Vote: The New Economy's First Campaign

Americans of every generation have worked hard to provide for their children. The country is now facing an interesting issue: The moms and dads of this generation may not be the direct beneficiaries of the high-tech world, but we can help them own assets and make sure that their families have health care. We can help them help themselves, so that their children will be direct beneficiaries. There's nothing wrong with that.

Ultimately, though, talent is education, and education is talent. The key is to say to our kids, "Make the right choices. Go to school, and you're going to be a winner." We need a giant attitude change toward public education. But the high-tech world and the new economy are going to transform schools. It's going to be slow in coming, but it's going to happen.

And when it happens, some young Hispanic kid in Texas is going to say, "You know, this high-tech business is meant for me too. I'm going to start my own dotcom. I'm going to get an engineering degree at Texas A&M, or at the University of Texas." It's my job, and the job of the responsible citizenry of the United States, to send the message that this experience is meant for everybody. If you work for it and make the right choices, you can win.

Alan M. Webber (awebber@fastcompany.com) is a Fast Company founding editor. For more information on the presidential campaign of Governor George W. Bush, visit the official Bush Web site (www.georgewbush.com).