On the recordJanuary 25, 2011
Last week President Hu Jintao of China came to Chicago after he was received in Washington. He was received in a gala manner in that great city and I happened to be there for the dinner. There were leaders of the community and business all there because China has become an important part of American life. It wasn't that long ago that China was stuck in the past. We can recall the Chinese in their green quilted identical clothes on their bicycles holding their 'Little Red Books' of Chairman Mao's great quotations and basically being discounted and dismissed as not a major factor. In the world economy today, China is a major factor and that is why the remarks of the Republican minority leader need to be put in perspective. The real question the President will ask us tonight is, is America ready to compete in the 21st century? Do we have what it takes to regain the edge when it comes to manufacturing jobs and to be competitive? The challenge the President offers us is to do what is responsible when it comes to our budgeting but not to forget the investments necessary in our future. When I look at how the United States is likely to succeed, you have to start with education and training. We have to have an educated workforce, the best in the world. We have to reward innovation; provide the kind of research incentives at the Federal Government level that lead to the commercialization of products and ultimately manufacture and production that grows our economy.
