Newsweek: on Technology
Al Gore:
Cautious moratorium on Internet sales taxes
Gore supports the current moratorium on Internet sales taxes, but is wary of ceding a source of government revenue beyond that. Gore is waiting for the report by the [bipartisan commission which is studying what to do
about Internet sales taxes], due in April 2000, and in the meantime has proposed a “duty-free” zone to prevent foreign countries from taxing transactions on their companies’ Web sites.
Source: Newsweek, p. 31
Dec 20, 1999
Andrew Yang:
Internet users should have property rights to their data
Yang's views on regulating the tech industry are also vastly different from those of his 2020 rivals. He is the only candidate who thinks that internet users should have property rights to their data, meaning that people
should be able to opt out of data collection from websites and have exclusive ownership over their personal information.
Source: Alexandra Hutzler in Newsweek on 2019 Democratic primary
Dec 19, 2019
Andrew Yang:
Allow people to cast ballots through mobile apps
As for election security, Yang advocates allowing people to cast ballots through mobile apps. Those apps would be protected by blockchain,
the technology that records transactions for cybercurrencies such as bitcoin. Again, no other candidate has made such a proposal, and the idea is generally frowned upon by election security experts.
Source: Alexandra Hutzler in Newsweek on 2019 Democratic primary
Dec 19, 2019
Bill Bradley:
Cautious moratorium on Internet sales taxes
Bradley supports the current moratorium on Internet sales taxes, but is wary of ceding a source of government revenue beyond that.
Bradley recently hinted at support for an extension of the ban, but refused to endorse a “permanent” one.
Source: Newsweek, p. 31
Dec 20, 1999
Charles Schumer:
Public-private partnerships allow "Trump tolls" for cronies
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said that her department is partnering with private industry to implement innovations like Hyperloop and high-speed rail. The key to these futuristic leaps in transportation and infrastructure, said Chao, is to allow
the private sector to invest and innovate. "Unfortunately, many of our states don't allow the private sector to invest in infrastructure. The reality is that we cannot fund $1.5 trillion in direct federal funding," she saidA number of Democratic
elected officials have fought against partnering with private companies, arguing that this isn't free money. Companies that invest in infrastructure, they say, want something back in return. They have also argued that private partnerships could lead to
a rise in cronyism.
Senator Chuck Schumer said that this kind of partnership would lead to Trump creating "a plan to appease his political allies, not to rebuild the country," and that these companies would levy "Trump tolls" throughout the US.
Source: Newsweek's Nicole Goodkind on 2018 Trump Administration
Sep 24, 2018
Elaine Chao:
Make self-driving cars a reality, and quickly
The Trump administration wants to make self-driving cars a reality, and quickly. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao made a push for the driverless vehicles. "We're being petitioned now by equipment manufacturers and tech companies to redesign the way
cars look," she said. "The cars of the near future won't have driver side rearview window; they will look like living rooms."Chao explained that while the DOT is tasked with addressing "legitimate customer concerns of safety, security and privacy,"
its ultimate task is to "make sure we're not hampering this innovation." Her department will roll out new voluntary guidelines for autonomous vehicles in an effort to increase flexibility around limitations on new technologies and to encourage the quick
rollout of driverless cars.
The vast majority of car accidents occur due to human error, Chao said, and automated technology in the car can make driving safer while "giving back freedom to the disabled and enabling the elderly to lead a full life."
Source: Newsweek's Nicole Goodkind on 2018 Trump Administration
Sep 24, 2018
George W. Bush:
Extend Internet sales tax ban; but wary of Main St. losses
Bush and his fellow governors fear that a mass migration of retail commerce to cyberspace could decimate Main Street - and drain state treasuries of sales tax revenue. At first the governor said his next move would depend on the recommendations by the
[bipartisan commission which is studying what to do about Internet sales taxes, due in April 2000]. Now he says he wants to extend the ban for "several" years.
Source: Newsweek, p. 31
Dec 20, 1999
Jon Huntsman:
Prevent Chinese manufacturers from selling patented products
By carefully stringing together various groups that aren't natural allies--including Chinese businesspeople, US entrepreneurs, and government officials from both countries--Huntsman is slowly convincing Beijing that it's in everyone's best interests to
prevent local manufacturers from selling patented products like knockoff iPads. The question is far from resolved, but, the embassy insider says, "if we turn the corner on this, it will be because of the work Ambassador Huntsman has done."
Source: Newsweek profile, "The Manchurian Candidate"
Jan 4, 2011
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