I offer you a challenge today to get involved in making certain that the economic gains we currently realize are not wiped away by governmental ignorance. In particular, I challenge those of you in the academic community to produce clear and concise studies on the impact entrepreneurs are having in shaping the U.S. economy. I challenge you to question governmental regulatory bodies which cling to rules and regulations which were produced in an Industrial Age, not in a High Technology Age. Bodies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission must understand that their existing regulatory frameworks do not work in the New Economy. Academics can play a powerful, non-partisan role in this critical educational initiative.
Entrepreneurs have a powerful story to tell our elected officials.
As job creators, taxpayers, innovators and business leaders your stories can and will have an impact on the views of our elected policymakers. I challenge you to get to know them and to support candidates who support our entrepreneurial culture. Notwithstanding your political identification, the fact today in Washington is that the center, not the left or the right, governs and will shape our economic policy. The views we express on the New Economy are essentially tailored-made for the center of the political spectrum. This is why both parties continue to fight to secure the allegiance of the high tech community and it is why we must take an active role in our political process.