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Today, more than at any time in our history, the strength
of our economy, the health of our families, and the quality of our lives depend
on advances in science and technology.
Al Gore has supported and promoted cutting-edge,
job-creating technology for his entire career in public service. Shaped by his
eight years in the House of Representatives - where he served on the Science
Committee; and his eight years as a United States Senator - where he chaired
the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space,
Gore has championed the American spirit of discovery through a commitment to
scientific understanding and technological innovation.
As Vice President, Al Gore has worked to unleash greater
economic opportunity through global electronic commerce. He led the effort to
deregulate the telecommunications industry a move which led to the historic
Telecommunications Act -- and also a new tool that parents can use to control
to ensure that television reflects their own family values, called the v-chip.
He has led the effort to bring cutting edge technologies
into our schools, connect our classrooms to the Internet, and connect our
children to the future.
He has been in a leader in our commitment to explore
outer space, has announced a new effort to develop a Next Generation Internet,
and fought to make the Internet safer and more family-friendly.
Already, information technology accounts for a third of
all economic growth, creating jobs that pay on average 80% higher than other
private sector jobs Already, more Americans build semiconductors than
construction machinery. More Americans spend their days refining data than
refining petroleum. And a greater portion of the economy is growing from
innovations unleashed by these new technologies.
We are indeed in a new economy -- an economy driven by
information, research, knowledge, and technology. An economy that values the
productive capacity of people above all else. A new economy that brings the
promise of a better life for all Americans. Al Gore wants to ensure that we can
sustain the innovation that is now driving the economy well into the 21st
century. | 
