Roy Terwilliger Response 2
Question 2: Overall, Minnesota's economy is the
strongest it has been in years. On the agenda are issues such as
living wages, labor shortages,
welfare-to-work, and the changing economy in Greater
Minnesota. What do you feel the most pressing challenges will be?
How will you address them?
Any time a nation, state or community finds itself in an era of
prosperity, there is a tendency to celebrate all that is good and
right with the world at the expense of looking ahead to the challenges
of the future. Government must commit to stewardship, innovation, and
change if it wants to maintain its economic health, while broadening
the numbers of people who can fully participate in the economy.
Stewardship? It is our responsibility to do all we can as a
government to ensure that this prosperity continues well into the next
century. We need to make critical decisions, not all of them easy or
politically safe, that will create a process that looks ahead to the
unknown problems of the future rather than throw the money away in a
futile attempt to make everyone happy.
Innovation? By that I mean we need to look to new solutions for the
chronic maladies of our society; while at the same time, we need to be
lean enough and focused enough to respond to the challenges of our
ever-changing society. That means we need to be willing to change and
try new things.
Change? In question 1 I mentioned the need to partner business and
education to prepare our students of all ages for the competition of
the global economy. We need to change our thinking on traditional
education and the requisite outcomes. But, we also need to be willing
to look hard at government programs and processes that may have worked
for generations but no longer apply to the needs of today and the
unknowns of the future.
In terms of Greater Minnesota . a stronger linkage between business
and education will help sure up and revitalize those communities by
targeting curriculum and training programs to meet the needs of local
businesses and businesses that may relocate.
Meaningful change does not come easily or cheaply . a Governor must
make difficult choices and provide the leadership to create a process
that allows for thoughtful evaluation of the whole panalopy of
options.
