[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 14, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INVESTING IN AMERICA'S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

  (Mr. PERRIELLO asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PERRIELLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support an economic 
recovery based on investing in America's competitive advantage.
  Voters in Virginia's Fifth District sent me here because they 
recognize two things: First, we need fundamental change to revitalize 
this country's economy; and second, there are no shortcuts to getting 
there.
  Somewhere along the way the world economy changed, but government 
responses stayed the same. The result in my district has been years of 
declining jobs, declining wages, and rising health care costs. These 
economic woes are now confronting the Nation as a whole, and we face an 
urgent moment as we lose half a million jobs every month.
  We need a recovery strategy immediately, but this plan must be based 
on investment, not just throwing money at the problem. This crisis 
reflects a failure of confidence and will only be solved by its 
restoration. You restore confidence by fixing problems, not by 
pretending they aren't there.
  The distinction between stimulus and recovery means more to 
economists than to our actual economy. I believe our Nation's economy 
will recover only through a visionary strategy for rebuilding America's 
competitive advantage. That means real commitment to investing in our 
workforce, our infrastructure, our innovation, and the new energy 
economy, and that must include investment in our small towns and rural 
communities.
  This investment will be the guidance that our constituents need to 
create American jobs and turn this economy around.

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