Secretary Leavitt: Prologue Series

What is past is prologue......

Many of the most profound problems are not ours to solve in finality, but rather to incrementally improve during our temporary stewardship. Three foundation goals form the basis for my public service:

To leave things better than I found them
To plant seeds for the next generation
To conclude my work knowing I have given my all

As my stewardship comes to a close, it is time to plant seeds for the next generation. I intend to write and deliver a series of formal speeches to share what I see on our approaching horizon. I call these speeches The Prologue Series.

The Series

Medicare: Drifting Toward Disaster
Our population is aging and as we age, medical expenses grow. The real urgency of the problem starts between now and 2019 when the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is projected to become insolvent. There is no backup plan, but if we act now, we can change the outcome.

Medicare: Drifting Toward Disaster (PDF 2.1 MB)

Import Safety: Safety at the Speed of Life
In global commerce, as in the Olympics, things happen fast, they have to—but speed without safety carries great risk. The unsettling stream of product safety problems are experiencing is a reflection of the most profound change in commercial patterns in human history—the globalization of trade. We need to develop new tools and strategies equal to the new challenges we face.

Import Safety: Safety at the Speed of Life (PDF 4.0 MB)

The Cover - Why this Statue

There is a statue behind the National Archives that I look at nearly every day as I drive between HHS and the White House. The Robert Aiken statue - "The Future" - depicts a woman looking up to the horizon from a book as if to ponder what she has just read. At the base of the statue are the words from Shakespeare's The Tempest "What is past is prologue."