It was Oct. 3, 1991, when Bill Clinton announced his intention to run for president of the U.S.
Nearly 20 years later, Clinton was the keynote at the “New York Open for Business” statewide conference Sept. 27 in Albany, in which he gave Gov. Andrew Cuomo a big vote of confidence but said more is needed from both lawmakers and the private sector.
“The confidence people have in New York outside this state is enormous ”¦ just because the government did its job,” Clinton said.
However, he urged that sacrifices be made now to ensure the U.S. economy stays competitive in the future. Of that approach, Clinton said, “There is no successful model which doesn”™t have public-private cooperation ”¦ We have to think of ways to be highly competitive in an increasingly competitive world.”
Clinton said the bipartisan approach New York”™s state government has embraced since Cuomo”™s election needs to be embraced on the national level, and that difficult decisions will be necessary for both tax reforms and health care and entitlement cuts.
“America needs to get back in the future business,” he said. “We have to look at this as an opportunity to retool our country for the 21st century.”
Clinton advocated for several specific projects ”“ ranging from energy-saving technology to a government database to match candidates with job postings ”“ he said would help get unemployed Americans back to work and keep businesses on the cutting edge.
He said for every $1 billion invested in coal power roughly 800 jobs are created, but that when that money is invested in wind power or in building retrofitting, $1 billion can create as many as 3,000 or 7,000 jobs, respectively. “Changing the way we produce and consume energy ”¦ is an incredibly efficient way to create a large number of jobs ”“ if you do it right,” he said.
Clinton also called on New York government officials to take advantage of the state”™s network of colleges and universities by reviewing technology-transfer policies and, by a separate token, to educate low-income families on changes in the government-sponsored student loan program that took effect during the first year of President Barack Obama”™s term.
“Colleges and universities in and of themselves are great economic engines,” he said. “I think one of the great assets of New York state are these great institutions of higher education.”
