Bill Clinton: “I rise today to talk about bringing development and good jobs to upstate New York and other regions of our country that…”

“I rise today to talk about bringing development and good jobs to upstate New York and other regions of our country that have not fully participated in our nation's economic growth. As I travel across the state and listen to the struggles of small business owners and workers, I'm often reminded of my father, who ran a small business and worked hard every day to provide for our family. I think about people like him who live in Plattsburgh and Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton, Oneonta and every town and village in between. Most importantly, I think that--with the right ideas and a lot of hard work--we can create opportunities that will revitalize New York's upstate economy, as well as in places like these all across our country. Now as we all know, a historic shift has taken place in our economy and, to succeed in the twenty first century new economy, businesses have to be innovative, creative and flexible. Workers have to have better education and training; and community leaders have to bring all sectors of our communities together to make their hometowns more hospitable to high tech industries. Many parts of upstate New York have not been able to fully enjoy the fruits of the new knowledge based economy. Too many of our finest young people leave the state for better jobs elsewhere. Two summers ago, I talked to an upstate New York professor who told me what he thought was the biggest barrier to economic progress in the region: poor internet access.”