By Howard Fischer
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-549009.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – Members of the National Governors Association are
meeting in Arizona this week to figure out how this
country will survive economically. Minnesota Governor
Tim Pawlenty said one thing that drives that global
marketplace is size. But he said many countries are far
larger and have more people both to produce and consume
goods. And Pawlenty said the U.S. isn't going to
undercut other countries on price.
(We're not going to compete in areas, particularly
things that are labor intensive, in places like China
and Mexico. And even if we could, why would we want to?
That would be a serious erosion and degradation of our
quality of life.)
He said Americans have to be the smartest. Arizona
Governor Janet Napolitano, who chairs the organization,
said that means having people who are better educated
who can produce the goods the world wants -- and is
willing to pay for.
(Price is only one small part of competition. Quality
of labor force, excellence of education systems,
ability to have innovations, ability to create patents,
all those things, really are the things that are going
to drive the U.S. economy.)
And Napolitano said it doesn't matter that not everyone
will be an engineer or inventor. She said more dollars
into the national economy helps everyone. In Tempe, for
Arizona Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.