Governor Rick Perry makes it official - he is running for President

Very cool -- listened to his speech on my way into Bellingham this morning and he is a good speaker and brought up some crucial points. Full text of his speech is at the PJ Tattler -- a few excerpts:

But it wasn�t until I graduated from Texas A&M University and joined the United States Air Force, flying C-130�s all around the globe, that I truly appreciated the blessings of freedom.

To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, I realized that the United States of America really is the last great hope of mankind. What I saw was systems of government that elevated rulers at the expense of the people. Socialist systems cloaked maybe in good intentions but were delivering misery and stagnation. And I learned that not everyone values life like we do in America, or the rights that are endowed to every human being by a loving God.

More:

Listen, we just got to get back to the basic truths of economic success. As Governor, I�ve had to deal with the consequences of this national recession. In 2003, and again this year, my state faced billions of dollars in budget shortfalls. But we worked hard, we made tough decisions, we balanced our budget. Not by raising taxes, but by setting priorities and cutting government spending. It can and it must be done in Washington, DC.

Dr. Schwertner (State Representative, R-Williamson County, TX), we have led Texas based on some just really pretty simple guiding principles. One is don�t spend all of the money. Two is keeping the taxes low and under control. Three is you have your regulatory climate fair and predictable. Four is reform the legal system so frivolous lawsuits don�t paralyze employers that are trying to create jobs.

Over the years, we have followed this recipe to produce the strongest economy in the nation. Since June of 2009, Texas is responsible for more than 40 percent of all of the new jobs created in America.

Now think about that. We�re home to less than 10 percent of the population in America, but forty percent of all the new jobs were created in that state.

I�ve cut taxes. I have delivered historic property tax reductions. I was the first governor since World War II to cut general revenue spending in our state budget. We passed lawsuit reform, including just this last session a �loser pays� law to stop the frivolous lawsuits that were happening.

And I know I�ve talked a lot about Texas here in the last little bit. I�m a Texan and proud of it. But first, and foremost, I�m an incredibly proud American.

And I know something: America is not broken. Washington, D.C., is broken!

And he closed his speech with this:

In America, the people are not subjects of government. The government is subject to the people. And it is up to us, to this present generation of Americans, to take a stand for freedom, to send a message to Washington that we�re taking our future back from the grips of central planners who would control our healthcare, who would spend our treasure, who downgrade our future and micro-manage our lives.

It is time to limit and simplify the taxes in this country. We have to quit spending money we don�t have. We need to get our fiscal house in order and restore our good credit. And we will repeal this President�s misguided, one-size-fits-all government healthcare plan immediately.

We�ll create jobs. We�ll get America working again. We�ll create jobs and we�ll build wealth, we�ll truly educate and innovate in science, and in technology, engineering and math. We�ll create the jobs and the progress needed to get America working again.

And I�ll promise you this: I�ll work every day to make Washington, D.C. as inconsequential in your life as I can. And at the same time, we�ll be freeing our families and small businesses and states from the burdensome and costly federal government so those groups can create, innovate and succeed.

I believe in America. I believe in Her purpose and Her promise. I believe Her best days have not yet been lived. I believe Her greatest deeds are reserved for the generations to come. With the help and the courage of the American people, we will get our country working again. God bless you and God bless the United States of America.

Get him for President and Herman Cain for VP and that would be an amazingly great thing for this country.