Rockefeller Showcases W.Va. Assets
By Juliet A. Terry
SHEPHERDSTOWN -- West Virginia has an important role to play in homeland security, and U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., wants people to know about it.
Rockefeller hosted the West Virginia Homeland Security Investment Mission July 22-24, which involved showcasing key assets in the Eastern Panhandle and north-central West Virginia.
The Discover the Real West Virginia Foundation Inc. helped organize and host the trip.
The goal, Rockefeller said, is to attract companies to the Mountain State that will benefit from a lower cost of doing business coupled with a close proximity to Washington, D.C.
America will continue to be a target for terrorists, he said, and West Virginia can help the nation be prepared.
"I want you to get the good view of West Virginia that you're going to get on this trip. There is a lot going on here, and there is a good reason for it," Rockefeller said. "We are a perfect location for people to avoid higher taxes and traffic and still be close to Washington, D.C."
Interst in West Virginia
Focusing on homeland security is not just about helping West Virginia attract new businesses, Rockefeller said. It's about making certain the United States is protected and prepared.
He said years ago, former CIA director George Tenet warned the federal government about Osama bin Laden.
"He said, 'This guy is coming after us,' but the U.S. government didn't pay much attention," Rockefeller said.
In addition, he said the United States made a major mistake by not taking a portion of government surplus revenues in the 1990s and earmarking the funds for shoring up the nation's infrastructure.
"We had a $5.6 trillion surplus, and what we didn't do, in typical American fashion, was exert any discipline," Rockefeller said. "... In America, we think that somehow God takes care of us. Well, God does take care of us, but God has a lot of work to do. We've got to do some things ourselves."
Looming Threats
Whether the issue is making certain the nation has enough broadband infrastructure or funding veterans' services adequately, the United States has come up short, Rockefeller said, and now the surplus is long gone.
"We've put all our resources into (war) engagement and intellectually, emotionally and financially ignored homeland security," he said.
The nation no longer has the financial resources it needs to protect itself adequately at home, he continued, which is where the private sector needs to step in.
"The public and private sector needs to do it together. The public sector can't do it on its own," Rockefeller said. "... We have plenty of al-Qaida in our own country ... and there are a lot of people around the world that have us in their sights because we're the crusaders."
Private companies that specialize in homeland security needs would be well served to come to West Virginia, Rockefeller said.
"We need you. The country needs you, and we want you here in West Virginia," he said. "You really are doing what America as a government is failing to do.
You've got to help us save this country, my friends, that's what you have to do."
