governor. [applause] in his second term he was a member of the wisconsin legislature. Former county executive from the walk kathy and he won his heavily democratic county in the wake of what was a huge scandal at that time and easily reelected to that job. His accomplishments in wisconsin have been very well documented. Of course he survived a recall. He brought about sweeping changes and collective bargaining rights for employees in wisconsin. He is overseeing an economy in wisconsin actually has revived itself. Governor walker. [applause] and then finally from the commonwealth of Kentucky Governor matt blevins. He was elected in 2015. The third republican governor of kentucky since world war ii. Served in the United States army, rising to the rank of captain. He worked in finance and the investment world and his family business. He has been a strong advocate for low taxes, small government, Sustainable Energy and a strong locally controlled education system. So a great panel of governors. [applause] lets jump right into the questions. The first one is a twopart question. And we will go around and ask each governor to give an example from your state. Where you already handling a problem that really is handled at the state level and not the federal level. And then follow up with that with another example of where you think you can really get a whole lot more done in your state if only the federal government would get out of the way. So lets start down on this end. Is great to be here. This is my first time at cpac. As a new governor and conservative, coming out of the private sector i think one of the things im most proud of is the fact that we were able to balance the budget in arizona. I think government should live within its means. I would say someone to rent coastal creamer you get a lot of undeserved popularity selling ice cream. Most of that goes away we need to balance the budget. But it puts you in a position where you can really start to make reforms. So in addition to balancing the budget and lowering taxes the first two years, we passed the american civics act. It is a test that every High School Graduate is going to have to take you graduate and arizona. The same test the new american takes. [applause] this is at the state level and i think it has been good common sense leadership. When i look at the new administration i look at the education category. The healthcare dr. And of course social services. Tim you have got thousands of arizonans who are out of work and we have thousands of job openings that we have got the federal government giving people a check every two weeks. We would like to take these people and give them the job opportunity of the opportunity to build a fulfilling career. I think if we are in a position to ask mother may i for Human Services or welfare we can really make a difference at the state level and that is something im looking forward to getting the National Governors association. Thank you. I am delighted to be here at cpac. I have been here multiple times. Fabulous organization. I want to ask you. You have to match the energy of the left with the energy from the right guys. We have to have good Energy Moving forward and we have to be passionate about what we came for. There is a lot of motivation you have to match that. One thing i think we can do things that we can do. I think better than the federal government but one that we have done in particular. You have numbers for his welfare reform. A very simple thing. I said look at your ablebodied without dependence, you have to either apply for work or play job training to be able to get the payment from the government. [applause] and what happened. This is amazing. We trust everybody. Afterwards we said okay what happens . We had to decline the welfare role but people income triples. It went up 120 percent on average and we tripled the number of people getting out of poverty. Which should be our measure and welfare. Not what we have on it but how many people he get out of poverty. [applause] i really hope it is something that we take on as a conservative movement. Because the Welfare Program that was put in place has failed. But chileans of dollars were in it and a number of people were put in a very difficult if not a situation where there just held down. And they need to be liberated and have the dignity. It comes with having their own job and work and moving forward. We have proven that. We have shown that and we need to expand thank governor walker. First off i am confused. Why can my hair thought i see arizona, kansas, wisconsin, kentucky. I think this is the final for showing right here. We know who the champion will be. [laughter] yes we do. I still have my bourbon from kentucky a couple of years ago. Okay so i echo what he just said. We talked about reform this morning. We had when i first came in as governor a few years back. It was interesting, the person who was our secretary of department of Workforce Development, like the federal department of labor. That person said, what should be my measure of success because i predecessor measure have more people to sign up for unemployment insurance. They said that was bringing federal money into the state. That was the argument. Nice and yours is just the opposite. How many people no longer need unemployment insurance. Because we kick them out because we help them get a job. [applause] that is really, and i think that is a consistent thing that you see from republican governors. The other part of your question rick was what do you think what area the federal government should get out of. [applause] i just regional pocket and said i never said the leftward be cut is mostly bromine think that means more federal government irritate the dollar and ask yourself where would you rather send this dollar . To washington where pennies on the dollar comeback or keep it in your school at home . Send it to washington or in interstate to fix roads and bridges . Would you rather send it to washington or keep in your community where you see fit and not have the federal government dictate . That is how the founders intended. [applause] akin kentucky when i was elected we had a democratic controlled house so makes it difficult to be uninterrupted since 1920 they thought that would continue but all that to say that the powerful thing of a governor natalie relates to what they can do individually but also a push back of the overreach of federal government the sounding board for good discipline the constitutional principles this nation was built on. So we worked on a we could do from the bipartisan standpoint but at one to have 44 out of 100 people. So i spent one year working to try to do something about that with those in this room we did do something now we have a super majority 64 out of 100 seats. [applause] but in the first week of the new majority in the house in five days repast right to work legislation and repeal the of prevailing wage and paycheck protection the most corrupt and crony board was replaced in the state. And we passed an ultrasound bill in five days. Five days. [applause] i have never been elected to anything in my life it is everything you imagine it to be with bureaucracy so what what i hope the government would do . I encouraged by the people that are pointed in the newline ministrations. I am very encouraged. I wear this lapel pin cutting the red tape and we need to cut red tape america for good doesnt matter if youre a liberal or conservative for democratic or republican you may disagree on the red tape but nobody likes it. Dont you think other governors would look good . [laughter] here is one for you. One for you we have 130,000 rolls. So get into the lead say little bit with the daytoday governing board is a drive you crazy what are the businesses say about those regulations . Maybe it is those he worked for but what does drive them the craziest plaques. As a conservative lower taxes make your state more attractive to work or to do business but also we set up a website with my state of the state called red tape. Gov. Az for us to get rid of 500 regulations this year alone in the state of arizona. [applause] the larger regulatory tangle is that the federal level a want to echo what the governor Governor Bevin has said i am thrilled with the cabinet President Trump has appointed. [applause] and even more so there is a former governor who understands what red tape can do what the state level to name mike pence as his vice president. [applause] if we have a joint cooperative effort in the governors compete in people vote with there dollars in a game of states people vote with their feet. And to see your lower taxes versus that highest tax state people moving from one zip code and they came from somewhere else. Either they live in arizona or they are planning on moving to arizona. That is the tax and Regulatory Environment we want to have. The biggest piece is obamacare. [applause] it has given up insurance prices in has driven people of the insurance marketplace into medicaid that is what really needs to be taken down and addressed in a political fashion for also to back up from earlier i think we can deal with the hotbutton issues. Wrote verses waited needs to be repealed the. [applause] that is what will happen when did it is repealed the issue goes to the states and the states decide this is a difficult set social issue i am prolife did as much better handle the this statebystate basis that is much better handle that the state level. [applause] we all hear about obamacare that i think will be there but day in yen and day out rehab all sorts of reforms and manufacturing principles that is the epa equivalent that the state level. And to hear employers say it is so much better to deal with than what it was before but the epa is dog. I love the cabinet and the new minister that they go further than to put good people in if you make transformational changes you perhaps good people at the top of the bureaucracy but my hope is to reorganize but to go back to the states the epa in my opinion negative do the work. I agree completely what is that one area that is hard to think of a single goal one . On behalf of the commonwealth of kentucky to dictate who goes into the locker rooms or the bathrooms is number one. And pushing back with the federal government to dictate which doctors would or would not to perform a six six sex change operation in fear of losing their license. You mentioned of epa. The methane rules. This is a handful the we have been involved in an over the last year. The epa tralee is a regulatory frankenstein. If you go back to read the book it was created with Good Intention and it turned on its creator. Nobody was to drink dirty water or a brief dirty air. But those that would not manage this are to be incentivized. We all want this but whether or not it is environmental, education, co mmerce, energy, push it back to the state level control. That is where federalism was intended. [applause] how do we return the power to the states and turn back the clock . Let me Say Something on that. This is what a government of and for and by the people does. This is where i am begging those of the you that watching or assemble a year for this conference the reality is of and by and for the people all the works of the people are engaged if you truly maypole calls and create dialogue otherwise it does not work in the greatest demise of any culture or civilization of any form of government including the experiment we have then blessed with with those who had Brilliant Minds to under 40 years ago only if the people say in gage park of the greatest of lies comes from apathy. The apathy of the of populist. Dont let happen on your watch. And what redoing to pass . We are going out to the people. So the very next day as to why the budget has merit. So it is still important for people to hear from those because certainly over the last month they need to hear just as much from you. And to this specific issue we cannot stress enough as a republican governors have it is not enough just to change the map from blue to red. And you have to push for because of those challenges with the repeal and replace and those challenges with a comprehensive tax reform it is difficult to do those things we cannot just be satisfied with the republican in the white house pet behalf to demand more per car not just for ourselves but for our kids that want them to inherit a mess controlled by republicans in washington but it country are founders intended for the powers that were spelled out for the federal government otherwise it was inherently the rights of the states and the people and we need to demand that once and for all. Ran for the u. S. Supreme court when second to understand of philosophical underpinnings with the Foreign Government is and why socialism does not work. You have the above to moving hard toward a bigger government taking more and doing more and a lot of people say oh k. That sells like a good idea. Now. Is a terrible idea. When have we had more government taking more taxes with the better product that costs more and does less . If you pull government out it is Higher Quality and cost less for more competition pergola get your telephone. Airlines. You had fewer options and pour service. Why do we want to go that way . And to talk and to articulate that philosophical underpinnings. And i just got his but to talk about the forming of the foundation of what this could produce and the fruit of america up. And to carry that so we can express. [applause] in seoul many ways the people of this room have done their job. A conservative house thomas senate, and when i said to my team on the wednesday after the tuesday election we can celebrate today but we need to get to work tomorrow. The victory is not November November 8. That is the assignment for changing and real reform. We need to see repeal and replace obamacare and tax reform and the government that can spending under control. I think as governors and activist we need to hold all elected beaters accountable for results in this cycle. We may not get the same opportunity again. [applause] look decade through 12 education k through 12 the United States no longer has the best system in the world were slipping by a number of studies. Id you attack that tough problem . With uh governor that preceded me with the superintendent who bledsoe the scenes with the first in the nation Public Charter School laws. Today in arizona there is 500 Charter Schools and 180,000 children in parental choice. With a top10 public highschool syndication but the district schools have improved because of the competition and this is the way for word i think there is as a great model in arizona and incredible secretary of education with betsy devoss. [applause] but Higher Education the resents another place and has that comparison. There were those that were competing. So how do we get that right . It is choice and competition there is state run so schools should be graded so people though with people should have options we know how to do this. And one of my eight schools will with the final four this year. [laughter] i have two sons one is here with the students minnesota other was here last year and said youre not an empty nesters and tell your off the payroll. That nobody flinches with one son that was at marquette. Because they picked a school that was right for them. And as a nation to give assistance through Financial Aid good competition and we perform well. Also with the colleges and universities. So talkedabout charters you mention Tommy Thompson with the Parental SchoolChoice Program we lifted the numbers with all sorts of families. And lee would allow that statewide but also below that monopoly but the public schools. But under those collective bargaining contracts law before i was governor but the State Government cut many to the schools. What did they do under the old contract . So this woman named to the legislature was one of the first. That is the type of teacher that you wanted the school district. We broke that monopoly within the School System now theyre operated by Charter Schools to hire and fire and pay based on performance. [applause] i was struck of the idea that the government being involved in something is then a good thing. And a tad the federal government has declared a war that means it will cost hundreds of billions trillion set dollars in annual end up with more of what he declared war on. Were on drugs . Property . The bottom line is it is a phrase for taking your buddy purpose saving with education Thomas Jefferson said we need to use taxpayer dollars to educate young people will lead is a virtuous in edison . Part of the interco partis society because it is a virtue. There is a