As expected, he pushed casino gaming again, as a way to help balance the state's budget by keeping more money in Kentucky!

Beshear said, "Kentucky money is funding early childhood education, schools, libraries, police officers, roads, and bridges in our neighboring states. It makes no sense to continue watching that happen. We might as well be backing trucks filled with cash to the Ohio River and dumping that money into the water."

Then Beshear called for a crackdown on what he called "pill pushers in white coats" to combat prescription drug abuse.

"More Kentuckians die from prescription drug overdoses," he said, "than from car accidents. Think about that. Our medicine cabinets are deadlier than our highways."

The governor also called for creating a more highly-skilled work force in Kentucky and reforming the state tax code.