My fellow Georgians:

I am honored to stand here today as your new Governor. Humbled by history, lifted by your support. I won't forget I'm working for you. You have honored Mary and me with your trust and your faith. From the bottom of my heart, I will make every effort to make you proud, so help me God.

Today is a new day for Georgia. A day brimming with promise, potential and hope for all. Today, we come together as one people, one community, one state. We are blessed by a common God. We are united for a common purpose.

We are linked to a common future. We are all bound together; the fortunes of our state are entrusted to us.

It is fitting that we begin our New Georgia on this day. As Lt. Governor Taylor just reminded us, it was on this day in 1793 that General Oglethorpe and those first English colonists stepped ashore to settle the new colony of Georgia. They were few in number, but large in spirit, united in faith and purpose, and inspired by their new motto: "Not for ourselves, but for others."

Those first settlers faced many challenges. There were fields to clear, crops to plant, homes, churches and communities to build.

Today we have our own set of challenges, and even greater opportunities. Historic opportunities don't come along every day. And, yet, in the fullness of time and providence, they do come. The door to opportunity swings wide -- and calls us to action.

In the wake of an unprecedented election, we now have an unprecedented opportunity, an opportunity to replace partisanship with partnership and build a new Georgia we can all be proud of.

November's election was not about the elevation of one party or person over another. Rather, it was about putting the interests of the people first. When the founders began drafting the Constitution, they started out with three very powerful words: "We The People." And that's exactly what the writers of the Constitution intended.

A century later, Lincoln summed this up -- "government of the people, by the people, and for the people." Meaning the people hold the ultimate power. The people's interests must come first.

Today, we have it in our power to build a new Georgia. An educated Georgia, a healthy Georgia, a safe Georgia, and a growing Georgia. A Georgia big enough and bold enough for all our bright dreams and soaring hopes. We should expect no less. And, together, we will deliver no less.

From my home in Bonaire, I come to our capital city with a mission. A mission to restore the citizens' trust in state government, but more importantly, a mission to restore the citizens' trust in themselves.

My vision to accomplish this mission is rooted in faith, family and freedom. Although I took the oath of office this afternoon, I call upon and challenge you to stand with me, link hands and hearts to serve one another. I am committed to bringing a new tone to our state.

Together, we will forge a new day, a new spirit of cooperation, consensus building, and reconciliation.

Perhaps the prophet Isaiah said it best: "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always."

But we must have faith in one another. The people must have faith in their elected officials. So, I will call upon the General Assembly to pass the most comprehensive ethics reforms in Georgia's history. But elected officials must also have faith in the people. In short, we must trust and believe in one another.

But you cannot legislate compassion and conviction -- that is birthed in each individual heart. And that starts at home with family. Although I stand before you today as your Governor, I am much prouder to be known as a faithful husband, a loyal father and a loving grandfather, affectionately known as "Big Buddy."

And so it is with much pride that "Big Buddy" and First Lady "Nanna" will welcome another "little Buddy" to the family. Sunni and Mary Kate will be getting a cousin, compliments of Aunt Lara and Uncle Michael.

I've learned that a "good family" is focused on protecting and preparing the next generation. Sadly, though, some of the youngest and most vulnerable members of Georgia's family have not always been well-served by the state.

Mary and I believe we have a moral obligation to ensure the safety of our children in state custody. Children's lives hang in the balance. The stakes are simply too high to do anything less.

'Family' has also taught me the value of education at all levels. My mother taught high-school English for more than 40 years. Education was woven into the fabric of my childhood. You can see the power of education in the beaming face of a grade-school student with a good report card, or the bright smile of a single mom as she walks across the stage to receive her diploma.

Education is our future.

And there is no better, more certain way to improve our state and the lives of its people, than by improving education.

As we move to improve education, I want to start by working with, not against, our teachers. I will return control to those closest to the students, our superintendents, our principals, our teachers, and our parents.

As Americans and Georgians, we enjoy freedom. A freedom purchased by the sacrifices and blood of many. A freedom we often take for granted. As I stood before our soldiers at Fort Stewart this past week, and looked in the solemn faces of the men and women who were answering their country's call to serve, I realized the full weight of their mission: They were answering the call to serve ensuring not only our freedom here, but the freedom of peoples all over the world.

Part of that freedom is economic freedom. The freedom to create our own businesses. The freedom to invest our resources. The freedom to invent new products and better methods. But with freedom comes responsibility, particularly when times are tough.

We face a tight budget and some hard choices. Now more than ever, we must align our spending priorities to best meet the needs of our citizens. We have an opportunity to make some basic changes that will improve our budgeting habits and let us be better stewards of the people's money.

Creating a new Georgia is going to take all of us. It's going to take all of our ideas, talent and hard work. And I welcome all Georgians to this effort. The businessperson, homemaker, schoolteacher, minister, farmer, computer whiz, construction worker, we need you. If you're a mother, a father, a grandmother or grandfather, we need you. We need your strength. We need your commitment, and we need your spirit.

The state cannot and should not do it all. Together, we will make a difference, and we will brighten the future of this state. There is nothing Georgians cannot achieve when we work together! We are a state noble in spirit and great in achievement.

There is much inspiration to be found in what Georgians have accomplished. Think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Georgia's first Nobel Laureate, who called his state, his region and his nation to live up to our central founding premise -- that all men are created equal. Think of President Carter, who has labored in the vineyards of peace for decades and seen his own efforts recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize. Think again of James Oglethorpe and those first Georgia settlers. People of character. People of vision. People of destiny. They were not so different from today's Georgians.

Today, the Georgia family is eight and a half million strong. Today, Georgians are a colorful people with many backgrounds, cultures, languages, and religions. But we still share with those early colonists, a desire to dream great dreams, to do something that matters, as they said, "not for ourselves, but for others".

Today, we begin our journey. It won't be easy, but nothing worth doing ever is. So, we will persevere, and, in the end, we will succeed. Inspired by those who have gone before. Encouraged by the future's promise. Buoyed by faith, we will build a state we can be proud of. We will educate our children for the future, and we will create a growing and dynamic state economy. Together, with God's blessings, we will create a New Georgia for all our people.

Thank you, and God Bless you all, and God Bless Georgia.