Politico.com: on Technology

Jerry Brown: 32-year quest to build nation's first high-speed rail line

But there is one project Brown has decided not to save for the future: building the nation's first high-speed rail line, one of the largest infrastructure projects in U.S. history, with an estimated price tag of $68 billion--if not higher. Shovels are poised to hit the ground this year on the first section of track, the latest advance in Brown's 32-year quest (he signed the first bill authorizing a study of high-speed rail in 1982) to erect something he believes befits the image of California as a "land of dreams."

"We aren't all Twitter-holics that have to have instant gratification after 140 characters," Brown said. "We can take a few years and build for the future, and that's my sense here, that I'm coming back to be governor after all these years. It's been on my list for a long time."

Marco Rubio: Net neutrality is government regulation of the Internet

Companies like Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Yelp--through their Washington trade group, the Internet Association--are public backers of net neutrality. They together have praised Obama for endorsing an approach that might subject the Internet to utility-like regulation. All three Republicans, however, rejected the president's suggestion. Rubio hammered it as "government regulation of the Internet" that "threatens to restrict Internet growth and increase costs on Internet users." And Cruz lambasted net neutrality as "ObamaCare for the Internet" in a tweet that went viral--and drew plenty of criticism.

Marco Rubio: Internet belongs in hands of our people, not our government

Throughout this debate, Americans have been given a false choice: Either you are for the FCC's plan, or you are for a lawless Internet. This represents a cynical view of free markets and a misunderstanding of government's role in protecting them. I believe government's role is not to regulate the actions of a few, but rather to empower all.

That's why I introduced a resolution to oppose ceding greater Internet regulatory power to the International Telecommunications Union. I have also worked on the Wi-Fi Innovation Act, designed to increase access to mobile broadband by expanding unlicensed spectrum.

The Internet is one of our people's greatest treasures, which is why it belongs in the hands of our people, not our government.

Marco Rubio: Net neutrality empowers bureaucrats and allows manipulation

1. While the FCC plan supposedly seeks to prevent ISPs from playing favorites, it does so by giving that power to another entity: government. The answer to correcting injustice in an economy is to increase consumer power, not government power.
2. The issue of ISPs creating different speed lanes is not the injustice that it is made out to be. There are hardly any cases of it to begin with, and any deals that do take place are just as likely to benefit consumers by allowing highly trafficked sites to accommodate their visitors.
3. The primary function of the FCC's plan goes far beyond the goal of net neutrality. It would label Internet service providers as public utilities, and [thereby give] power over the Internet to an unelected, unaccountable board that every lobbyist, lawyer and crony capitalist with a vested interest in the Internet will seek to manipulate.

Rand Paul: Oppose net neutrality; Silicon Valley has no uniform support

Companies like Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Yelp--through their Washington trade group, the Internet Association--are public backers of net neutrality. They together have praised Obama for endorsing an approach that might subject the Internet to utility-like regulation. All three Republicans, however, rejected the president's suggestion.

To hear Paul tell it, the party hasn't hurt its standing among the tech crowd. He and others, for example, have backed high-skilled labor reforms in the past. The GOP senator also stressed that support for net neutrality is "not actually uniform throughout Silicon Valley."

Ted Cruz: Net neutrality is ObamaCare for the Internet

Companies like Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Yelp--through their Washington trade group, the Internet Association--are public backers of net neutrality. They together have praised Obama for endorsing an approach that might subject the Internet to utility-like regulation. All three Republicans, however, rejected the president's suggestion. Rubio hammered it as "government regulation of the Internet" that "threatens to restrict Internet growth and increase costs on Internet users." And Cruz lambasted net neutrality as "ObamaCare for the Internet" in a tweet that went viral--and drew plenty of criticism.

Tina Smith: Helped rebuild collapsed Interstate-35 bridge in Minneapolis

Smith has worked with Dayton since 2010, first on his campaign and as his chief of staff and later as his running mate.