Just as he revealed his ignorance while pontificating on Utilities and Banks, Boob #1 (the Co=FearLeader with Gary Duct Tape North), now show he doesn't have a clue about how the Feds are using the Net to "communicate with the citizens". He should simply retire and get the hell out of public view.

http://www.yourdon.com/tyr/issues/Vol02/0201.html

While Al Gore was justifiably lampooned for his outrageous claim of having "invented" the Internet, it did appear that he was both enthusiastic and knowledgeable about computers, the Internet, and other aspects of high technology. Of course, enthusiasm is not the same as legislation; it's not entirely clear what kind of decisions Mr. Gore would have made if it hadn't been for the dimpled and pregnant chads in Florida. Meanwhile, though, I haven't been able to figure out where Mr. Bush stands on a number of important high-tech issues that are likely to confront him. What's he going to do, for example, about the Microsoft case? What about Internet taxation and the complex questions associated with computer privacy and security? Will he create a "technoology czar" in the Executive branch, to oversee the ongoing efforts to help government use information technology more effectively?

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2001

Answers

Check out the Co=Fear Leader's rant about "y2k doomers" (while not bothering to mention HE was the instigate and promoter of the FUD):

Not surprisingly, Bush offered only vague, philosophical comments about most of these issues during the election campaign; but now that he's in office, he'll be faced with specific questions, issues, and decisions. If he doesn't appoint a technology czar, and doesn't make aggressive moves to create more of an "e-government" to help citizens interact with government via the Internet, then perhaps we could argue that we're no worse off than before. But in other areas -- e.g., Internet taxation -- a policy vacuum will be filled by other politicians, at the federal, state, or local level. And there are areas where technology tends to be a proactive force unto itself; continuing advances in computer technology, for example, will create problems in the area of privacy whether or not the government decides to confront them.

An article by Judi Hasson in the January 22nd issue of Federal Computing Week, entitled "Bush's Brand", argues that "President George W. Bush is no amateur when it comes to information technology. He used it as governor of Texas and campaigned on a promise to coordinate IT in government. Now he is preparing to use IT to take the federal government in a new direction." The article goes on to say that Bush is also considering a second top high-tech position at the White House, which would deal with the IT industry and its concerns, and that he is getting advice from high-tech advisers who want him to create assistant secretary slots to manage technology at every agency. It will be interesting to see, in the coming weeks and months, whether that prediction turns out to be accurate, or mere hyperbole. If any of this matters to you, it's probably worth bookmarking the URL for Federal Computing Week (www.fcw.com) in your Web browser; it's one of the best sources of information about IT- related decisions and policies within the Federal government.

The California Energy Crisis

One aspect of technology confronted George Bush the moment he assumed office: the escalating power crisis in California. Like many others, I've been watching the news reports for the past few weeks with a mixture of foreboding, frustration, and amazement. None of my family members live in the state, so I don't have to worry about the immediate personal consequences of rolling blackouts or drastic increases in the cost of electricity. But I spend a portion of my time in Taos, New Mexico, which is one of many western states that has been selling excess power to California in recent months; and I do have family members in Arizona and Utah, states which could conceivably be impacted if the crisis escalates. I also spend part of my time in New York, which is one of numerous states around the country that has been planning to follow California's example of deregulating its electrical power industry. Ultimately, everyone could be impacted by the economic consequences of the power crisis: if California were an independent country, its economy would be the sixth largest in the world.

I'm won't try to judge who is to blame for the situation, or what should be done to solve the problem in the short term; there's no shortage of opinions on the subject, and I have no particular expertise to offer. But I do think it's worth noting that the problem did not spring into existence without warning; as an article in the January 12th issue of the New York Times ("Silicon Valley's Achilles' Heel Is Exposed," by Chris Gaither) points out, a partial blackout last June caused millions of dollars in losses among the Silicon Valley manufacturers, and made it abundantly clear that the power shortage had reached critical proportions. And numerous other articles and commentators have pointed out that the real problem dates back to at least 1996, when California's experiment with deregulation began; it probably dates back much further, when the combination of legislators, conservationists, and utility-company executives decided not to build additional generating capacity.

Problems that take a long time to gestate also take a long time to solve. Someone who suddenly realizes that years of poor diet and exercise have added 20 pounds and several inches to his waistline can attempt to solve the problem with a crash diet, but in most cases, the "solution" won't last very long. And the recent news reports suggest that California politicians are desperately looking for a crash diet, in the form of new state bonds, price caps, or other financial measures that will help the state's two largest utilities avoid immediate bankruptcy. But that doesn't solve the longer-term supply problem: if the state consumes more electrical power than it produces, then it is ultimately at the mercy of external suppliers -- including, most recently, a utility company in British Columbia, Canada, which is not subject to the exhortations and emergency edicts of American bureaucrats and politicians. Even if California manages to muddle through the rest of the winter season without crippling blackouts, it faces the risk of serious problems during the heat of summer; and the problems are likely to continue for at least another couple of years, until new generating capacity can be built. Meanwhile, the residents of California are learning, first-hand, what the Y2K "doomers" were so worried about a year ago: if there are problems with the infrastructure in today's typical home environment, there is almost nothing that the residents can do about it. For the past 50 years, everyone but the people living in rural areas has had the luxury of taking basic infrastructure services -- especially electricity, water, and sewage treatment -- for granted. By contrast, my parents, who were born in the 1920s, did not take electricity or fresh water for granted; and they disciplined me sternly if I left a water faucet running or if I walked out of a room with the lights on. My own children have been brought up in a completely different world; through no fault of their own, they have been raised to assume that electricity, water, and sewage treatment are like the air all around them: essentially free, and available in infinite quantities.

Californians are now experiencing what the great majority of people everywhere

...............BLAH,BLAH AND MORE DRIVEL BLAH.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2001

To make up for the above, we present some 'educational material' of things you REALLY need to know: Jell-O - http://www.howstuffworks.com/question557.htm What exactly is Jell-O made from?

http://www.kraftfoods.com/jell-o/history/

JELL-O^®: 100 Years and Still the Coolest ^™!

O ne hundred years ago, Jell-O® was little more than a brand name and an unfulfilled dream. Today, if placed end to end, the 413,997,403 packages of Jell-O gelatin dessert produced in a year would stretch three-fifths of the way around the globe with plenty of room to spare.

More than 1,134,239 packages of Jell-O gelatin are purchased or eaten every day. Today, the Jell-O brand is found on over 120 products encompassing everything from puddings, ready-to-eat snacks, no bake desserts and yogurt.

Jell-O is a brand recognized by 99% of Americans and used regularly in 72% of our homes.

In 1845, that inveterate industrialist, inventor and philanthropist Peter Cooper, of Tom Thumb engine and Cooper Union fame, obtained the first patent for a gelatin dessert.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2001

What is George - Bush going to do bout that damn internet? Probably back sh$t like the latest crusade by the CC to abolish that nasty habit of pitching pennies...http://christian- coalition.org/cgi-bin/alertpr.pl?dir=cc&alert=188

Course Charles Schwab and ETrade are not included, nor Iwon, what a surprise. "There ought be limits to your freedom" so as to expand mine be the motto.

These creeps are so transparent. Have Phil Grammcracker just the other day introducing legislation to tighten the Bankruptcy Laws. Ya big problem there...and of course this brainfart says zero about the real freeloaders corporations. Just attack the little guy and make ursury crime more efficient for your bosses. Great defenders of the individual these republicans, LOL.

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2001

That is better for a view of Pat Robertson, The banner on DP's link goes to: "Raise money for CC everytime you shop online". I have to wonder what his percent is for every $1. added to the "non-profit".

Little he does fails the "it has to make a profit" test.

I suppose if times were better for such things, he would IPO the sucker as "ccDotCom" with a Meta Name of "Suckers for Pat".

There are those who believe that........ 700 (not 666) is the mark of the "beast".

LINK to 700 Money Machine

http://www.groupfunds.com/cc/index.html

-- Anonymous, January 25, 2001