Interesting People mailing list archives
Re: A bit more (last I promise) on my Year end editorial
From: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 21:43:05 -0500
I think this discussion is valuable enough to continue it for a while. Dave From: mort.meyerson () x400mail dcu ps net Date: 3 Jan 95 19:26:00 -0600 Dave, you can use this or not with attribution or not! From Mort Meyerson at Perot Systems in Dallas I hate to enter this discussion since I am neither an engineer or scientist. BUT, I did work for 3 years as the Chairman of the SSC (super conducting super collider) commission in Texas and I have been involved in the high tech business front for 31 years. When the funding (SSC) stopped I was appalled. Not for Texas, but for the USA. My basic reasoning was the same as Dave put below. I don't want my children (now young adults)having the option of hamburger flipping or selling the latest detergent from Japan/Europe/anywhere. The current vibes sent out by Washington these days seem to say, "if it is scientific, then let the private sector do it". Maybe true in some areas, but to cut off research and needed skills in mundane places like fish and wild life, not to mention high tech research is short sighted at best and crazy at worst. mort ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ Subject: A bit more (last I promise) on my Year end editorial Author: farber () central cis upenn edu%SMTP at x400po Date: 1/3/95 7:14 PM Posted-Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 17:49:46 -0500 X-Sender: farber () linc cis upenn edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Precedence: list X-Proccessed-By: mail2list I will add a small note as to why I think it is important to do such projects from the US perspective (you can read this for any country). It was originally sent as a response to my Move it or Lose It editorial when the person said: "Looks like you *do* believe in science projects" I said: "Actually I believe in creating good jobs for my children and their children and creating the financial wealth to cure some of our society problems. We can do neither if we cook hamburgers and get flooded by other nations technology." In my view the US is heading toward a belief structure that will allow technological innovation and leadership to immigrate off shore and will justify it as in our best national interest. Maybe... But I doubt the validity of the argument. What will be left will either be a nation of shopkeepers and hamburger flippers or a widely separated two class society with one needing eventually to be "controlled". Technological leadership is expensive but the lack of it may be more expensive to our future and the traditions we hold dear. End of year end sermon Dave
Current thread:
- A bit more (last I promise) on my Year end editorial David Farber (Jan 03)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- Re: A bit more (last I promise) on my Year end editorial David Farber (Jan 03)