Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Technology is usually not mentioned in the hot-button issues in US politics.  After foreign policy, the economy and personal jabs, there isn’t much time on camera to talk about what many of us care about most (or at least an awful lot).  So, I dug deep into both candidates issue positions and came up with some info you should know before going to the polls.

I hit the Obama iPhone application (hot!) and the McCain website.  Warning: this is not the stuff you should read when you are tired.  Here are some pearls of wisdom these candidates proffer:

Broadband for all?

Both candidates want to bring broadband to all.  While McCain would offer tax credits for private companies to run the lines, Obama looks to evolve the Universal Service Fund (charged with bringing lower cost phone service to customers).

John McCain will establish a “People Connect Program” that rewards companies that offer high-speed Internet access services to low income customers by allowing these companies offset their tax liability for the cost of this service.

As a country, we have ensured that every American has access to telephone service and electricity, regardless of economic status, and Obama will do likewise for broadband Internet access. Obama and Biden believe we can get true broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation’s wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives.

All hail the new CTO?

While McCain would make tech a prerequisite on his administrations resume, Obama would appoint a CTO for the nation.

As President, John McCain will be committed to bringing talented men and women of science into the federal government. He will strive to ensure that Administration appointees across the government have adequate experience and understanding of science, technology and innovation in order to better serve the American people.

Obama will appoint the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to ensure that our government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure, policies and services for the 21st century. The CTO will ensure the safety of our networks and will lead an interagency effort, working with chief technology and chief information officers of each of the federal agencies, to ensure that they use best-in-class technologies and share best practices.

Drop the wrench, here’s a keyboard

Both candidates commit to retraining America’s workforce to be more competitive globally.  And you thought the Indian accents were tough to understand, wait to you get some thick southern drawl.

John McCain will fully fund the America Competes Act to help address these trends in education and training. Our nation’s education system should also help re-train displaced workers.

Obama and Biden will also modernize and expand the existing system of trade adjustment assistance to include workers hurt by changing trade patterns. They will also create flexible education accounts that workers can use to retrain.

30 second freestyle response

Both candidates offered up something unique, at least to me.  Here, rather than compete with one another they offer up some interesting ideas.

To provide an immediate boost to capital expenditures and reward investments in cutting edge technologies, John McCain would allow companies to expense the costs of new equipment or technology in the first year. The additional investment stimulated by such expensing will drive economic growth.

Paraphrased by me (it was rather wordy)

Transparent Government: Obama will integrate citizens into the actual business of government by:
• Making government data available online in accessible formats to allow citizens to make use of that data to comment, derive value, and take action.
• Open up government decision-making and involve the public in the work of agencies.
• Conduct business of Obama’s appointees in the public eye.  Citizens can watch a live feed on the internet while agencies debate and deliberate.
• Bring science based decisions, not ideological predispositions of officials.
• Create website to track grants, contracts, earmarks etc.
• Cabinet officials would be required to hold national online town hall meetings for Q&A.
• Government blogs, wikis and social networking tools for information sharing to improve government decisions.

Learn more: McCain [JohnMcCain.com] Obama [BarackObama.com]

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