Democratic candidate for Governor Keith Allred responded to the Governor Otter’s State of the State in a news release.  Here's Allred's statement in its entirety:

“There’s an old saying among economists: Things are never as good as they seem at the top of a boom, and never as bad as they seem at the bottom of a bust.

This is when we need a leader who understands that Idahoans are as capable as we’ve always been. We can come barreling out of this downturn if we have the right vision.

Here’s that vision.

Idaho’s dynamic small business leaders have always been the main engine of our economy.

More than ever, we need to unbridle the small businesses that generate most of our jobs.

We do that by closing tax exemptions in order to reduce the overall tax rate. If we do this, we’ll see more and better jobs because of it. If we do this, lives will be better for it.

That’s a vision that builds upon optimism, and faith in the people of Idaho. That’s a vision for Idaho’s future and it’s not what we heard from Gov. Otter today.”

In an exclusive interview with IdahoReporter.com, Allred accused the Governor of “singing doom and gloom” and said much of Otter’s speech was not based on facts.  He also charged Otter with scaring the people of Idaho into believing the economy is bad enough that the only option is to cut spending in education.   Allred cited Otter’s own budget projections as reason for optimism, as the Governor’s budget forecasts $80 million in increased revenue over Fiscal Year 2011.  Allred also suggested tapping “rainy day funds” to make up for projected shortfalls in education funding.

“We have options for protecting our future by investing in our kids,” said Allred.

Read Governor Otter's State of the State address by clicking here.

Jana Kemp, an independent candidate for governor, posted her response to the Governor's speech on her Facebook page.   Republican candidate Rex Rammell will release his response to the Governor in a press conference Tuesday.  Read about Rammell's announcement here.