501derful.org
BW Online | March 16, 2004 | Gunning for the U.S. in TechnologyI know, I know, I’ve talked too much about offshoring and that sort of thing. But I want to draw attention to this Business Week article because it really points to the thing that makes the hair on my neck stand on end. Namely, is the US losing it’s lead in science and technology?
Who cares who really does the science on cancer, but, for my brand of national pride, I’d like it to be done in the US. This article points to reasons to be concerned about future US sceince and technology leadership. This article raises long term issues about competitiveness in basic science and technology.
While offshoring has become a major political issue, the discussion by both Bush and Kerry so far, IMHO, is remarkably superficial. So far I haven’t seen any politician with a vision of how a nation that is less than 5% of the world’s population is going to keep its populace in the top 5% standard of living bracket when the world reaches 7 or 8 billion hungry, smart, competitive people.
The issues go way beyond science and technology to all jobs and services. Does it affect you, me, and the ACS? Maybe not today, but eventually. And, as I’ve said before, I’ve got a couple of grandkids I worry about. I’d rather be alarmed and resonsive than be asleep at the switch.
