Posts
February 19, 2011
From: Hillsboro, Oregon
NOT From: 'barackingham Palace'
I’m speaking to you from just outside Portland, Oregon where I’m visiting Intel, a company that helped pioneer the digital age. I just came from a tour of an assembly line where highly-skilled technicians are building microprocessors that run everything from desktop computers to smartphones.
But these workers aren’t just manufacturing high-tech computer chips. They’re showing us how America will win the future. For decades, Intel has led the world in developing new technologies. But even as global competition has intensified, this company has invested, built, and hired in America. Three-quarters of Intel’s products are made by American workers. And as the company expands operations in Oregon and builds a new plant in Arizona, it plans to hire another 4,000 people this year. Companies like Intel are proving that we can compete – that instead of just being a nation that buys what’s made overseas, we can make things in America and sell them around the globe. Winning this competition depends on the ingenuity and creativity of our private sector – which was on display in my visit today. But it’s also going to depend on what we do as a nation to make America the best place on earth to do business. Over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education beyond high school, many requiring proficiency in math and science. And yet today we’ve fallen behind in math, science, and graduation rates. As a result, companies like Intel struggle to hire American workers with the skills that fit their needs. If we want to win the global competition for new jobs and industries, we’ve got to win the global competition to educate our people. We’ve got to have the best trained, best skilled workforce in the world. That’s how we’ll ensure that the next Intel, the next Google, or the next Microsoft is created in America, and hires American workers. This is why, over the past two years, my administration has made education a top priority. We’ve launched a competition called “Race to the Top” – a reform that is lifting academic standards and getting results; not because Washington dictated the answers, but because states and local schools pursued innovative solutions. We’re also making college more affordable for millions of students, and revitalizing our community colleges, so that folks can get the training they need for the careers they want. And as part of this effort, we’ve launched a nationwide initiative to connect graduates that need jobs with businesses that need their skills.
[What I'm not telling you: I so wanted to bring the Reverend (Hee, hee!) Jesse 'HIJACK'son with me on this trip but George Soros nixed that idea--"HIJACK" can't be trusted; he's a greater liar than even I am!! I wanted to use "HIJACK's" shake-down abilities on this trip-we need about $1 Billion for the "Campaign of Fluff-Redux;" for my re-selection for re-election!! Soros wants to see if I can shake down today's prominent crop of 'commie-lib' fascists for the kind of money that "HIJACK" got out of 'Freddie-Mac,' Coca-Cola, Toyota, Viacom-CBS and many, many others. Soros did caution me against shake-downs that involve people like T.J. Rodgers, Cypress Semiconductor CEO (who stood up to--and beat-down--"HIJACK" during a shake-down episode!!). I did have meetings with John Doerr (hugely wealthy venture capitalist), and a few CEOs: Eric Schmit (Google); Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook); Steve Jobs (Apple); Carol Bartz (Yahoo); Larry Ellison (Oracle); Reed Hastings (Netflix); Evan Williams (Twitter)--oh, and John Hennessy, President of Stanford University. Mr Hennessy's not worth much, but invitations like this make him feel good; make me look good!! If I polish up my shake-down techniques, those CEOs should be all the financing I need!!
This 'Win The Future' buzz-phrase is a 'Soros' creation; I didn't think it would go far, and I might be right--it doesn't seem to capture people like his "Hope and Change" phrases did. We've not done much since the inception of the Department of Education but 'throw money at the problem' of quality education. Quality education depends upon--nay-DEMANDS--dedicated professionals before financial renumeration!! A clear indicator is the goings-on in Madison, Wisconsin; the governor of that state is mandated to balance his budget; the teachers are protesting paying their fair share of the costs of benefits. I know, this sounds strange, coming from me--your fascist ruler--but I kinda gotta agree with Governor Walker. Sure, Soros had me stick my nose in the state's business--without regard to Constitutional states' rights--but in hindsight, it's Governor Walker's problem to solve, his way. For this country to 'win the future,' there has to be more true leaders like Governor Walker, rather than puppets like myself--who just react to "the last string pulled!!" This 'race-to-the-top' will never amount to crap unless--and until--the quality and level of dedication of the teacher corps undergoes a great transformation.]
Intel understands how important these partnerships can be – recognizing that their company’s success depends on a pipeline of skilled people ready to fill high-wage, high-tech jobs. Intel often pays for workers to continue their education at nearby Portland State University. As a result, one out of every fifteen of Intel’s Oregon employees has a degree from Portland State. In fact, Intel’s commitment to education begins at an even younger age. The company is providing training to help 100,000 math and science teachers improve their skills in the classroom. And today, I’m also meeting a few students from Oregon who impressed the judges in the high school science and engineering competitions that Intel sponsors across America. One young woman, Laurie Rumker, conducted a chemistry experiment to investigate ways to protect our water from pollution. Another student, named Yushi Wang, applied the principles of quantum physics to design a faster computer chip. We’re talking about high school students. So these have been a tough few years for our country. And in tough times, it’s natural to question what the future holds. But when you meet young people like Laurie and Yushi, it’s hard not to be inspired. And it’s impossible not to be confident about America. We are poised to lead in this new century – and not just because of the good work that large companies like Intel are doing. All across America, there are innovators and entrepreneurs who are trying to start the next Intel, or just get a small business of their own off the ground. I’ll be meeting with some of these men and women next week in Cleveland, to get ideas about what we can do to help their companies grow and create jobs. The truth is, we have everything we need to compete: bold entrepreneurs, bright new ideas, and world-class colleges and universities. And, most of all, we have young people just brimming with promise and ready to help us succeed. All we have to do is tap that potential. That’s the lesson on display at Intel. And that’s how America will win the future.
[What I'm not telling you: Miss Rumker and Mister Wang are the exception rather than the rule. These young people had the drive and determination necessary to persue goals 'outside the box!' Intel Corporation finds it necessary to put it's new hires through an inhouse 're-education camp;' quite unnecessary if each state's teacher corps had the drive and dedication to teach 'outside the box!!' As we've seen in the auto industry: where we find businesses 'going under' or on a downward spiral, there will be a labor union close-by!! I need only cite that General Motors fiasco to illustrate that government intervention does nothing more than reward poor management and lack-lustre performance. Now GM's 16,000 salaried employees are getting bonuses--in some cases, 50% of salary--while 48,000 hourly union employees will get a share in the $400 million bonus fund. All this while General Motors still owes the federal government billions-of-dollars!! While this scheme would make Bernie Madoff blush; I'm glad Richard 'Commie-Pinko' Trumka and most other labor unions are behind this regime with legal and not-so-legal donations!! What a boon to the "American Dream" it would be to have the determination and drive toward quality education that we have to 'the almighty dollar' and any and all shortcuts to riches!!
I can continue to blather about, as I do each and every Saturday; but the business climate in the United States will not be enhanced one wit by all these pie-in-the-sky schemes like bold entrepreneurs, bright new ideas or world-class colleges and universities!! OK, what about this scenerio: {*} Where's the positive business climate, here?!?!]
{*}I've graduated from one of these 'world-class' institutions and I have a terrific idea for a new product as well as a great idea for a new manufacturing process. I decide to form my own company to explore the development and manufacture of my new product, using my new process. What I find out is that just to break-even, I have to compensate for the second-highest federal corporate tax rate on earth, of 35%!! If I wanted to stay in North America--Mexico's rate is 28%; Canada's rate is 18%!! If I really didn't care where my company was, I could go to Ireland where the rate is a paltry 12.5%!!
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