TechWonk Blog Subsection
TechWonk Blog
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鈥淢y fellow Americans, the skills mismatch in our country is large, and it continues to grow.聽 Countries that invest in their children -- countries like India and China -- are innovating and growing.聽 Each day that we fail to adequately prepare our students to face tomorrow鈥檚 challenges is a wasted day.聽 We must shrink the skills gap.鈥� That鈥檚 exactly how I would kickoff Tuesday鈥檚 State of the Union [...]
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Later this morning, Texas Instruments Chairman, President, & CEO Richard Templeton will testify before a House committee on the critical importance of federal support for science and R&D, and how the U.S. stacks up against global competitors. 聽(The hearing starts at 9:30 a.m. ET, and you can watch it live here.)聽 Before the hearing, Mr. Templeton and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley [...]
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With the greatest 鈥渃ollection of brainpower we鈥檝e had under this roof in a long time,鈥� President Obama at the White House today bestowed the nation鈥檚 highest honors for invention and discovery 鈥� the National Medals of Science and the National Medals of Technology and Innovation 鈥� on an incredibly talented group of men and women.聽 The President noted that the accomplishments of these women and men are [...]
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There are critical choices facing Congress as members work to find solutions to the urgent fiscal challenges facing the nation.聽 But, as they work toward answers, they should not sacrifice the foundation of America鈥檚 innovation economy 鈥� science, R&D, and education.聽 And when it comes to 鈥渞aising revenues鈥� 鈥� Washington-ese for higher taxes 鈥� Congress needs to adopt a competitive, market-based approach [...]
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Time and again, news reports remind us that the U.S. has lost its competitive edge and faces an uphill climb in the 21st century to regain and maintain its innovative leadership.聽 We're constantly told that America is a country that doesn鈥檛 produce anything anymore, is on the decline, or lacks ingenuity.聽 While these arguments make for convenient headlines, 91快活林 member Microsoft did a lot to dispel [...]
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In his Inaugural Address today, President Obama combined poetry and prose as he spoke about the priorities that he will bring to his second term in office. 聽For many of these issues,聽the technology sector has put forward ideas with聽backing from both Democratic and Republican Members of Congress.聽 The challenge consistently has been building broader support to move policies from good proposals to new [...]
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Sparky Anderson, who managed World Series-winning teams in Cincinnati and Detroit, once remarked, 鈥淲e鈥檙e getting close to opening day.聽 I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 a good or bad thing.鈥澛� January 3rd, 2013 marked American policymaking鈥檚 opening day:聽 the start of the 113th Congress.聽聽 We in the tech industry see the start of a new season of policymaking as a good thing because ours is an industry rooted [...]
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When the much ballyhooed Super Committee failed to reach an agreement to address the national debt last year, committee members put in place an automatic spending cut mechanism so draconian and unpalatable it was thought that Congress was certain to act before it went into effect.聽 The mechanism, in short, slashes nearly all of the federal government鈥檚 annual discretionary budgets by 8.4 percent.聽 [...]
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UPDATE (5:08 p.m.): 聽The House voted 257-158 on the Smith bill -- a majority but not enough to reach the 2/3rds threshold required for the suspension rules under which the bill was being considered. 聽 There is a skills gap in today鈥檚 workforce. 聽To remain competitive, the U.S. must increase the number of potential workers who hold higher degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [...]
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U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan kicked off his Education Drives America bus tour this week, hosting a panel discussion at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, Calif.聽 Moderated by Sec. Duncan, the discussion featured a diverse and dynamic line-up of educators who take innovative approaches in the classroom, hoping to better prepare students for the 21st century workforce.聽 And that鈥檚 where the [...]
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