"For the next seven hours, you are going
to be part of something that has never been attempted before in
the state of Oregon.
Today we have gathered together – business,
elected, and community leaders, Republicans and Democrats from all
36 counties -- to create a public-private momentum for a comprehensive,
statewide economic strategy.
The faces of Oregon's unemployed have
affected us all. The voices of seniors and parents who are anxious
about today -- and our children's tomorrow -- are heard in every
corner of our state.
The good news is that Oregon will eventually
come out of this recession, with or without our help. But the nation
and our state will face future recessions as surely as one season
follows the next.
And many Oregonians currently lack confidence
that between the present recession and the next one, Oregon will
have put itself in a position to enjoy the nation's next economic
upswing.
What is our mission here today?
We are here as Oregon's leaders to do
everything within our power to bring this state's recession to a
speedy close.
We are here as Oregon's leaders to give
the people of our state confidence that Oregon will weather the
next economic deluge better than it has weathered this one.
We are here as Oregon's leaders to ensure
that Oregon is poised to take advantage when the nation's economy
heats up once again.
Where some in our state read the daily
headlines and can only see the winter's darkness, we Oregon leaders
are gathered here today because we can envision the light of a new
Oregon spring:
• a springtime for the birth of new,
knowledge-based industries;
• a springtime of economic renewal for
core Oregon industries like agriculture, natural resources, technology,
and manufacturing;
• a springtime of nurturing Oregon's
next generation in our schools and institutions of higher learning.
Not one of us here today is deluded
into thinking that spring is just around the corner. Our new Governor
and the new legislature inherit daunting budget challenges that
would test the will and capacity of any government.
But we are all here because we understand
that – by working hard, working smart, and working together -- we
CAN do something about the darkness of Oregon's economic winter,
we can emerge into the light.
As you know, a group of Oregon business
leaders led by Dick Reiten has been working to develop an economic
development agenda for the better part of a year. Their efforts
have reached across the urban-rural divide, and across the spectrum
of Oregon's diverse business communities.
I see in their work and in the effort
that is beginning today, the potential to unify the state like never
before.
We scheduled this summit to occur shortly
after the election so that we could engage our new Governor and
new legislative leaders in these important discussions.
Look -- you all know that the nature
of political campaigns these days is that they simply never end.
Politicians go to bed after the election
on the first Tuesday night in November, wake up on Wednesday, and
start raising money and plotting the next campaign by Wednesday
afternoon.
We in Oregon have just gone through
a tumultuous series of legislative sessions and a narrowly divided
election.
The people of our state are justifiably
worried about their future, and no election campaign and no ideology
justifies prolonging the uncertainty that clouds our state today.
You may not have supported our Governor-elect,
or you may have hoped for a Democratic-controlled legislature, but
now you owe it to the people of Oregon to let the campaign end,
and help the folks who did win, to succeed.
I'll let you in on a little secret about
Senator Smith and me. We don't agree on everything.
But we have learned to disagree as friends.
We have learned that we each have to
give a little, if we hope to effectively do our jobs for Oregon.
And, we don't view success as a zero-sum
game.
As Senator Smith and I have done in
the U.S. Senate, today I challenge Oregon's elected officials to
leave their politics at the threshold when it comes to working toward
a brighter future for Oregon's economy.
I was very proud of Ted, his very worthy
opponent, Kevin Mannix, and our Secretary of State Bill Bradbury,
for setting aside their differences in the heat of the campaign
and joining Gordon and myself in this summit effort.
We will need much more of this sort
of bipartisanship to break out if we are going to succeed in our
efforts.
Today we will be hearing from some of
Oregon's brightest minds on a variety of topics critical to Oregon's
economic survival.
Also, we will have an open session to
hear ideas that may not be discussed in the breakout sessions. In
addition, Senator Smith and I have senior staff in Room B-119 all
day long to listen to any ideas you may have -- ideas that may be
unique to your area, or just plain unique.
Everyone's ideas will go into a report
that Senator Smith, Governor-elect Kulongoski, and I will review.
In my opinion, one of the keys to finding
the right pathways to renewed economic growth in our state, is that
Oregon must find its own way. We cannot simply copy the paths taken
by other regions and hope to share in their success.
There are a number of fresh, creative
business developments percolating across our state today that might
serve as models for our thinking:
In Klamath Falls, community leaders
are creating a geo-heat, agricultural park to boost value-added
products that bear the Klamath brand.
Along the Willamette Valley, 11 high-tech
companies have come together to form their own brand of Oregon-based
cyber-security products -- products to protect wired technology
here and abroad – in an enterprise they call Oregon RAINS.
In Jackson County, Southern Oregon University
is working to create a program to train the next generation of students
in cyber-security.
And right here in Portland, OHSU, the
city, and visionary private interests, are working to transform
a run-down industrial area into a hub of commerce, industry and
learning. From biotechnology and health-related enterprise, to a
PSU law enforcement training college for responding to modern-day
threats, Mayor Katz and others are working creatively to prepare
for this city's future.
While we have some of the best minds
in Oregon presenting white papers on key economic issues, I encourage
you to lend your own ideas to this effort.
I plan to put two ideas forward of my
own that might help establish an Oregon niche that will help us
compete and win.
First, I will encourage Oregon universities
and economic development agencies to work with me and the rest of
the Oregon congressional delegation to establish Oregon as a leader
in nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is the science -- and
soon to be the business -- of increasing the capacity of our technology
while reducing its size to the molecular level.
I have led Federal efforts to support
research in this burgeoning field, and one or two regions in the
U.S. will someday emerge as the leaders. Why not Oregon?
Second, I agree with others here today
that Oregon should produce a top-flight engineering program, capable
of attracting the best talent, and keeping the best talent, right
here in Oregon. Yet to do this, we must compete against top notch
engineering programs across the nation.
Nationally, only 10 % of engineers are
women, only 6% of engineering students are currently women, and
women make up a small fraction of engineering faculty. Why can't
Oregon have the first engineering program to achieve significant
gender parity in engineering?
By making this both a goal and a marketing
tool, Oregon can more quickly establish its own niche in this competitive
field.
No one person, elected official, or
organization has a lock on all of the good ideas. The point here
is that we must find our own way, and not simply assume we can follow
well-worn paths for economic development. We need you to lend your
ideas and your voices to Oregon's cause.
Words cannot adequately express how
proud I am . . . that when the call went out for leaders from Oregon
businesses, communities, and government, to chart a course for Oregon's
economic future . . . 1300 of you answered the call.
If I harbored any doubts before, I now
know: Oregon has the leadership to get the job done.
We are 1300 strong. There's a lot of
candle power in this convention center today. Together, we can help
lead the state we love . . . to a brighter tomorrow. One final note
from me for this morning:
My colleague, Senator Smith, has asked
me to express his sincere regrets that he is unable to be with us
today.
He had planned to be with us, but found
that he was unable to cancel or reschedule previous commitments.
We talked in detail last week about
the summit, and about our joint Congressional agenda which we will
be announcing early next year. As is our habit, Oregon's Senate
delegation will also be the only one in the nation that will travel
its state together holding joint town meetings.
Senator Smith is represented here today
by Kerry Tymchuk, his very able State Director, and by several other
staff members. I encourage you to share with them your ideas and
concerns.
I know Senator Smith will work very
hard to further these efforts here today, and please join with me
in thanking him for all he does for Oregon."
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