Gov. Bill Haslam gave an upbeat message to the Carter County Republican Party during its Reagan Day Dinner on Friday, reports the Johnson City Press.
Haslam spoke about the progress the state has made during the past two years under the leadership not only of a Republican governor but also a Republican-led House and a Republican-led Senate. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, the leader of the Senate, was in the audience.
…He said that as a result of that leadership, personal income is growing faster in Tennessee than in any other state.
The state unemployment rate was more than 10 percent during the 2010 campaign. He said today there are more Tennesseans working than at any time in the past four years and the unemployment rate has dropped below the national average.
….Haslam told his Republican audience that the 2012 national election may very well be the most important in many years.
He said the reason for its importance is the two candidates offer a clear choice on which direction the nation will head.
He said the choices are whether we will “totally rely on the government for all our problems or whether we really believe in the free enterprise system … whether we will choose the path of Europe and more debt or whether we will spend less than we bring in.”
Haslam said he though it was going to be a very close election.