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As the Republican National Convention gets underway in Tampa, we’re going to hear a great deal from the podium about the economy. That’s no surprise, as, for many voters this fall, the choice between President Obama and Governor Romney is a simple equation centered on job creation and economic growth. While no one would disagree with the need to spur growth, how we get there has stirred a spirited [...]
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Neil Armstrong has died. He was 82. As the crew for Apollo 11, Armstrong, "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins grabbed the attention of the world on a mission at the cross-section of innovation and adventure. Landing on the moon on that July day in 1969, they capped one of the most daring -- if not the most daring -- scientific expeditions of the last century. From blastoff, to the landing of the [...]
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The Washington Post this week published a handful of responses to a question they asked their readers: How do you encourage the next great U.S. inventions? Two themes that the Post was quick to point out were our outdated education model, and the need for high-skilled immigration reform. It is encouraging to see the Post highlight two issues that TechElect has identified as drivers of an economic [...]
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Today, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) put in place new requirements for publicly traded companies to disclose whether they source listed minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or adjoining countries. Known in short-hand as the conflict-minerals rule, the requirements cover companies across the economic spectrum. First, let me be clear: Any mining activities [...]
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“An incredible opportunity to do incredible things.” That’s how U.S. CIO Steven VanRoekel described the launch of the Presidential Innovation Fellows program today at the White House. Steven and U.S. CTO Todd Park introduced the first-ever Presidential Innovation Fellows class today – a group of 18 people selected from more than 700 applicants. Their mission: develop game-changing approaches to [...]
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With lackluster job reports the norm these days, there is at least one bright spot in a class of occupations that has shown remarkably robust growth during the past decade: IT jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2001 and 2011, more than 742,000 new IT jobs were created, an increase of 29.1 percent. Indeed, employment in IT occupations in all industries grew more than 125 times [...]
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This blog was originally posted on the DESSC website. With the Paul Ryan announcement this weekend, the partisan messaging on energy policy ratcheted up further. To recall what 2013 should be about on energy policy, I spent lunch glancing again at two recent documents: Senator Murkowski’s June 5th speech at GWU, and an ITIF report also from June. The Senator notesthat our fundamental goals should [...]
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With the “Romney Bunch” Veepstakes now officially over, and Governor Romney’s political dance card full with the selection of Congressman Paul Ryan, the 2012 presidential campaign can now proceed in full swing. But first, some observations on the selection of Paul Ryan, and what it represents for the U.S. high tech industry and the U.S. economy generally. As my colleague, Nilmini Rubin, previously [...]
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Ever since Governor Mitt Romney established himself as the presumptive Republican nominee for president, the water cooler chatter among the political junkie set has been focused on who will be on the ticket as the Republicans’ vice presidential nominee. Being both political and technology junkies here at TechElect, we wanted to do more than just engage in “Veepstakes” speculation and forecasting. [...]
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The final candidate on our Veepstakes shortlist is the junior U.S. Senator from South Dakota, John Thune. Senator Thune began his career as a legislative aide to the late Senator James Abdnor, who served as South Dakota’s Senator from 1981 till 1987. Abdnor was defeated by Tom Daschle in 1986, and Thune subsequently took up a post in President Reagan’s Small Business Administration before returning [...]
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