This seems to be the week of technology as John Edwards weighed in on spectrum reallocation, John McCain talked to a conference about tech issues & Fred Thompson said he would run a tech centered presidential campaign. Now Hillary Clinton has joined in offering a plan to create higher paying jobs in technology and deal with the problems in education children in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math).

She outlined what is being called ‘Hillary Clinton’s Innovation Agenda to a tech crown in Silicone Valley. There is also a policy outline I used while writing this on her Web site.

Why We Need It
The United States is facing what some are calling a “crisis” when it comes to being competitive in Math, Science & Engineering. American students are not focusing on STEM education leaving the United States lagging behind in the Global economy. Jobs are going overseas as corporations seek skilled labor in other countries and the next economy after the Internet/Computer revolution is taking shape with less participation by the United States.

What It Does
First Clinton addresses a problem that many in Silicon Valley (most recently and notably Bill Gates) have outlined as a major problem for the industry, recruiting overseas workers for employment in the U.S. A great deal of braintrust exists in places like Japan, China, Russia etc. but the number of H1B temporary visa’s to get them here is limited.

Clinton says she will raise the number of visas offered to help keep companies competitive and in the United States. This will help solve the temporary problems the tech industry faces.

To solve the problem of creating a tech educated workforce in the U.S. Clinton has a nine point plan:

1) Establish a $50-billion Strategic Energy Fund: “The Fund would finance an energy research agency that gathers the best minds from academia, the private sector, and government to devise ways to make the United States energy independent and reduce the threat of global warming.”

- Clinton would force oil companies to either invest in alternative energy or contribute a portion of their earnings into this fund.
- The Fund would also provide tax incentives for homeowners and businesses to make their houses and offices more energy efficient.

2) Increase the basic research budgets 50% over 10 years at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the Defense Department.

- Increase research focus on the physical sciences and engineering
- Require that federal research agencies set aside at least 8% of their research budgets for discretionary funding of high-risk research
- Ensure that e-science initiatives are adequately funded - “E-science is research that links Internet-based tools, global collaboration, supercomputers, high-speed networks, and software for simulation and visualization.”
- Boost support for multidisciplinary research in areas such as the intersection of bio, info, and nanotechnologies

3) Increase the NIH budget by 50% over 5 years and aim to double it over 10 years
- Increase investment in the non-health applications of biotechnology in order to fuel 21st century industry - “.

- An example of non-health biotech is the creation of bacteria that can remove toxins from the environment, such as heavy metals or radioactive contaminants.”

4) Direct the federal agencies to award prizes in order to accomplish specific innovation goals

5) Triple the number of NSF fellowships and increase the size of each award by 33 percent.

- Increase fellowships from about 1,000 (same level as the 1960’s) a year to 3,000

6) Support initiatives to bring more women and minorities into the math, science, and engineering professions

- Create incentives for educational opportunities

7) Support initiatives to establish leadership in broadband

“Under the Bush administration, the country that invented the Internet has slipped to 25th in the global rankings for broadband deployment. In order to accelerate the deployment of sophisticated networks, Hillary Clinton proposes that the federal government provide tax incentives to encourage broadband deployment in underserved areas. She also proposes financial support for state and local broadband initiatives. Various municipal broadband initiatives are underway around the country to accelerate the deployment of high speed networks. The initiatives are useful for education, commerce, technology development, and the efficient provision of municipal services.”

Overhaul the R&E tax credit to make the U.S. a more attractive location for high-paying jobs -

“The 20% incremental tax credit should be made permanent. Since its introduction in 1981, the credit has been extended 12 times and allowed to lapse once. A permanent credit would make the U.S. a more attractive location for R&D facilities, increasing the likelihood that high-paying research jobs will be created here rather than abroad. Hillary Clinton proposes to make the tax credit permanent in order to eliminate uncertainty, and to make it easier for companies to plan their R&D budgets”.

9) Restore integrity to science policy. - It is important to reinvigorate the Office of Science and Technology Policy to ensure that the President receives objective, fact-based advice.

Why You Should Support It

This is almost everything I have heard the tech and STEM disciplinary circles asking for. In my day job I actually work on these issues and so I am biased while also knowledgeable. There is a lot of real meat to this. I personally am a firm believer that funding technology infrastructure has always been a worthwhile endeavor. It lead to electrical/transportation advances in this country, atomic energy, the uncovering of the human genome, the creation of the Internet, the computer revolution and will lead to a biotech revolution.

Not long ago leaders of business got together and urged President Bush to start moving in this direction. He has much to his credit. This kind of top-down government support would help revitalize the nation as it did under President Kennedy, lead to more jobs, better infrastructure and improve our lives in ways we cannot yet dream of.

Why You Shouldn’t Support It
- Forcing oil companies to either invest in alternative energy or contribute portions of their earnings into an exploratory fund is going to be a MAJOR issue with not just these companies but could be used against her in a general election. It will play really well to the liberal wing of the Democratic party but its a rather, and I hate to use this term, socialist idea. Really, it is, I am not just saying that in a buzz word kind of way. Forcing companies to fund a competing marketplace isn’t capitalistic as far as I can tell and I don’t necessarily even see how its legal. I am sure it is, but it is one of those things that seems like it shouldn’t be legal.

- The H1B visa’s issue could well get warped into the immigration debate but it is actually an argument for the changes brought in the current immigration bill which focus more on jobs skills and national needs than on having relatives in this country or children born here. With that said if the thought of having a non-American fill one of many well paid jobs in the U.S. scares you personally and politically, this issue should as well.

Overall this proposal will cost a ton of money. The $50 Billion dollar strategic energy fund, if not funded by corporations because of what I mentioned in the first point, will have to come from taxpayers. It will also be used to fund things that some people call “pork-barrel” so if you don’t like studies of cow dung or bird migration patterns steer clear.

Is that a gross distortion of what this plan does? Of course. Will there be studies and spending like that though? Oh you better believe it, there always are and they always make the papers and they urk people. Science isn’t all laser beams and supercomputers sometimes it is the funding of things that don’t make sense and seem silly. We call them “no sh*t hypothesis” but they still need to be tested.

It is also more government spending, more government workers, more government period.

In Summary
This is a rather bold but costly plan that should electrify tech types and educators, is needed by the country and might actually have counterparts when the Republicans release their plans. (Ok not Ron Paul but look for something like this from McCain, possibly Giuliani or Thompson).