March 6, 2008

Mike Honda listens to community input at ‘The State
of the Economy in Silicon Valley’ forum

Silicon Valley Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) listened to community input on Friday, Feb. 29 and found local concerns surrounding federal economic policy at his “The State of the Economy in Silicon Valley.”

City Councilmember Judy Chirco and Rep. Mike Honda look over the agenda at the State of the Economy in Silicon Valley forum.

“I convened this forum to bring together Silicon Valley leaders so they could share their ideas about what Congress needs to do to stimulate our economy. We know that the economic situation varies throughout our country so it is very important to me to get a clearer picture of the state of the economy here in Santa Clara County. For example, since 2002, the median household income in Silicon Valley rose by a mere 2.37 percent. At the same time, inflation rose almost 14 percent, savaging those meager gains. I know that it is always best to hear directly from our local experts and residents so that I am informed about the local experience, needs and suggestions,” Honda said in a release.

“In Congress we passed a short term stimulus package, but our work is not done. Silicon Valley was the source of many great ideas that drove our economy to new heights during the 1990s, and we need to draw upon that same ingenuity and innovative spirit to reinvigorate our nation.”

He said the forum allowed him to hear important suggestions that Congress should consider in looking toward the future including “rebuilding our nation’s crumbling infrastructure; accelerating the development of a ‘green economy’ that increases demand for renewable energy and energy conservation technologies, and which keeps more of the dollars we spend on energy in our own economy instead of flowing overseas; and improving our schools so that our nation’s intellectual capital is second to none,” he added.

Honda plans to “share these insights” with his colleagues in Washington to enable the nation’s lawmakers to develop sound economic policies to help all Americans.