The Iowa 2010 council's findings and recommendations will be released soon. We hope people will agree we did our work well, and given back to them a plan that causes us all to stretch -a plan that challenges the political system, a plan that is actionable and one that yields quantifiable, real results. Iowa must seize this opportunity to chart its own course. Our future will not be mapped in Washington, D.C., on Wall Street or in the Silicon Valley, nor should it be. Iowa's destiny will be determined by Iowans.
Timing is everything.
We don't have 50 years to gradually turn things around. Unless we have the courage to make tough decisions, reallocate dollars in a laser-focused way, the trend lines won't change. If we make tough decisions, with a plan that is truly strategic and not a wish list, we have a far better shot at a brighter future. Better connecting Iowans to global e-commerce. Becoming more economically competitive and environmentally conscious.