October 11, 2004(Computerworld)
Which U.S. presidential candidate is most in tune with issues of particular interest to IT professionals? On many subjects, the two major candidates, and their parties, are pretty equivalent. Both George Bush and John Kerry support federally subsidized universal broadband access, extension of the R&D tax credit, education programs in science and technology, and restraint on Internet taxation. Both Republicans and Democrats have a long track record of supporting a high-tech military, although Republicans sometimes overspend a bit (e.g., the "Star Wars" and artificial intelligence boondoggles of the 1980s), while Democrats may spend too little.
But on some issues of particular interest to IT professionals, there is real separation between the two candidates:
Benefits for self-employed workers. Many IT workers are or may soon become "consultants." Health insurance options for self-employed workers can be pretty grim. One major differentiator between the two candidates is Kerry's vow to provide self-employed workers with access to "the same affordable coverage policies that members of Congress get today," via an extension of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Maybe he can deliver that, and maybe he can't. But either way, Kerry can at least be expected to make a major assault on the problem of health coverage for those households in which nobody is employed by a sizable enterprise. Bush expresses no similar intention, except for "medical savings accounts" -- and those are supplements to health insurance, not replacements for it.
Offshore competition. A president can't stop the flow of IT jobs overseas, but he can probably slow it down. Kerry has vowed to do what he can about the outflow of jobs, while Bush's approach is wholly laissez faire.
Tax breaks for start-ups. Beyond the R&D tax credit, Bush favors tax breaks for dividend-paying corporations, while Kerry favors tax breaks for start-ups. Start-ups produce new technology, and new IT usually leads to new or better jobs.
Internet freedom. We used to believe that the Internet would simply route around censorship. But the examples of China and Vietnam show that government content control is a genuine danger to the Internet. The Bush administration's obsession with the menace of exposed flesh seems like the first step on the slippery slope of censorship.
Also crucial to the evolution of the Internet is personal data privacy. Homeland security, electronic medical records and even advanced CRM all depend on tremendous amounts of data integration. But unlimited nationwide data integration is -- and probably should be -- politically impractical, unless it's accompanied by strong data privacy safeguards. The costs of these safeguards should be manageable, since data privacy requirements in other countries will mean that the relevant software and systems must be developed anyway.
The USA Patriot Act, which Bush proposed and Kerry voted for, is a major assault on data privacy. Even so, Kerry distinguishes himself from Bush in this area. He has sponsored admirable data privacy legislation in the past (in partnership with Republican Sen. John McCain) and promises more in the future.
Some important IT-related issues aren't being addressed by either candidate. Federal computer systems procurement is a major fiasco, leaving us with an air traffic control system mired in the 1970s and an FBI intranet that lacks an effective search capability. Neither candidate has made a peep on the subject.
Electronic health records will be a huge savior of lives and costs, assuming that there are proper provisions for privacy and security. But while both candidates have expressed support for the idea, neither has offered a concrete plan for making it happen.
Even so, on the IT-specific issues where the candidates do have positions, Kerry has a clear advantage over Bush. And his advantage in science and technology extends beyond IT. Dozens of Nobel laureates support Kerry over Bush because of his stated commitment to solid science-based policymaking.
Most voters will probably place other issues ahead of purely IT-related ones. Iraq, terrorism, loose nukes, nuclear proliferation, abortion and AIDS prevention are all life-and-death matters. Potential Supreme Court vacancies will be hugely important. So, too, are fiscal and economic questions: Should tax cuts be funded by government borrowing? Is Bush responsible for his Hooveresque record of deficits and job losses, or can it be explained away by 9/11 and the collapse of the tech bubble?
But to the extent that you're voting from an IT perspective, John Kerry is the best candidate.
What do you think? Post your opinion in our discussion forum.
Curt A. Monash is a consultant in Acton, Mass. You can reach him at curtmonash@monash.com.
