NEW YORK CITY-Former President Bill Clinton showed up at the National Retail Federation's annual convention here Monday and spoke about the importance of globalism. It was fitting for a show that makes the Javits Center feel more like an international terminal at a major airport than a convention center, due to the various languages and accents uttered in the building.
Clinton's speech to a packed audience displayed his international knowledge as a former statesman and current head of the Clinton Foundation, which takes on plenty of global endeavors, including earthquake relief in Haiti and public-health initiatives in Africa and other parts of the world.
He rattled off the challenges and initiatives that several developing companies face, such as environmental issues in Brazil, the disparity of wealth in India and the trend of major urbanization in China. All of these issues and more are tied together in today's global economy, Clinton said.
"We live in a world where borders are more like nets than walls," he said. "We are interdependent in ways we have not been before."
Clinton's speech also discussed the housing crisis for which he offered two broad solutions: lowering mortgage rates so that people could still own their homes or foreclosing on home owners and making them renters. He said he preferred the first solution.
He also said that the toll taken on many throughout the recession was bigger than just a financial problem. Clinton pointed to the psychological damage many feel after losing a career or job and said that we no longer live in a country where adults can be certain they can support their families. "The recent economic crisis has shattered that," he insisted.
Solutions he offered included private investment in the country's infrastructure, a reform of the education system so that more people would be qualified for the three million open jobs on the market and a the implementation of a debt-reduction program by Congress in 2013, among other initiatives.
Other highlights of Clinton's speech:
- He said to the crowd "I could have been one of you," and told them about his first-ever job, at a grocery store.
- Clinton admitted that he is "morose" and the closings of Borders and other bookstores.
- Speaking of bookstores, he plugged Argosy Book Store in Manhattan, saying that it is one of his favorite places to shop.
- Joking about the size of the crowd, Clinton said that he doesn't normally draw so many people and that "it almost makes me feel like I'm president again."
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