Governor Tom Vilsack says Iowa’s economy is performing better than other states.Vilsack says personal income is growing two percent better than the national average. He says job creation is much higher in Iowa than the nation as a whole and the state’s unemployment rate is lower than the national average. While Vilsack has hammered republican George Bush for presiding over a nationwide economic decline, the democrat governor contends Iowa is an island of economic vitality. Vilsack says “under the circumstances” Iowa’s economic has made “remarkable progress” over the past few years. Vilsack says Iowa’s economy is in a “transition period” that began a little bit earlier here because state government committed big dollars to community development projects through the Vision Iowa program and to growing companies through the new Iowa Values Fund. Vilsack says it’s about creating a “more vibrant economy” that offers a greater quality of life to Iowans, particularly young Iowans. Vilsack says you can go to almost any major city in Iowa and see the “footprints” of the state’s Vision Iowa program which handed out state grants for large-scale projects, like the new arena in Des Moines, the river museum in Dubuque and a new convention center in Council Bluffs.Vilsack says “now what we have to is make sure that Iowans fully understand what’s happening in our state.” He says in every community “something is taking place that’s good news.” Vilsack made his comments this morning at a joint meeting of Iowans for a Better Future and the Iowa chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
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