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.

ACT and SAT each have their own parts of the country. The GRE has its lock on graduate admissions. And so one could blame the companies but really economically they have no incentive to change things very much because they're getting the business.

Among the weeds choking out growth and good government are the hundreds of boards commissions and advisory committees that have sprouted over the years. They devour time money and energy far beyond any real contribution they make.

I honestly don't know but if America continues to refuse to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions I see a bleak future not only for American society but for the world as a whole. This is a global problem that is not going away and the United States is an obstacle to solving it.

Friendship like love is destroyed by long absence though it may be increased by short intermissions.

Our ministry is supported entirely by faith through the missions gifts of readers who receive my messages every three weeks. We seldom mention money and we never burden supporters.

Humanitarian missions are little different from any other public enterprise diplomacy included which is susceptible of misinterpretation by the public hence ultimately of failure.

I hope that in future Congresses there will reemerge a recognition that climate change is a reality that our policies to meet our energy needs must also deal responsibly with environmental issues including the damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

But reducing harmful emissions abating our dependence on foreign oil and developing alternative renewable energy sources have benefits that go beyond environmental health they improve personal health enhance national security and encourage our nation's economic viability.

Without international participation jobs and emissions will simply shift overseas to countries that require few if any environmental protections harming the global environment as well as the U.S. economy.