Economy

Issues:

  • California, the eighth largest economy in the world, has been hard hit in the current financial crisis.  An economic slow down means job losses for all sectors.
  • What happened to skills training for the emerging work force?  School children are tested with increasing frequency in order to verify progress in core academic areas.  But, is this all we want our students to have learned by the time they graduate from high school? 
  • Greed, corruption and naïveté have left our economy, and many of our most vulnerable, open to exploitation.  It seems that many in society and in government have abandoned all sense of responsibility to the greater community.     

Solutions:

  • We need leaders who understand the critical link between a trained work force and a vibrant economy.  Science and technology have been key economic drivers in this country since its inception as evidenced by the growth of the auto industry in the early 1900’s and the computer industry in the second half of the 1900’s. Job creation in our region will be reinvigorated by investments in research and development and the education of our workforce. 
  • Too much emphasis on core academic subjects, to the exclusion of  hands-on training, is leaving many children poorly prepared for life after high school graduation.  For many, textbook knowledge only makes sense when applied to a concrete situation.  Vocational and occupational programs provide an incentive for students to learn math and other academic subjects while preparing students for the work world.  All students deserve access to such programs.
  • We must hold true to our fundamental values as Americans, values that cross ethnic and cultural lines.  It is vital that those in positions of authority are held accountable for adhering to those values.  Effective regulations, designed to protect our economy from corruption and greed, must be adopted and enforced.