For example I spent a lot of time with Reagan both before he ran for governor and when he was running for president. As a print reporter without the cameras I was able to really test the quality of their minds and their knowledge base.

As governor I saw the link between economic prosperity and the ability to acquire knowledge.

So we just hope that all of these governors who are grappling will be able to provide the basic services to our citizens and not have to cut things that really are painful.

I stand before you as the governor of Texas but also stand before you the son of two tenant farmers. Ray Perry who came home after 35 bombing missions over Europe to work his little corner of land out there and Amelia who made sure that my sister Milla and I had everything that we needed included hand sewing my clothes until I went off to college.

If I were running to be somebody there are a lot of easier sombodies to be. After all running against the incumbent governor of your own party in your home state is not the next logical step in a political life.

The reason Gov. Romney passed Romneycare as governor of Massachusetts in 2006 was because many Republicans viewed health care reform mandates and all as a way to inoculate against Democratic charges that Republicans didn't care about people who lacked health insurance.

Giving governors more leeway in administering health care could represent a small positive development in the ongoing saga of Obamacare. Unfortunately instead of choosing flexibility President Obama and his left-leaning advisers always default to rigid 'Washington knows best' answers.

When President Obama passed health care reform it was personal! And when Governor Romney says he would repeal Obamacare and put insurance companies back in charge of a woman's health that's personal too.

One thing governors feel Democrats and Republicans alike is that we have a health care system that if you're on Medicaid you have unlimited access to health care at unlimited levels at no cost. No wonder it's running away.

I decided to run for governor because I got mad... I want to make government more directly accountable to the people.