Watson Coleman: “I would like to spend the little time remaining to talk about the economy. I was mayor of St. Paul, MN, for 8 years, and…”

“I would like to spend the little time remaining to talk about the economy. I was mayor of St. Paul, MN, for 8 years, and I learned as mayor that the best welfare program is a job; the best housing program is a job. Access to health care quite often came through a job. I also learned nobody jumps on a sinking ship; that hope and confidence yield investment. As we look at the data, look at what is happening in the economy, it is very clear the economy is moving forward. This Nation has come a long way from the terrible day of September 11 and the impact that had both on the infrastructure in New York and in Washington, but also on the psyche of the American public, the confidence. Look at the scandals on Wall Street, the WorldComs and the Enrons. Undermining the trust and confidence in the American system, the way we do business, that has an impact. The reality is we have come so far. In the third quarter of last year we had the greatest GDP growth in nearly 2 decades. The fourth quarter exceeded expectations contributing to 6.1 percent annual growth rate in the last half of the year, the strongest 6 months gain since 1984. It is expected the 2004 economic growth will be between 4.6 and 4.8 percent. We sound like statisticians here. I am not sure the average man or woman worried about their economic future and feeding their family understands the impact of that, but that is the fastest annual growth in this country since 1984.”