With images of Forsyth Technical Community College’s cutting-edge biotech equipment fresh in his mind, President Obama called yesterday for a new “Sputnik moment” that will re-establish the United States as the global leader in education, innovation and infrastructure.
“We need to do what America has always been known for — building, innovating, educating, making things,” Obama said to an audience of 350 people at Forsyth Tech’s west campus. “We don’t want to be a nation that simply buys and consumes products from other countries. We want to create and sell products all over the world that are stamped with three simple words: Made in America.”
Obama’s 90-minute visit to Winston-Salem, his first as president, came at a crucial juncture in his presidency.
With Republicans set to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives, Obama is trying to push through compromise legislation that would extend Bush-era tax cuts at all income levels for two years and extend jobless aid for 13 months for the long-term unemployed.
Obama touched on the tax-cut issue, arguing that the country can’t afford permanent tax cuts for the wealthy. But the bulk of his 40-minute speech sounded more like a pep talk for a region and country that is crawling out of a recession, with frequent references to past glories and promises of a brighter future.
The heart of the speech focused on how America can reshape itself to meet the needs of a new economy, much as it did in 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the Earth-orbiting satellite known as Sputnik.
The Soviets’ innovation was a surprise, and ultimately served as a wakeup call that galvanized the nation. The result was a pioneering space program that put the first man on the moon.
“So 50 years later, our generation’s Sputnik moment is back. This is our moment,” said Obama, standing in front of blue backdrop before a gymnasium crammed with students and faculty from Forsyth Tech. “If the recession has taught us anything, it’s that we cannot go back to an economy that’s driven by way too much spending, too much borrowing, running up credit cards, taking out a lot of home equity loans.… We’ve got to rebuild on a new and stronger foundation for economic growth.”
Citing statistics showing that the U.S. is losing ground to China and India in the global economy, Obama called for more investment in research and development, education and infrastructures. Among industrialized nations, the U.S. is 18th out of 24 in high-school graduations, and it’s ranked 27th in the number of science and engineering degrees that are awarded, he said.
Obama used those statistics to illustrate the importance of Forsyth Tech’s biotech programs. A college that once made auto mechanics and machine shops the focus of its curriculum has learned to be nimble to better serve today’s global economy.
“When Forsyth Technical opened 50 years ago, it was known as Forsyth County Industrial Education Center. That’s quite a mouthful,” Obama said. “Of course, back then, you didn’t even need a degree to earn a decent living. You could get a job at a local tobacco or textile plant and still be able to provide for yourself and your family.”
With those days behind, America needs to look ahead and plant the seeds for economic growth. Investing in community colleges and allowing businesses to write off investments in 2011 will help jump-start the economy, Obama told the audience, which included local business and political leaders.
He said a Sputnik moment, though, can be met only if politicians put aside differences and work together.
“If we can do that,” Obama said, “I have no doubt that this will be remembered as another American century.”
lodonnell@wsjournal.com
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