Barack Obama

“ It's time for us to recognize that these individual stories connect to a larger American story. All of us have a stake in our common prosperity. When people are struggling on Main Street, that pain trickles up to Wall Street. And just as we have to provide relief to Americans who are struggling, we also have to recognize that we're failing to put ourselves in a position to compete effectively in the global economy. ”

“ We can invest in new cures, and put an emphasis on prevention, so we have a healthier, more productive population. We can forge new alliances between business and labor to ensure that workers are covered, and that corporations are no longer saddled with rising costs. That's how we're going to care for our people and help the American corporation compete.
This can be the moment when we make a generational commitment to rebuild our infrastructure. That's what Teddy Roosevelt did when we brought together leaders from the public and private sector to plan for 20th Century infrastructure. ”

“ And we could achieve the simple goal of making sure that every American has access to high-speed broadband. No matter how much money you have or where you come from, you should have access to this technology. And that's what we have to do to make sure that America runs on a strong, fair, and efficient foundation.
And this can be the moment when we invest in the science and innovation that will help shape our future. Because in a technology-driven economy, America must always stay on the cutting edge. ”

“ If we have the courage to commit to change, the American people can not just seize, but shape the opportunities of the global economy. Together, we can author our own story. Together, we can pursue a 21st Century leadership agenda that's focused on five areas: energy, education, health care, infrastructure, and innovation.
Success will not come from Washington alone. It must come from the dynamism and determination and ingenuity of the American people, through partnerships with states and cities, the public and the private sector, and through the active involvement of the American people. ”

“ And just as that output built our cities and laid down the rails that connected them, the work that created that wealth was the foundation of a middle-class where each generation's opportunities could extend a little further, and each individual story could advance the larger American story. Many of those steel mills are gone, but this American city has found new opportunities, through health and IT, through finance and universities. ”

“ And that's why I've proposed investing $150-billion in a green energy sector to create five millions new jobs. Good jobs, that can't be outsourced. But this must merely be a spark for American industry and innovators to develop alternatives to oil and gas, and to create a new energy economy. ”

“ But we also know that for our country to succeed, Washington has to change, because in moments of great economic transformation, government must serve as the catalyst for change, to leverage all sectors of American society that are represented here today. ”

“ To educate the best workforce in the world, a college education should be the birthright of every American. But we also have to ask our young people to invest in America through service, and we need to work with our community colleges to provide new skills and lifelong learning. That's what we must do to extend the American Dream. ”

“ It will take resources in the wake of policies that have run up our debt. But the answer to our fiscal problems is not to short-change investments in our ability to compete: investments that are vital to long-term growth. To stop mortgaging our children's future, we need to eliminate waste in existing programs, we need to responsibly end the War in Iraq, generate revenue by charging polluters for their emissions, and put an end to corporate loopholes and tax cuts that are not making America more productive. ”

“ We can have – we can have a smarter government that pays its way while investing in the country's future. That's how Washington must change to become a catalyst for growth, because in cities and towns across America, I know that the American people are ready to rise to the challenge of a new moment. ”

“ This can be the moment when we finally come together to make health care affordable and accessible for every single American, and lower costs for all American families. Here in Pittsburgh, we've seen the advancements that can be made when we see opportunities embedded in providing health care. We can create a future where medical records are electronic, enhancing care and lowering costs. ”

“ For the last three weeks, I've been traveling around the country, talking about how we can change our economy so that it works for the American people. And I've also been listening. I met with parents in Wisconsin who struggled to afford groceries to let their family eat decently, or the gas that takes them to and from work. I've talked to a man in Missouri who's wife works two jobs and whose arthritis costs $1,500-a-week to treat. ”

“ Because there's nothing that Americans cannot accomplish when they are working together. You know, for 250 years, that's what's been done here in Pittsburgh. This is where U.S. Steel became the first billion-dollar corporation, and turned out more steel at the dawn of the Cold War than the entire Soviet Union. ”

“ Our country faces challenges to our leadership in this young century. Our children will grow up facing competition from their counterparts in Beijing and Bangalore. If we don't change course, there's no guarantee that the American Dream will be there for my daughters, or your sons, as it was there for us. America risks falling behind. ”

“ To have successful schools, we need to recruit an army of new teachers, provide them with better pay, and more support, just as we develop new curricula, and renewed accountability. To lift up our children, we need a national commitment, but we also need parents to get up off the couch, turn off the TV, and to read to their children. ”

“ This must leverage the kind of private investment that can create millions of jobs, and remake our communities. Years from now, we could drive on new roads, depend on safe bridges and stronger levies, and connect our cities with high-speed rails. ”

“ That means reversing a trend that we devote a smaller and smaller share of our natural resources to research and development. An innovation agenda must commit to funding basic research and making the R&D tax-credit permanent. ”

“ It must also exempt start-ups from capital-gains taxes, and remove bureaucratic barriers to entrepreneurs: for instance, by making our patent process more efficient and reliable. We need the discoveries of tomorrow to be made in our labs and universities, at Pitt and Carnegie Mellon. ”