2014 State of the Union address: on Technology


Barack Obama: FactCheck: Money stops infrastructure projects, not red tape

OBAMA: "We'll need Congress to protect more than 3 million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways bills this summer. But I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible."

THE FACTS: Cutting rules and regulations doesn't address what's holding up most transportation projects, which is lack of money. The federal Highway Trust Fund will run out of money in August without action. To finance infrastructure projects, Obama wants Congress to raise taxes on businesses that keep profits or jobs overseas, but that idea has been a political non-starter.

The number of projects affected by the administration's efforts to cut red tape is relatively small. [One pundit says], "It's great that you are expediting the review process, but the review process isn't the problem. The problem is we don't have enough money to invest in our infrastructure in the first place."

Source: AP/Fox News FactCheck on 2014 State of the Union Jan 29, 2014

Barack Obama: Patent reform: Unleash the next great discovery

We know that the nation that goes all-in on innovation today will own the global economy tomorrow. This is an edge America cannot surrender. Federally-funded research helped lead to the ideas and inventions behind Google and smartphones. That's why Congress should undo the damage done by last year's cuts to basic research so we can unleash the next great American discovery--whether it's vaccines that stay ahead of drug-resistant bacteria, or paper-thin material that's stronger than steel. And let's pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses to stay focused on innovation, not costly, needless litigation.
Source: 2014 State of the Union address Jan 28, 2014

  • The above quotations are from 2014 State of the Union address to Congress, plus the Republican Response: Jan. 28, 2014.
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Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
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