Stimulus should emphasize creative knowledge workers, not construction workers.

The Oregon Business Plan’s Leadership Summit took place yesterday (12/11/08) at the Convention Center. I attended along with 1,000 others. Lots of politicians and business leaders were there. It is a usefully gathering of Oregon's leadership. The Oregonian covered it here.

 

There were seemingly endless discussions of the national and state stimulus plans. Lots of groupthink with way too much emphasis in these discussions on infrastructure construction projects, as if they were the only type of projects ready to go or the only type of workers in need of work. Strategically, we should use more of the stimulus funds to hire the type of creative knowledge workers that could give Oregon a competitive advantage in the global economy of the 21^st century. Construction workers will not give us that edge. So let’s hire engineers, researcher, scientists and designers. Let’s build an economy around them. They are today’s economic infrastructure. Construction projects are so 1930”s. We could even fund the startup costs of Mandarin and other world language immersion programs in our K-12 educational system around the state.

 

As for the larger agenda of the summit, I wrote the following on their online discussion:

There are two key, transformative public policies that I do not see reflected in the “Jumpstart Oregon Stimulus Proposal” or the larger Summit playbook: (1) No substantial, revenue neutral gas tax is proposed to get us off of financially supporting our adversaries in petro-state around the global and to provide the market stimulus for development of a variety of transportation alternatives. The 2009 legislative session, after dealing as best they can with the critical issues of making such a proposal revenue neutral and reducing its disproportionate rural impact, should refer such a bill to the people for debate and vote. Put this down as an example of “Courageous Public Policy” as in the graphic on page 10 of the playbook. (2) Oregon should invigorate its K-20 public education world (foreign) language programs, especially Mandarin. I’ve posted on this elsewhere. It fits the page 10 “Building Global Alliances” motif. Lack of funds is no excuse. If Oregon does not find better ways to connect to the 2-3 billion new middle class consumers arriving in emerging markets around the global, we will become an economic backwater.
Both of these policies are potential game changers.

Photos are of Senator Wyden,  Governor Kulongoski, Steve Pratt (Chair of the Oregon Business Plan Steering Committee) and Tom Potiowsky (Oregon State Economist).

Comments

[christian louboutin]

The Oregon Business Plan’s Leadership Summit took place yesterday (12/11/08) at the Convention Center. I attended along with 1,000 others. Lots of politicians and business leaders were there. It is a usefully gathering of Oregon's leadership. The Oregonian covered it here

[louboutin]

Photos are of Senator Wyden, Governor Kulongoski, Steve Pratt (Chair of the Oregon Business Plan Steering Committee) and Tom Potiowsky (Oregon State Economist).

[christian louboutin shoes]

There were seemingly endless discussions of the national and state stimulus plans. Lots of groupthink with way too much emphasis in these discussions on infrastructure construction projects

[Pandora Charms]

The 2009 legislative session, after dealing as best they can with the critical issues of making such a proposal revenue neutral and reducing its disproportionate rural impact, should refer such a bill to the people for debate and vote. Put this down as an example of “Courageous Public Policy” as in the graphic on page 10 of the playbook. (2) Oregon should invigorate its K-20 public education world (foreign) language programs, especially Mandarin. I’ve posted on this elsewhere.

[christian louboutin shoes]

I’ve posted on this elsewhere. It fits the page 10 “Building Global Alliances” motif. Lack of funds is no excuse. If Oregon does not find better ways to connect to the 2-3 billion new middle class consumers arriving in emerging markets around the global, we will become an economic backwater.