Georgia Job Growth on Cagle's Mind

Bringing jobs to Georgia was on Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle's mind when he spoke to a crowd of some 200 business leaders and politicians at the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce's Eggs & Enterprise breakfast at the Atlanta Athletic Club Tuesday morning.

He said to accomplish that goal, making Georgia the No. 1 state to do business with by helping existing businesses grow and drawing new businesses should be a top priority.

"We have to recruit more companies to Georgia, and to do that we have to get ahead of the game," Cagle said. Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina are putting more money into economic development and buying businesses out from under us, he continued. "When you have 10 percent unemployment rate, we need to be as aggressive as we possibly can to ensure that those companies are coming to our state."

He said that is a high priority for the state legislature this year, which is focused on jobs, being conservative with the budget, investing in assets that will fuel the economy, and putting together a tax package that will make Georgia the most economically viable state in the nation.

Cagle said the state has to assess what it will look like 10 years from now. Relieving traffic congestion, looking at water reservoirs, and preserving the HOPE scholarship are also part of attracting people and businesses here, he added.

Addressing the changes to HOPE that Gov. Nathan Deal recently signed into law due to a decrease in lottery revenue, Cagle said the lottery-funded scholarship was of great concern to the legislature, and that cutbacks will help sustain it long-term.

In closing, he lauded the audience and the Chamber's work, stating, "life is not about about self, but life is about service and service to others."