Another Casualty of Bush - "US no longer technology king"
Wed Mar 28, 2007 at 12:16:57 PM PDT
Hard to believe that a nation where the party in control of the White House doesn't believe in evolution or global warming and that cuts science funding in favor of corporate pork and tax cuts for the wealthy would have trouble sustaining its technological edge, isn't it?
In the modern world, economic progress is driven by increases in productivity and productivity is driven by technology. Progress also depends on the creation of new industries that are made possible by our technological edge.
What a shock then, to find out that, as the BBC reports, the World Economic Forum has dropped the U.S. to SEVENTH on the list of technological leaders.
NETWORKED READINESS INDEX RANKINGS 2006 (2005)
- Denmark (3)
- Sweden (8)
- Singapore (2)
- Finland (5)
- Switzerland (9)
- Netherlands (12)
- US (1)
- Iceland (4)
- UK (10)
- Norway (13)
This is a f**king disgrace. There is NO REASON we should be ceding our crown in technology to any other nation. You'll have to pardon me but I'm rather nationalistic on this issue.
We have historically been challenged by other nations and responded admirably by fixing what was wrong with our institutions and getting back on top pronto. I'm thinking of Sputnik's effect on our education system, and on Japan's rise to dominance in the 1980's sparking a resurgence in our technology sector.
Why did we drop?
A deterioration of the political and regulatory environment in the US prompted the fall, the report said.
This isn't an effect of globalization. This is a direct effect of the superstitious nonsense on the part of those who advise the president and guided the Republican Congress on science and on economic theory.
I believe we should pour money into the search for green energy sources and into the formation of a green technology leadership position that will let us retake our spot as the top technological nation. The Chinese and the Indians and Russians are going to want something to help them clean up their countries after they trash it making us cheap junk for Wal-Mart. I'd rather they bought it from us.
