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State Representative Michael Beard
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8872
For more information contact: Jodi Boyne 651-296-0640
NEWS COLUMN
GOV. PAWLENTY VISITS SHAKOPEE
Last Wednesday I had the honor and pleasure of introducing Governor Pawlenty to speak before the Shakopee Rotary. After the usual pomp and circumstance, the governor spoke for about 30 minutes on Minnesota’s place in the technology-driven globalized economy we find ourselves in as we close out the first 10 years of the 21st century.
The governor’s message was simple: Adapt or get left behind. He accurately pointed out that we will never match up evenly with the cost of doing business in countries in southeast Asia where people work for pennies on the dollar. In fact, we don’t even want to. The resulting quality of life is so low in those countries, far below what any of us would consider acceptable. For several decades quality of life was our biggest advantage. Minnesota and the upper Midwest held that as a trump card when we had to compete with other states.
But, the governor said, our advantage will slip away if we do not recognize that “the world is flat”, meaning that instant global communication allows everybody to compete with everybody, whether they are in downtown corporate office towers or their living room. We all want the best slice of the pie for ourselves and eventually someone will figure out how to get ahead in this flat world.
Our challenge, the governor said, is to recognize that what worked for Minnesota over the last 50 years may not work for the next 50. The extent to which we do that and adapt to what the modern world requires economically will determine our success. If we fail to meet that challenge, we risk finding ourselves looking up at those who do.
One of the truly rewarding parts of being your legislator is that I have so many opportunities to meet with and talk to people from our communities. This was one of those wonderful chances and I want to thank the Shakopee Rotarians, as well as the governor, for inviting me to take part in such a great afternoon.
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