Notwithstanding the very difficult near-term budget issues you face, I urge you not to take your eye off the important goal of promoting growth. A basic economic principle is that growth requires investment. Investment includes physical investment such as infrastructure development; surely, adequate transportation networks and the like are necessary for economic growth.
But for sustained economic development, investment in people – in their knowledge and skills – is even more important. No economy can succeed without a high-quality workforce, particularly in an age of globalization and technical change. I think this is a lesson that the South, as a region, has learned quite well.