From Cold War to Microchips: Stepping From the Past into Our Future

Abstract

Malcolm "Steve" Forbes Jr., editor-in-chief of FORBES Magazine, looks often to history to explain the present and to predict the future. In an address to the 21st annual Governor's Economic Development Conference at the University of Maine last fall, Forbes identified two important trends, one grounded in the past (the Cold War), and one symbolic of the rapid change experienced at present (the microchip), in suggesting that the economic future for Maine and the nation is only limited by our willingness to give in to our fears about what that future holds. This article is an edited version of Forbes’ remarks to the Governor's Conference.