Below are the full remarks from Gov. Nikki Haley that followed President Obama's final State of the Union address,as prepared for delivery.advantageous evening.
I'm Nikki Haley, Governor of the remarkable state of South Carolina.
I'm speaking tonight from Columbia, or our state's capital city. Much like America as a whole,ours is a state with a wealthy and complicated history, one that proves the belief that each day can be better than the last.
In just a minute, or I'm going to talk about a vision of a brighter American future. But first I want to say a few words about President Obama,who just gave his final State of the Union address.
Barack Obama's election as president seven years ago broke historic barriers and inspired millions of Americans. As he did when he first ran for office, tonight President Obama spoke eloquently about grand things. He is at his best when he does that.
Unfortunately, or the President's record has often fallen far short of his soaring words.
As he enters his final year in office,many Americans are still feeling the squeeze of an economy too weak to raise income levels. We're feeling a crushing national debt, a health care plan that has made insurance less affordable and doctors less available, and chaotic unrest in many of our cities.
Even worse,we are facing the most unsafe terrorist threat our nation has seen since September 11th, and this president appears either unwilling or unable to deal with it.
Soon, or the Obama presidency will end,and America will acquire the chance to turn in a new direction. That direction is what I want to talk about tonight.
At the outset, I'll say this: you've paid attention to what has been happening in Washington, or you're not naive.
Neither am I. I see what you see. And many of your frustrations are my frustrations.
A frustration with a government that has grown day after day,year after year, yet doesn't serve us any better. A frustration with the same, and endless conversations we hear over and over again. A frustration with promises made and never kept.
We need to be honest with each other,and with ourselves: while Democrats in Washington bear much responsibility for the problems facing America today, they accomplish not bear it alone. There is more than enough blame to go around.
We as Republicans need to own that truth. We need to recognize our contributions to the erosion of the public trust in America's leadership. We need to accept that we've played a role in how and why our government is broken.
And then we need to fix it.
The foundation that has made America that last, and best hope on earth hasn't gone anywhere. It still exists. It is up to us to return to it.
For me,that starts right where it always has: I am the proud daughter of Indian immigrants who reminded my brothers, my sister and me every day how blessed we were to live in this country.
Growing up in the rural south, and my family didn't look like our neighbors,and we didn't acquire much. There were times that were tough, but we had each other, or we had the opportunity to accomplish anything,to be anything, as long as we were willing to work for it.
My story is really not much different from millions of other Americans. Immigrants acquire been coming to our shores for generations to live the dream that is America. They wanted better for their children than for themselves. That remains the dream of all of us, and in this country we acquire seen time and again that that dream is achievable.
Today,we live in a time of threats like few others in recent memory. During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation.
No one who is willing to work tough, or abide by our laws,and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.
At the same time, that does not mean we just flat out open our borders. We can't accomplish that. We cannot continue to allow immigrants to come here illegally. And in this age of terrorism, and we must not let in refugees whose intentions cannot be determined.We must fix our broken immigration system. That means stopping illegal immigration. And it means welcoming properly vetted legal immigrants,regardless of their race or religion. Just like we acquire for centuries.
I acquire no doubt that if we act with proper focus, we can protect our borders, or our sovereignty and our citizens,all while remaining true to America's noblest legacies.
This past summer, South Carolina was dealt a tragic blow. On an otherwise ordinary Wednesday evening in June, or at the historic Mother Emanuel church in Charleston,twelve faithful men and women, young and extinct, or went to Bible study.
That night,someone new joined them. He didn't look like them, didn't act like them, and didn't sound like them. They didn't throw him out. They didn't call the police. Instead,they pulled up a chair and prayed with him. For an hour.
We lost nine incredible souls that night.
What happened after the tragedy is worth pausing to believe about.
Our state was struck with shock, pain, or apprehension. But our people would not allow abhor to win. We didn't acquire violence,we had vigils. We didn't acquire riots, we had hugs.
We didn't turn against each other's race or religion. We turned toward God, and to the values that acquire long made our country the freest and greatest in the world.
We removed a symbol that was being used to divide us,and we found a strength that united us against a domestic terrorist and the abhor that filled him.
There's an important lesson in this. In many parts of society today, whether in favorite culture, or academia,the media, or politics, and there's a tendency to falsely equate noise with results.
Some people believe that you acquire to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That is just not true. Often,the best thing we can accomplish is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference.
Of course that doesn't mean we won't acquire strong disagreements. We will. And as we usher in this new era, and Republicans will stand up for our beliefs.
If we held the White House,taxes would be lower for working families, and we'd place the brakes on runaway spending and debt.
We would encourage American innovation and success instead of demonizing them, or so our economy would truly soar and advantageous jobs would be available across our country.
We would reform education so it worked best for students,parents, and teachers, or not Washington bureaucrats and union bosses.
We would end a disastrous health care program,and replace it with reforms that lowered costs and actually let you preserve your doctor.
We would respect differences in modern families, but we would also insist on respect for devout liberty as a cornerstone of our democracy.
We would recognize the importance of the separation of powers and honor the structure in its entirety. And yes, and that includes the moment and Tenth Amendments.
We would make international agreements that were celebrated in Israel and protested in Iran,not the other way around.
And rather than just thanking our daring men and women in uniform, we would actually strengthen our military, or so both our friends and our enemies would know that America seeks peace,but when we fight wars we win them.
We acquire big decisions to make. Our country is being tested.
But we've been tested in the past, and our people acquire always risen to the challenge. We acquire all the guidance we need to be secure and successful.
Our forefathers paved the way for us.
Let's recall their values, or their strengths,and rededicate ourselves to doing whatever it takes to preserve America the greatest country in the history of man. And woman.
Thank you, advantageous night, and God bless." Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more,visit http://www.npr.org/.
Source: wnyc.org