Creating an Economy That’s 'Built to Last'

http://www.businessweek.com/innovation/creating-an-economy-thats-built-to-last-01262012.html

In a recent article Obama stated that he wants America to get back to the business of making things. “This means developing skilled workers at home while taking a global view.  President Obama is right: America’s long-term success hinges on its ability to invent technology the world wants. It seems simple, but getting America back in the business of making things isn’t. It’s a global process.”  This idea is an attempt to stimulate our economy and increase the capable workforce. 

Since our manufacturing is far beyond the assembly line, we are now able to research, test, and experiment with new ideas and technology.  This creates more jobs which are focused on Research and Development.  As an example of this, “ the National Science Foundation (NSF) reports that more companies are taking research and development—and 85 percent of the new jobs it creates—overseas. “  After they push their Research and development teams overseas some companies are considering moving parts of their manufacturing operations back to the U.S.  This article states that we need to get more engineers and scientist in our country. 

China one of our competitors is gaining on us due to the fact it graduates much more engineers and scientist than us.  It is a fact that less than 4 percent of the degrees in the US are engineering while over 56 percent of the degrees in Asia are focused in the sciences, like engineering and biology.  This article also states that Obama feels that we should send some of our people over to Asia to learn from their schools.  This would create more trained brilliant minds.  After these people gain the knowledge overseas he feels that they will come back and create new jobs and start new businesses.

Do you agree with this statement?  That since most of our college graduates is not engineers and scientist that more people should be given the opportunity to go overseas to Asia because their engineering programs and schools are well beyond our own. Or do you have a better way of creating more jobs and new businesses in order to stimulate the economy to get our country out of the recession?