From the Desk of the Editor in Chief
The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression has every state battening down its fiscal hatches and struggling to weather the storm. We all have had more than our share of bad news in this winter of discontent.
Iowa’s Chet Culver more than fits the bill.
As reported in this month’s cover story, Gov. Culver is harnessing the optimism and resilience of the people of his state and waging a fierce counterattack on the economic downturn. His battle cry is “jobs, jobs, jobs,” and he is busy creating them on land, in the air, and even in cyberspace.
Iowa, which has large cash reserves, is well positioned simply to ride out the recession. A new $700-million infrastructure program has been put forward that will keep its construction industry busy during the coming lean months.
Culver and his economic development team have set the bar much higher. They are moving vigorously to expand the state’s position as an alternative energy leader, and they recently scored a major coup in securing a commitment from IBM to build a $100-million IT service center.
Here’s hoping that the good news from Iowa is replicated from coast to coast.
