Yesterday we crossed the threshold into the New Year.  Today we look ahead to 2010 with focused energy and heartened optimism to make Missouri a better place to live, work and prosper, for we know the New Year also brings with it new and exciting opportunities.

Perhaps the poet Edith Lovejoy Pierce said it best, “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."  Pierce’s powerful words still hold true today.  The dawn of the New Year presents an occasion for everybody to author his or her own book of Opportunity.

On this New Year’s Day, our book of Opportunity begins with the promise to continue the march forward on our principled ideals of restoring the voice of the common citizen, reinvesting in human capital to engage job growth and ensuring justice and fair play for hardworking Missouri families.  May your book of Opportunity be filled with moments of promise to treasure throughout the New Year and beyond.   

Best wishes for a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year!

~ Cyrus