Guest Post from Sherwood Boehlert

GUEST POST from SHERWOOD BOEHLERT

More than any other book in memory, The World is Flat had a major impact on my thinking and my approach to the macro issues of our day. For openers, the new "flat world" makes it possible for people far removed from the epicenter of anything -- government, finance, the media, you name it -- to have instant access to the most valuable and powerful tool known to humankind: information.

That information revolution, chronicled so well in Friedman's book and other writing, means that Central New Yorkers are just a mouse click away from just about everything that is required to chart a course for succeeding in this most competitive (on a global basis) environment. It means that so much in terms of exposure to ideas and opportunities is just as available to people in Rome, New York as those in Rome, Italy. Our competition at home is not just next door, or in the next state or even across the country. Our competition is anywhere and everywhere and nothing surpasses the computer and the advent of the internet in bringing that fact of 21st century life about.

Every year the annual cycle of college graduations would find me on one campus or another, often several, to deliver commencement addresses. Always I tried mightily to deliver a message that would have meaning for the graduates and all who surround them on this highlight day in their lives. And always, my crackerjack staff would rise to the occasion with a speech which was well received. Last year, I told them they had time off for good behavior -- I wrote every word of my speech, and it was the same for several commencements. I gave the audience an assignment by saying, do yourself a favor by reading and learning from The World is Flat.

Friedman doesn't tell us about some dream world, but rather provides a stark and revealing look into the world that is. His commentary on everything from geopolitics to trade to education to energy is eye opening and instructive. Without question, The World is Flat (more than two years on The Times best-seller list as a hardback, now in the midst of a predicted long run as a paperback) is one of the most important books of our time. Just reading it is not enough to gain maximum advantage from the exposure to the reporting and thinking of a deserved Pulitzer winner. The World is Flat requires the kind of regional dialogue it is generating in Central New York. All engaged in the exercise will be the better for it.

Sherwood Boehlert, October 1, 2007

Note: Sherwood Boehlert served in the United States Congress House of Representatives as our representative from the 24th Congressional District from 1983 to 2007. During his tenure he served as the Chair of the House Science Committee and was also a staunch supporter of the environment. He also served as the Oneida County Executive from 1979 to 1983. Since his retirement he has devoted his time to his family and pursuing his intellectual passions in the private sector. Mr. Boehlert is a graduate of Utica College.