Bush's Budget Message
Here are two tech-related excerpts from the preface to the fiscal 2008 budget of President Bush:
As commander in chief, my highest priority is the security of our nation. My budget invests substantial resources to fight the global war on terror and ensure our homeland is protected from those who would do us harm. We will transform our military to meet the new threats of the 21st century and provide the brave men and women on the front lines with the resources they need to be successful in this decisive ideological struggle. ... And [the budget] will continue to provide the tools necessary to keep America safe by detecting, disrupting, and dismantling terrorist plots.
To bolster public confidence in the government’s ability to manage taxpayers’ money successfully, Congress should adopt earmark reform. The earmark process should be made more transparent, ending the practice of concealing earmarks in so-called report language never included in legislation. The number and cost of earmarks should be cut by at least half by the end of this session.
What makes those comments tech-related?
-- Technology is a key aspect of fighting the war on terror, and disclosures about the electronic surveillance conducted domestically since the 2001 terrorist attacks has been one of the hottest topics of the past year. In the overview to the budget, Bush called particular attention to "high-tech screening capabilities," among other things.
-- Since the late 1990s, an increasing number of earmarks have been going to tech projects in lawmakers' states and districts. Tech Daily did an entire series on that issue in 2004, capped off by a detailed look at "tech pork."
-- The effort to bring more transparency to earmarks will include technology. Last year, Bush signed into law a bill that requires the creation of a federal budget database that is freely accessible to the public via the Internet.
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