[IP] Re: $Multi-billion Broadband stimulus decisions imminent

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lee W McKnight <lmcknigh@syr.edu>
Date: January 15, 2009 11:06:50 AM EST
To: <dave@farber.net>
Subject: RE: [IP] Re:   $Multi-billion Broadband stimulus decisions  
imminent


Hi Dave,

For IP if you wish:

Techies/outside the beltway folks are deluding themselves: all your  
knowledge and expertise juat ain;t that relevant in the halls of power.
That's why you get little respect & few posts of power in DC.

It's about laws and policies, and folks with law degrees rule.

Economists get some respect since it's also about massive amounts of  
money.

But tech expertise? Not worth that many Dirksens. Cause it doesn't  
help decipher legal fineprint.

Lee

PS: I do agree that a political/economic system with more respect for  
technical expertise would be better. But that's not this Congress,  
with maybe a handful of credintialled engineers among the 535  
Congressmen & Senators. So IPers should work first on getting  
themselves elected, then ethey can change the rules of the game. Like  
bringing back the Office of Technology Assessment - Newt's one  
accomplishment was to cut tech input to Congress. Great idea - now  
look what a mess we got.



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