Gov. Nathan Deal gave his State of the State speech on Wednesday, promising to cut operating expenses, including the massive state workforce.

This action will be applauded by most taxpayers.

The governor also said that the HOPE scholarship program would have to be adjusted. Since 1993, HOPE has provided a college education for more than one million Georgians. The problem is that HOPE is funded by the lottery, which is producing insufficient revenue to sustain it.

We don’t want to see HOPE diminished. We agree with Deal, that education is the top economic development tool we have.

One solution may be to continue to look into paramutual betting. Facilities in Rockdale County could make this a winner for the state and our students, if profits are directed that way.

We also agree with the governor’s push for additional reservoirs, which are needed to assure an adequate water supply to sustain future economic growth.

Overall, Deal has proposed some tough belt-tightening measures to keep Georgia on an even keel. We hope that the representatives we recently elected have the courage to make the right decisions to help keep Georgia a peach of a state to live, work and play in.