[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 10, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1713-E1714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       SOUTHERN INDIANA'S ECONOMY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 10, 1997

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
Report for Wednesday, August 27, 1997, into the Congressional Record.

                  Boosting Southern Indiana's Economy

       Southern Indiana has had a solid record of economic 
     development in recent years. Unemployment in this area is at 
     record lows--2% in some counties, the lowest in a generation. 
     The I-65 corridor from Columbus to the Ohio River is one of 
     the fastest growing areas in the Midwest. Three huge 
     industrial projects--Toyota, AK Steel, and Waupaca--have 
     chosen southern Indiana for their home. And wages are 
     beginning to increase, providing more hard-working families 
     with a living wage. Yet despite the progress, a variety of 
     challenges remain as we look ahead to the future and try to 
     enhance the quality of life for ordinary Hoosiers.


                      Benefits of Southern Indiana

       Southern Indiana has a lot going for it. Our infrastructure 
     is good--two major interstate highways, a reliable energy 
     supply, and a good system of local roads, bridges, airports, 
     and water-sewer systems. Economic development simply cannot 
     happen without good infrastructure.
       Our communities are friendly. Southern Indiana is a good 
     place to work, live, and raise a family. We do not have 
     overwhelming problems of drugs, crime, AIDS, and poverty, as 
     many areas of the country do. Southern Indiana boasts 
     outstanding hospitals, good schools, a world-class public 
     university system, excellent recreational opportunities, good 
     water resources, and many other advantages. If we want to 
     continue economic growth, we must continue to build on these 
     strengths.


                               Challenges

       But that may not be enough--not enough for the world ahead 
     of us. The world is changing, and that change is 
     accelerating. New challenges lie ahead for businesses and 
     workers, as rapid changes in technology, new ways of 
     delivering services, and tough foreign competition alter the 
     economic landscape across the country.
       It is no longer enough to have a strong back, a good work 
     ethic, and even a high school education. Today's factory 
     worker needs to have advanced mathematics, computer skills, 
     and teamwork skills.
       In today's globalized economy, national economies are 
     more integrated, tariffs have fallen, and technological 
     barriers between countries have been eliminated with the 
     advances in telecommunications and global transportation. 
     Indiana businesses no longer compete just with Tennessee 
     or Michigan--they compete with Turkey and Malaysia.
       So who wins in this new competitive world? Much more is 
     needed than good natural resources. In recent years I have 
     sensed a disturbing trend. In almost every plant I have 
     visited recently, plant managers tell me they are concerned 
     that there are now limits on their production, or soon will 
     be, because they cannot find enough good workers. In the days 
     ahead, the community with the most competitive human 
     infrastructure wins the economic development race--the town 
     with the most highly-skilled workers, the region with the 
     best schools and skill training programs. More than ever 
     before, education is key to economic development.


                         Education and Training

       We have a good education system in southern Indiana. Many 
     of our students go on to perform well at top universities. 
     They become scholars, engineers, and entrepreneurs. It is not 
     the top students, or even the top half of the students, I am 
     worried about. They are bright and well-motivated, and will 
     prosper. But what worries me are the other students--those in 
     the bottom half, those

[[Page E1714]]

     who don't go on to college. We are failing to prepare them 
     for today's changing world.
       Employers complain that many newly-hired workers lack the 
     capacity or the motivation to learn, do not show up ready for 
     work, do not want to work 8 hours a day and 5 days a week, 
     and frequently quit after a few weeks. One company I met with 
     said they had not hired someone from the local high school in 
     seven years. Another company I visited this summer canceled a 
     planned expansion because they could not find enough skilled 
     workers in the area.
       These problems are certainly not unique to southern 
     Indiana. But what all this says to me is that good as we are, 
     as successful as we have been, it is not good enough. We need 
     to do better.


                              Needed Steps

       Clearly a variety of steps are needed to boost economic 
     development in southern Indiana. We need to improve the basic 
     infrastructure of our communities--from roads and bridges, to 
     water systems, to affordable housing. We must do all we can 
     to encourage our talented young people and entrepreneurs to 
     stay in our communities. There is no substitute for talented, 
     creative people. And we need to work to create a business 
     environment in which innovative and competitive efforts of 
     the private sector can flourish. Never forget that small 
     businesses are the backbone of the Indiana economy. They 
     employ more than 2 million Hoosiers.
       We need to frankly assess the strengths and weaknesses of 
     our communities and work to build consensus for progress. I 
     know that many Hoosiers are ambivalent about change, but we 
     need to answer the most basic question of all--what kind of 
     communities do we want? And we should recognize the positive 
     role government can play. The character, initiative, and 
     resourcefulness of Hoosiers are still key to our success. But 
     so are various government activities like infrastructure and 
     basic research.
       Yet, at the very top of our list must be improving our 
     education and training efforts. We must give priority to 
     early education, stronger high school curricula, tougher 
     education standards, and improved school-to-work programs. We 
     also need to promote business/school partnerships, distance 
     learning, and lifelong learning programs. The emphasis 
     throughout should be on improving the work ethic and on 
     teaching the basic skills: reading, math, communication. We 
     simply must increase the quality of our workforce--by 
     investing in the education and skills of Hoosiers.
       And we need to remember that all of our young people must 
     be equipped to participate in a rapidly changing economy. It 
     is not enough to give the top students great opportunity. We 
     have an obligation--and a strong self-interest--to ensure 
     that all of our young people have the skills to fill the jobs 
     in our new economy.

     

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