State of the Union -- One Perspective

Like many of you, I watched President Barack Obama's 2011 State of the Union broadcast Tuesday night.

For those who missed it, the overarching theme was jobs, jobs, jobs. His viewpoint is that we have to invest for the future (comment: this includes our money, time and efforts). Consequently, to spur local-level involvement in this, the federal government will allow every business "to write off the full cost of new investments that they make this year."

The 2011 federal strategy focuses primarily on the country's need to "out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world."

"Innovation is how America makes its living." Federal investment will focus on investing in bio-medical research, information technology and, especially, clean energy technology, so that we can break the U.S. dependence on oil with bio-fuels. To pay for this, the president is proposing we eliminate "billions of taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies."

To exceed the world in the field of education, first we need to recognize where we are: "Over the next 10 years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school education" and currently over 25% of our high school-ers are dropping out! Valuing education begins at home and in our community. We need to celebrate the winner of the science fair, not just the Super Bowl (comment: just think about how much news coverage, locally and nationally, is devoted to sports.)

The president urges states to adopt a reformed educational approach that's more flexible than the "No Child Left Behind" approach, one that focuses on what's best for our kids. We should "reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones." The proposed goal is, in the next 10 years, to prepare 100,000 new teachers in STEM disciplines, i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathmatics. Federal support for this educational reform is in the form of having "ended unwarranted tax subsidies that went to banks and used the savings to make college affordable for millions of students." It's being proposed that the federal government makes permanent the tuition tax credit worth $10,000 for four years of college.

As far as rebuilding America so as "to attract new business to our shores, we need the fastest, most reliable ways to move people, goods and information ... All forms of infrastructure need upgrading from high-speed rail to high-speed internet ... (Historically,) jobs came from businesses that opened near a town's new station or off-ramp." Secondly, in five years, the current high-speed wireless coverage will connect 98% of America to the digital age.

All these investments will help make America a better place to do business and create jobs but we also need to remove barriers to business success by simplifying the corporate tax system, and reviewing government regulations, making amendments as necessary. Also, the plan is to double our exports through trade agreements that promote U.S. jobs.

A final thought on improving our economy was that excessive federal government spending has to be cut to reduce the deficit -- but NOT by gutting our investments in education and innovation.

I may not agree with everything that this federal administration has done, or all of its policies, but I do agree that sweeping reforms are necessary to reverse the tide of manufacturing out-sourcing and stimulate the development of new ideas, new businesses and new jobs. It's time to invest ... in ourselves, our children, our communities, our businesses, our creativity, our strength, etc.

Remember, that in this wonderful nation, we all, one way or another, come from pioneering "stock." We're bred for forging new paths, coming up with innovate solutions and 'paying our dues' to get the larger payoff so, let's "Git'er done!"

Joan Bethell is the executive director at Greene County Economic Development Corporation and can be reached at (812) 847-4500 or jbethell@gcedc.us .