Opinion Editorial

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez
Opinion Editorial, Kansas City Star
”This Is Not The Time To Cut Access To New Markets”

America is the world’s leading innovator and trading nation. Inventors and risk-takers enrich our social and economic life, while American workers and families import and export in the trillions, boosting our standard of living.

Kansas City is a national leader in promoting innovation and an export powerhouse, so it is fitting to have been here Monday at the Kauffman Foundation to launch the first in a series of nationwide forums on innovation and to highlight America’s growing export culture.

To stay ahead in a rapidly changing global economy, America needs new benchmarks for innovation and its impact on the economy so we can continue to be the most innovative and prosperous society in the world. Kauffman Foundation CEO Carl Schramm recently chaired a federal advisory committee that provided a series of recommendations, including the convening of innovation forums.

The trade reports and Gross Domestic Product numbers we compile help paint a picture of how imports and exports impact our overall economy. But we need to do more to measure intangibles such as business investment in patents and trademarks and in employee training. We also need to identify policies that foster or inhibit innovation.

In an increasingly competitive global market America’s leadership role will require staying on the cutting edge. A global leader in GPS systems, Garmin International, is just one example of how this region has turned innovation and global markets into economic opportunity and success.

Headquartered in Olathe, Garmin’s innovative technologies can be found in cars, boats and airplanes around the world. This company didn’t even exist 20 years ago. And last year it had $3 billion in sales, with nearly 40 percent of products shipped internationally. Pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea would open markets for U.S. exporters with a combined GDP of more than $1 trillion. Colombia is a key U.S. ally, and we’re already open to their products. The U.S.-Colombia trade agreement would help American farmers and workers by lifting taxes and barriers on U.S. exports.

Some talk about a “timeout” on trade, but this would mean a timeout on a key economic bright spot. Early pioneers in Missouri and Kansas saw opportunity in trade and commerce. Exports generate growth, stimulate innovative products and services and support millions of high-paying American jobs.

By continuing to open global markets, particularly Colombia, and promoting innovation and ways to understand and support ingenuity, we will keep our economy strong, and ensure that America and Kansas City stay competitive in the rapidly growing global economy.