In a very tech-heavy State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama said the first step toward economic recovery is to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.
Obama name-checked Facebook and Google, saying that technology and "innovation doesn't just change our lives, it is how we make our living."
He acknowledged that things have changed in recent years. Plants and factories that once employed 1,000 people have replaced many of those workers with technology. "But this shouldn't discourage us; it should challenge us," Obama said. "The future is ours to win, but to get there, we can't just stand still."
No one can predict what will be the next Facebook, Twitter, or Google, he said. "Thirty years ago, we couldn't know that something called the Internet would lead to an economic revolution."
"[But] what we can do – what America does better than anyone else, is spark the creativity and imagination of our people," he said.
That spark begins in the classroom, Obama said. Over the next 10 years, the U.S. wants to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
"If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation, if you want to make a difference in the life of a child, become a teacher. Your country needs you," Obama said.
Parents and family, however, also play a role. "We need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair," Obama said.
Teaching and other high-tech careers, however, require college degrees. Obama bemoaned the fact that the U.S. is ninth in the world in terms of college graduates, and pledged that "by the end of the decade, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world" through things like tuition tax credits.
Obama also pushed for immigration reform that helps keep gifted students in the U.S.
"Let's stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation."
Obama also pushed for more advanced infrastructure.
"We need the fastest and most reliable ways to move people, goods, and information — from high-speed rail to high-speed Internet," he said.
Within 25 years, 80 percent of Americans will have access to high-speed rail, Obama said. "For some trips it'll be faster than flying — without the pat down," he joked.
In the next five years, 98 percent of all Americans will also have access to next-generation wireless technology, he said. "This is about connecting every part of America to the digital age."
"All these investments in innovation, education, and infrastructure will make America a better place to do business and create jobs," he said. "But to help our companies compete, we have to knock down barriers," pointing to a corporate tax rate he said is currently too high.
The free enterprise system drives innovation, he said, though government funding has helped plant the seeds for the Internet, computer chips, GPS systems, and more. "This is our generation's Sputnik moment," he said.
In the next few weeks, Obama said he would send Congress a budget that helps meet his innovation goals, including investments in biomedical research, information technology, and clean energy tech. By 2035, for example, 80 percent of America's electricity should come from clean energy sources, he said.