There is one word that seems to be popular with all politicians — from the right or left — that word is innovation. Everybody likes the idea of innovation and agrees that it is key to American competitiveness, if not the future.

China and other Asian countries already make most of our high-volume commodity products, so America must compete by inventing new products, new technologies and new industries. President Obama, in his State of the Union speech, summed up our competitive challenge when he said, “The only durable strength we have — the only one that can withstand these gale winds — is innovation.”

America has always led the world in innovation, new products and new technologies. In fact, inventing new technologies is as American as jazz music, western movies and the Rocky Mountains. Everyone knows that new inventions and technologies can keep America in the manufacturing game. This includes the Chinese, who are committed to acquiring our technologies any way they can. This is a much bigger threat than most people know because it not only threatens American manufacturing, but it is also beginning to threaten our national security. Getting our U.S. technologies is a state-led effort that is a multi-level strategy, including the following:

And with nary a peep from our elected representatives. To read more, click here.