I have kept a steady focus on restoring public faith in our state government since taking office July 1. Now it is time to make even bigger and bolder gains through legislative action.

We have the incredible privilege of serving in the highest offices in the state. We must prove ourselves worthy of our fellow citizens' faith. We must be trusted to always place the public's good above our own and to always choose fairness over favoritism.

I'm angry when we have to use state dollars to fill holes in our low-income heating assistance program because there isn't enough support from Washington.

My first goal as governor is to restore public trust in state government by changing the culture of state government.

Amendment 38 will undercut Colorado's representative government and the legislative process in a state that already is one of the easiest to initiate ballot measures. Colorado should instead focus on making statewide policy using measured committee review and legislative processes, while bolstering public trust in our elected officials.

The state was made for man, not man for state.