ATLANTA – Gov. Sonny Perdue delivered his final State of the State address Wednesday before a joint session of the General Assembly. The governor used the opportunity to urge the legislature to make difficult decisions now to prepare the state for a better future.

The governor began by thanking first lady Mary Perdue and his family for their years of support, service and sacrifice. The governor then looked back at the course of American history and noted that these are not the most difficult times our nation has faced.

“What stands out most is each generation’s willingness to pick up the yoke and move our nation forward,” Gov. Perdue said. “It has not always been pretty, but what has never happened in this nation is for one generation to drop the yoke and wait for the next to pick it up. And neither have they weighted them down with undue burdens.”

The governor then reflected on the importance of making hard decisions for the future of the state by citing Thomas Paine and Alexis de Tocqueville. The governor concluded the reflection by saying, “I believe I stand with most Georgians, when I say I am for doing with a little less if it means a lighter burden and a brighter future for the next generation. There is honor in sacrifice and we must never pervert it into the disdain of dissatisfaction.”

The governor also noted the importance of cooperation amongst elected officials, including a specific call to leave partisanship behind in these trying economic times. He compared office holders to a patchwork quilt of beliefs, ideas and personalities that all combine to create a single team, Team Georgia.

“That diversity demands a true commitment to cooperation,” Perdue said. “I think of marriage and remember what the Apostle Paul commanded of husbands and wives when he wrote to the Church at Ephesus. He called them to mutual respect, to put away any focus on self and to ‘submit to one another’ for the common good.”

The governor made one budget announcement in his remarks, committing to additional funding for the mentally challenged and developmentally disabled. In his budget recommendations that will be released on Friday, he committed an additional $20 million in FY2010 and more than $50 million in FY2011.

“We have a moral obligation to serve those with disabilities,” Perdue said. “They are our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters, and our neighbors. And we are our brothers’ keepers.”

Lastly, the governor thanked state employees for their service through challenging times. He noted that state employees are the reason Georgians remain satisfied with their government, despite budget challenges.

The governor concluded his remarks by remembering the charge his son gave him on his first Inaugural Day:

“Seven years ago on inauguration day, I was humbled when my son, then just a young 25-year-old preacher, gave me this charge from the great prophet Micah: to ‘perform what the Lord requires. To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God,’” Perdue said. “That charge has stuck with me for these seven years. Circumstances have changed; many faces have come and gone; but that call remains. It echoes in my heart and spirit, and it rings forth to you.”