Let me begin my thanking you all for your service to our state. I know that your most valuable asset is time. But I think it'll be time well spent. Much as the explorers of the past discovered and mapped the New World, your job is to help Texas explore and map the new information technology economy. As leaders of the various segments of that New Economy, I hope you can help foster understanding between technology and government and help us create a long-term strategy for making Texas the world's leader in technology research, development, innovation and job creation.
Government can help create a climate of opportunity for technology.
And technology can help make government more efficient and user-friendly. But we need your guidance to help us along the way. I encourage you to look at how we can use technology to deliver education effectively and affordably to every corner of our state. The Internet makes vast distances irrelevant, bricks and mortar classrooms less important, and opens the world to new lifetime learning opportunities. I want Texas to help lead the way.