| To Senate President Sweeney- my friend and our leader. I thank you for being... you. For being willing to challenge the status quo. And being unafraid to speak your mind.
I have never personally been in a locker room to hear a coach's halftime speech but working with you, I can see why Vince Lombardi was so effective.
To my predecessor, the first female Majority Leader, Barbara Buono. Hillary Clinton talked about the 8 million cracks she put in the highest glass ceiling in the land but Senator Buono has put her own hard fought cracks into a lot of NJ ceilings and I know you will continue to do just that.
To Senator Kean- My congratulations on your selection as the minority leader.
To all my colleagues, I thank you for this tremendous honor.
Most of you know me well, I still am a feisty grandmother from Bergen County who happens to be Jewish. I see government as a way to help those in need... to provide some order in the chaos of the marketplace.
There's always been this unwritten contract in America -that if government sets fair rules, if it made public investments to promote education and commerce, if government watches out for the welfare of everyone, then all our citizens would have the chance to succeed.
The playing field has changed rapidly in the last decade- and too many of our citizens have ended up with the short end of the stick. Long-term unemployment, the loss of reliable, good paying manufacturing jobs, a smaller public safety net have all eaten away at the unwritten promise of America.
People rightly question whether the rules are fair for everyone... or if some are getting special treatment.
We all have our own policy ideas and agendas on what must get done in the next two years. But we must all work together. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, we can't afford to have absolutes or areas that are untouchable. There are fixes that demand bi-partisan support.
We should raise the minimum wage. We have to restore the earned income tax credit. I support tax breaks for job creation but how can we justify giving tax breaks to the rich and corporate America while eliminating them for workers struggling at the minimum wage. Its not fair, and its not ok.
I know we have a budget problem but it isn't credible to say we can't find a few million dollars for family planning assistance. The money is there, what's lacking is bi-partisan support for women.
And we also need to bring government transparency into the 21st Century.
And maybe - most importantly - it is time to revisit marriage for everyone. It is a disgrace, a disgrace that we deny civil rights to our fellow citizens.
However long, I am in this position, however long the feisty is still within me, the fight for marriage equality will be front and center. On this issue, there is no retreat, there is no surrender. There is only the continual march forward to secure the rights that everyone else enjoys for gay and lesbian couples. It is only a matter of time, so let this Legislature be the one that gets on the right side of history.
As we move into a new legislative session that will include challenges both large and complex, let no one doubt the resolve of a diverse but unified Democratic Majority. As Democrats, we aren't afraid to stand up to the Governor. Neither are we shy about disagreeing with each other. But, as Democrats, we also have shared principles and priorities that will keep us unified with a sense of purpose. And that purpose is to serve the people of New Jersey with fair, honest, open and equitable government. Thank you.
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