CA: Being a leader in technology isn't city's job (Cisco, Taj Gonzales and San Jose)

I am not a Luddite when it comes to technology. I know how to use the Internet. I've toyed with digital photography. I even use a small WiFi device. In Silicon Valley, this puts me somewhere in the middle of the thundering herd.

But on one topic, you can call me a cave man -- spending government money on cutting-edge technology. The scrawls on my cave wall say no, a hundred different ways.

The immediate case in point is the Taj Gonzales, the new San Jose City Hall downtown. For the past couple of months, you've been reading about how the city was too chummy with Cisco in the selection of phone and networking gear.

This is serious and worrisome stuff. Heads have rolled. The scandal has battered the administration of City Manager Del Borgsdorf.

The controversy, however, partly misses the point. The issue goes beyond the city's selection. Cisco equipment could be the best. The larger problem is the city's ambition to be a technology leader.

I recognize this is not a popular view. San Jose boasts that it's the capital of Silicon Valley. Shouldn't the Taj Gonzales have cutting-edge equipment that represents the valley's best? Even if it costs a lavish $37.35 per square foot?

``We have got to get better tools in the hands of our employees, even though we continue to battle with the deficit,'' says Mayor Ron Gonzales.

I disagree with your (and apparently most of the media's) analysis of San Jose's technology spending.

As a conservative I believe the government should be as small as possible. As a networking professional, I understand that no building with more than 100 people and which persumably has lots of databases and servers, can operate without cisco networking equipment. There are simply no serious alternatives out there. Cisco networking equipment isn't 'cutting edge', it's the only game in town.

This brings us to ip telephony. I"ve built out several networks with cisco phones and done cost benefit analysis comparing ip call switching to traditional pbx's. I have found that in the short run the price is comprable while ip telephony/voice over ip is far less expensive in the long run. What I"m saying is that if this building has to be built, this money spent on networking/phone equipment is going to be spent anyway, and whether the money spend on upkeep is going to traditional pbx people or folks with knowledge of ip telephony doesn't make a difference. When picking battles over government spending, this is *not* a winner.

you say "Building government pagodas when so much else needs to be done in the community,, Priceless. ;-)"

The government needs to stop trying to improve the community by throwing our hard earned tax dollars at it. It instead needs to get it's fingers our of our wallets and allow us to be the best we can be and keep what we earn. Self responsiblity is how this country earned its greatness and is the only way it will continue to be great in the future. This fight should not be "why is this local government spending so much on networking equipment", it should be "why is this local government so huge that it needs a new building, let's cut people and give relief to the tax payers" instead.

That this fight has been picked up by the papers is simply another way for socialists in the media to attack big business. As conservatives, we have enough actually wasteful government spending to combat, lets not take up liberals' fight against big business on top of it.

-Blanknoone's fiance

Blanknoone's fiance ? a lurker huh? ;-)

set a date yet?

got a pre-nup?

do ya live in the valley, and if so, for how long? neighbor (maybe?) :-)

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to me, it is a question of priorities and perceived realities.. ya got to give the fish wraps for at least trying to reveal a version of what went on or down with government monies under ill or no advisement or understanding or via payback campaign donations.

the city as much admits it doesn't know how to do business with business.

yet ahead, it went.. ;-)

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