John Ensign: “I rise today to briefly speak about the importance of technology to our economy and our way of life. Just think about…”

“I rise today to briefly speak about the importance of technology to our economy and our way of life. Just think about how technology has changed our lives over the past few decades. Not so long ago, documents could only be sent through the mail, computers were enormous metal boxes with limited functionality, and the Internet--although it had been invented--was neither user friendly nor accessible. When I was growing up, watching television meant the handful of network channels we could get from an antenna on the roof; and when our car broke down we'd have to hitch hike to the next gas station or pay phone to call for help. It's hard to believe that for my three young children, those are things of the past. They're used to cell phones and cable TV. We now live in a world where technology represents one of the largest and fastest growing sectors of our economy. Technology employs millions of Americans and was largely responsible for the tremendous economic expansion from 1994 to 2000. Technology certainly helped fuel the growth of my State's economy. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Nevada is second in the Nation for net creation of high-tech businesses. And I strongly encourage that growth because those businesses paid my constituents over $1.3 billion in wages. Advances in technology have made our personal lives easier and our professional lives more productive.”