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2003 News Columns |
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Missouri Job Growth Good-paying jobs were on the minds of everyone I met during my travels to all parts of Missouri in August. "We need more of them," is what I heard over and over again. While experts back in Washington say the economy is getting better, everything I saw throughout Missouri tells me we have a lot more work to do. More good-paying jobs are needed everywhere I went: Monett, Carrollton, Kansas City, Macon, Hannibal, Jeff City, Scott City and St. Louis and elsewhere. The last figures show that Missouri has lost more jobs recently � over 70,000 - than all of the states that border our state combined. While the national economy seems to be turning up, we have to make sure Missouri leads the way. My bottom line is that I will not be satisfied with the state of Missouri's economy until there is a good-paying job for everyone in our state who can and wants to work. Period. No matter what the statistics say, the economy is not good for those who cannot get a good paying job. And a good economy does not just magically happen. It requires a lot of investment in the things that help create the conditions for job growth. We know that a good education leads to a good paying job. That is why we must invest in our schools and universities. We also must continue to invest in our workers and businesses to make sure that our economy remains the strongest and most competitive in the world. And we must also create the conditions to encourage small businesses to flourish because that is the fastest way to create new, good paying jobs. A big part of all this requires that we rebuild and modernize our highways, bridges, roads and waterways throughout Missouri. Our economy can only be as healthy as the roads, highways and waterways that move our workers, goods and products. Traffic bottlenecks, gridlock and delays are a drag on our economy, a waste of precious time, an irritation and add costs to everything we buy and sell. And, most importantly, improved roads reduce highway deaths. That is why I leaped at the chance to write the next federal highway bill, the legislative blueprint that governs where and how tens of billions of dollars will be spent across the nation. I have said all along that I will not accept a highway bill that does not include a lot more federal highway money for Missouri � over and above what we already get. And when it comes to the waterways that endangered species and people both rely upon in our state � like the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, I am committed to doing what we can to boost jobs while also protecting the birds and fish along those rivers who deserve our protection. Improving the lock and dam system along our waterways would mean the creation of 48 million man hours worth of work. When I met with union representatives in Hannibal while inspecting one of our aging locks and dams along the Mississippi, I was told these are exactly the kinds of good-paying jobs we need more of in our state. Beyond highways, roads and waterways, I have also secured more federal money for key Missouri projects such as housing, life sciences, biotechnology and job training. These are just a few of the many ways I am making the federal government do its fair share to boost job growth in Missouri. These investments will help us turn Missouri into a magnet for job growth. |
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