As Illinois’ United States senator my primary role will be to serve as an agent of economic change and prosperity for the people of Illinois. That includes two important tasks: to envision change and to catalyze change. Change is as much in the details as it is in the vision. My 20/20 Vision plan is more than a statement of ideas. It is a substantive plan of action.

As United States senator, I will pursue my 20/20 Vision to:

• Build a new educational infrastructure and create jobs – including “green” jobs – in a revitalized manufacturing economy for the people of Illinois.
• Promote research and development that will enable the United States to be a domestic producer of infrastructure systems such as high-speed rail and a leading global competitor in scientific fields such as biotechnology.

The policy and legislative agenda of 20/20 Vision will channel economic stimuli to Main Street. Our solutions will be long-term because we can no longer afford to mortgage the prosperity of future generations through short-term quick fixes that remedy nothing. To accomplish that I will focus on forward thinking policies involving:

• Education
• Industry, Manufacturing and Labor
• Environmental
• Regulation

My 20/20 Vision links all levels of education to the economy. Improvement of our educational infrastructure to create sustainable jobs in Illinois and revitalization of the state’s manufacturing base is no small task. It will require federal policy that is dedicated to:

• Strengthening education from early childhood through the university level.
• Supporting training, research and development in fields that promote advanced manufacturing and create green jobs.

Large corporations and smaller supply-chain manufacturing companies must work in tandem to increase global competitive advantage; businesses must partner with local governments and school districts to produce a well-educated and highly skilled workforce. I will draw on the many sources of human and institutional capital in our state that are already working independently toward strengthening education and paving the way for employment in green industries.