Published June 1988 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd My Vision for West Virginia's Economic Future As I was preparing for the Software Valley VII Conference in Huntington, I reflected on the reasons for the growing Software Valley movement in West Virginia, and on my hopes for our state's economic future. A century ago, West Virginia was in the infancy of its great industrial boom. The mature industries growing out of that boom produced the West Virginia with which we are most familiar: coal, steel, timber, chemicals, gas, oil, and other heavy labor-intensive industries. But we live today in an era of changing economies, changing trade patterns, changing technologies, and changing competition. Throughout my career, I have worked to promote West Virginia's traditional industries. Those industries still command my interest and my concern. But, likewise, I am interested in laying new economic foundations for West Virginia's future; in setting the stage for West Virginia to compete in the world not as it was, and not as we might like it to be or to return to being, but to compete in the world as it is. That is one of the main reasons that I joined in launching the Software Valley movement. Survival in today's economy is largely a matter of keeping several technological steps ahead of one's rivals. Industrial success today is a matter of being technologically intensive. Through the Software Valley movement, I hope that we can help refocus West Virginia's economic vision on high technology, that we can create industries in our state based on the use of flexible computer manufacturing, and that we can pioneer in creating business and economic possibilities in our state never before dreamed of here. Above all, we must lay new economic foundations on which men and women can build their lives and support their families. Certainly, we can draw on some federal programs to help improve the quality of life in our communities. But in this era of soaring national debt and rising cries for federal economy, basing West Virginia's future on federal largesse is an unwise strategy. In the final analysis, West Virginia's future rests on self-initiative and private enterprise; such as we are promoting through our Software Valley movement. June 1, 1988