Posted 01.26.2011 at 4:26 pm
17 Comments
Obama Delivering the State of the Union
Whitehouse Photo/Pete Souza
I was thrilled last night, as I'm sure many of you readers were too, to see President Obama frame his State of the Union address around the philosophy that Popular Science champions every day: Scientific and technological innovation is the single most powerful force propelling us toward a better life in the future. He even gave us, as a country, a new slogan and rallying cry: "win the future." So, how exactly do we do that?
That, of course, is where things get complicated. Taking comfort in technology's potential powers to fix what ails the nation is a common SotU trope. George W. Bush, on script, did it with global warming. And President Obama has internalized it as a core belief of his presidency. It's inevitable: In the last decade alone, we've seen more and more of what constitutes success for a state directly shaped by the pace of innovation. Energy, finance, medicine, culture—there's nothing that intensive technological development hasn't transformed. This has always been the case, really--bigger bombs and smarter people have historically been effective benchmarks for the state of a nation. But never before has technology woven itself so deeply (and so quickly!) into literally everything we do.
The challenge for our presidents, then, is no longer about selling us on this idea. It's about taking that as a starting point and actually getting things done.
"What we can do -- what America does better than anyone else -- is spark the creativity and imagination of our people," Obama said last night. Aside from a more abstract sense of our can-do attitude, our indefatigable American spirit, there are other, more tangible sparks. Regulation, government spending, crisis--these are the things that have historically driven surges of innovation. And words like "regulation," "government spending" and "crisis" are not exactly welcome in our current political dialog.
First, let's talk about regulation. To see how smart, considered regulation can drive innovation, you don't have to look very hard:
Comparison of fuel economy standards: Pew Center on Global Climate Change Report [PDF]
This figure, published by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change in December 2004, shows a standardized comparison of fuel efficiency regulations around the world. It remains a sad chart, one that illustrates directly how a lack of regulation can stunt innovation toward absolutely critical technology. We can talk and dream all we want, applying plenty of American gumption, about how great the day will be when our cars don't burn so much expensive gasoline, emit less greenhouse gas, or maybe even forsake fossil energy altogether. But a firm nudge, perhaps uncomfortable at first, is often what it takes to get behemoths like our auto companies into action. It's clearly worked elsewhere around the world.
Encouragingly, regulation wasn't omitted from Obama's speech entirely. "When we find rules that put an unnecessary burden on businesses, we will fix them," he said to applause. "But I will not hesitate to create or enforce common-sense safeguards to protect the American people." Even with its context here in consumer protection, it's nice to hear the word "rules" spoken at least. We need more.
The other two sparks--government spending and crisis--often appear in close proximity. One of the leading sound bites of the night was our current "Sputnik moment," referring of course to the great national wake-up following the Soviet Union's early lead in the space race, which kickstarted our own space program, along with a general push for better math and science education.
As Fred Kaplan over at Slate points out as well today, our response to Sputnik was fueled above all by massive amounts of government spending. NASA did not yet exist, keep in mind, when Sputnik sent down its first beeps from orbit. That we put a man on the moon just 12 years later remains one of the most amazing things our country has ever done, but the reasons for our haste went beyond pure scientific curiosity. The space race was also an arms race, and when total nuclear annihilation at the hands of a single, powerful enemy is a possible outcome, money tends to more easily flow to high-tech sectors. That threat is what gave us the microprocessor, NASA and the Internet.
Summoning similar innovation in the midst of a financial crisis (and with regulation and spending being such unpopular words) is, of course, where the challenge lies. What's encouraging is that the first step--selling everyone on the idea--seems to be complete. We can stand together now, knowing that the solution to so many of our current problems lies in our ability to innovate. Now, hopefully, the real fun begins.
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Actually... Newt Gingrich gave us that slogan... and used it as the title of a book... four years ago.......
So? No semi-smart person from either side of the aisle would ever say that there aren't good concepts coming from both. The result is what we are after here, and I don't really care about origin at all. Then again, I've always been an Independent. If Newt came up with it first; then ok, yay, Newt! You feel better? Doesn't mean he would make a good President.
Personally, I'd consider it a high honor indeed for one of my ideas or concepts to be used by our President in the State of The Union Address, and as an American, I don't think Newt Gingrich or anyone else should feel like they have cause to be above that.
It's simple really, if you want the U.S to overcome it's economic problems, get rid of so many regulations for small companies. It takes so much to start a small business today, both legally and financially, there's very little incentive to start one. The U.S companies are the best innovator's in the world, just let them loose don't try and lock them up.
I think the most important thing to do for the government is to increase the budget and staff of US patent office.
Otherwise technological progress would not get any faster when getting a single patent takes many years!
On topic: One of the first answers to the 'but how?' question must be seizure of 'misappropriated' funds from all of those who have stripped our people's money for so long. Corrupt elements in our nation must learn firsthand that there is no difference between their crime of stealing millions with creative use of paper and influence, and the techniques used by organized crime, or the gangbanger who does a robbery to get 250 bucks. We need to completely eradicate the idea of the so-called 'white collar criminal' and let them all know by example, that if you are a criminal, your collar will be ORANGE. And Big Bubba will be your cellmate. We need property seizures to get all of our funds back. We need to make the representatives and agents of special interest groups mortally terrified to see a member of our government; because if the agent has money to offer from a corporation or rich person; they are obviously not being taxed highly enough. Any money they HAVE given to any politician is actually the property of the United States people, and not for personal consumption. This citizen wants our money back. Every stinkin dime of it. We need to remove money from politics. Why do I need a hundred million dollars to run for a Senate seat? Why would the many who would prefer to vote in a truly honest person need a hundred million dollars to do so?
@ gman45 ; I agree in principle, but in reality so many startups do not plan well enough, do not research enough, and do not stick to their budget. The small business that jilts their employees out of 2 weeks pay two or three times a year, and just hiring new ones if one or two quits is common. They are terrible EPA violators, especially on proper disposal issues. I absolutely agree if you are talking about things like equal tax breaks to other larger businesses that move in to an area, or a tax and fee structure over time that allows the business more latitude so they can buy that necessary equipment or cover hidden costs. They already receive some of this.
@ fb36 ; absolutely.
Obama needs to stop saying how much better america is than the rest of us. america does a lot of innovating, but not all. Regarding internet regulation, america is the only one (that matters) that hinders innovation with it's rash new laws. tracking cookies must now be accepted by the user in the name of privacy, when google is taking pictures of everything (literally).
@quasi44; I am not taking into account the expertise of the owners,I'm stating purely from the standpoint of encouraging and motivating entrepreneurship by government. I should have added earlier that a clean tax code system, and not the warehouse size one we have now would also go into encouraging small business's.
@Fox123, No one says America is the only one that innovates, just that the mentality of innovation is much more widespread here than most other countries, at least it still is at the moment.
The past our guide the future our goal. As Seinfeld would say Yada, Yada, Yada..
How can you win the future when we have so badly lost the past...
Ron Bennett
Jesus Christ dditto2, this is a tech site with a comment section, not a political site with a state your opinion in an essay section.
@dditto2
I dislike feeding political trolls and people who are generally bad at math, as well as understanding the big picture of things instead of looking at their own narcicistic self-richeous views, but here we go.
3x New York City per YEAR is worth the Richest 10 Americans TOTAL WORTH.
Aka, you could match the salery of everybody below the poverty line, for one year. They all get 10K extra a year. And that is it. All gone.
Meanwhile, people like Bill Gates and Warren buffet EARNED their money, by developing companies, using sound business models, boldness, luck, and a belief in technology. Have you noticed how ubiquitus Microsoft is? No duh Bill Gates is rich. He's earned it. Who are you to say the money isn't fairly his, just because he has so much of it.
And third. How truly ignorant can you be to pick BILL GATES. BILL GATES: FOUNDER OF MICROSOFT, CO-CHAIR OF THE BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION. He donates a TON OF HIS MONEY every year. He has joined Warren Buffet in donating AT LEAST HALF OF HIS FORTUNE. HIS MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR FORTUNE. HALF. You have absolutely no claim on Bill Gate's money, and yet he is still giving it to you.
As an added bonus, he is not giving his money away into money sinkholes like welfare, which do little to boost the economy, and very often only helps the poor subsist, while discouraging ambition. He donates it to humanitarian efforts, and to Medical research for the poor. As I said before, you could have everyone below the poverty line get an extra 10K one year. They can ALMOST buy a new car. And then its GONE. THAT is a sinkhole. Scientific research yields RETURNS. Which is where you give your money, and the money turns into things of GREATER AND CONSTANTLY INCREASING VALUE, which are donated to the public.
In Short, take your bias political rants elsewhere, along with your entitlment. At the very least, critically think about your points, and understand exactly who it is your calling rich criminals. Bill Gates. >.> my god.
I don't see what the fuss is about - in the great economic world war, we win. It is as simple as the "amber waves of grain" vs. "our power is our people."
USA = 5% of the world's population and 30% of the world's food production.
China = 20% of the world's population and 20% of the world's food production.
Right now the BRICs are growing, becuase their labor is cheap, making exports profitable. As they develop, however, the BRICs will grow a middle class that will begin consuming.
That demand for consumption and consumate wages will drive those countries to outsource labor to places where it is cheaper (Africa will likely be the industrial growth center in a few decades).
Meanwhile, so long as the US population stays relatively stable (which it is doing - our only growth is through immigration), and innovation increases yields each year to offset growing costs from non-renewables (fossil fuels, fossil fuel based fertilizers, etc), then the US economy will continue to exist at a confortable level forever, as our value increases with the world's population.
Remember as well that some of our problems are based in innovation. Medical costs keep rising because we have innovative medicine. If everyone only went to the doctor when injured, seriously ill, and let themselves die after the second heart attack - our medical system would be cheap enough for cash payments. We wouldn't live as long, but that is always going to be the issue - since 80% of your lifetime medical expense is usually tallied in the last 20% of your life.
@gman,
"It takes so much to start a small business today, both legally and financially, there's very little incentive to start one."
Where the hell do you live?
It take's like 10 minutes and about $200 to start a limited liability business in the US. Check out LegalZoom.com
Furthermore, there are HUGE financial incentives to doing so. I started a business in 2008 and my LLC had more "freedoms" than I did as I was not 24yrs old, and considered a "dependent" of my parents by the US gov't.
Plus, the tax exemptions available to businesses, yes, SMALL businesses make it worthwhile financially.
Not to mention this glaring loophole:
I start a business, I am the primary shareholder. Instead of being hired by my boss, I convince my boss to consult with my LLC. There is no practical difference--I am still the one doing work for my boss.
However, let's say I make enough to fall into the 25% tax bracket... well, lucky me, my LLC only paid me a salary of $1 on which I pay income tax.
The rest of my money is distributed through dividends which counts as "investment income" and is subject to 15% tax rate.
So... $200, extra paperwork, and my tax rate drops from 25% to 15%...
What did I innovate? How did I help the US economy?
All I did was play LLC games, do the same amount of work, and paid less taxes for it since we are so business-happy in the US.
Oh..Yeh.. sorry bout that. I dont handle politics well. Vote for me.
Im young, Ill learn from this depression, so I can make an intelligent comment when it happens again. Its hard to watch so many friends and family struggling and losing thier jobs. I just think the left and right need to work together, for something, If they dont let each other do anything, than nothing will ever get done. Politics itself is working against us right now. I belive that is the reason that the economy is improving so slowly, barely at all. Thier not actually doing anything! Just bickering.