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Monday, June 13, 2005 - 12:00 AM |
Western governors focus on immigration

Steven K. Paulson THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. -- Eight Western governors and three Canadian premiers focused on internationalization and immigration on Sunday as they searched for ways to build their regional economies and find solutions to problems that include increased demands for health care and education.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, said Western states are not only competing with each other for high-tech businesses, but with other countries, like India, as technology breaks down barriers to trade.

"I think what we're seeing is that we can have technology in places like Montana and North Dakota because of broadband, because of the ability to communicate rapidly," author and futurist Joel Kotkin told leaders at the Western Governors' Association conference. "We can move primary technology from a place like Silicon Valley to Phoenix because Phoenix has portability, they have technologists who are available, they have the ability for innovation, they have broadband so it doesn't have to be in Silicon Valley.

"Here is our challenge: It's coming to North Dakota and it's also going to India. If you want it hot and like it hot, you can go to Phoenix or you can go to India," Kotkin said.

The Western governors said the other international challenge facing their states comes from immigration.

Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, chairman of the association, said Western states are being swamped with demands on health care and education from immigrants, and the West cannot look to other states for solutions.

Owens said many Western states are forced to focus on basics like English education in school districts where up to 50 percent of the students are undocumented aliens, instead of math and science that will provide better jobs.

"Sometimes American and even Coloradan and Arizonan outcomes are changed substantially because we have a lot of different input coming in than say Wisconsin, where they don't have a substantial number of Canadians coming across the border to join their schools and health care systems," said Owens, a Republican.

Kotkin said Western states cannot become a regional power until they start acting like one. Only eight of the 21 Western governors showed up for the annual conference, including Alaska, Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. also attended.

"The whole West Coast isn't here. I think that's a problem. How can they talk about problems if they aren't here?" Kotkin asked.

Owens said western states have their differences, but there are also areas of agreement, including support for the North American Free Trade Agreement and local control of federal lands.

Canadian Premier Gary Doer of Manitoba said Canada also shares its future of the West. He said one sign of regional cooperation is the recent decision to put Canadian planes on standby to fight wildfires in the U.S.

In the last two years, to make sure planes weren't sitting on the tarmac in Canada when there were fires in the U.S., the countries have worked on agreements to buy compatible equipment and have common standards of training across the border, he said.