Posted on 10/13/2005 2:18:30 AM PDT by Arjun
Broad Federal Effort Urgently Needed to Create New, High-Quality Jobs for All Americans in the 21st Century
WASHINGTON -- The unmatched vitality of the United States' economy and science and technology enterprise has made this country a world leader for decades, allowing Americans to benefit from a high standard of living and national security. But in a world where advanced knowledge is widespread and low-cost labor is readily available, U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology have begun to erode. A comprehensive and coordinated federal effort is urgently needed to bolster U.S. competitiveness and pre-eminence in these areas so that the nation will consistently gain from the opportunities offered by rapid globalization, says a new report from the National Academies.
Given the United States' history of economic and scientific pre-eminence, it is easy to be complacent about these complex issues, the report says. Following are some indicators that illustrate why decisive action is needed now:
· For the cost of one chemist or one engineer in the United States, a company can hire about five chemists in China or 11 engineers in India.
· Last year chemical companies shuttered 70 facilities in the United States and have tagged 40 more for closure. Of 120 chemical plants being built around the world with price tags of $1 billion or more, one is in the United States and 50 are in China.
· U.S. 12th-graders recently performed below the international average for 21 countries on a test of general knowledge in mathematics and science. In addition, an advanced mathematics assessment was administered to students in 15 other countries who were taking or had taken advanced math courses, and to U.S. students who were taking or had taken pre-calculus, calculus, or Advanced Placement calculus. Eleven countries outperformed the United States, and four scored similarly. None scored significantly below the United States.
· In 1999 only 41 percent of U.S. eighth-graders had a math teacher who had majored in mathematics at the undergraduate or graduate level or studied the subject for teacher certification -- a figure that was considerably lower than the international average of 71 percent. · Last year more than 600,000 engineers graduated from institutions of higher education in China. In India, the figure was 350,000. In America, it was about 70,000.
· In 2001 U.S. industry spent more on tort litigation than on research and development.
Without a major push to strengthen the foundations of America's competitiveness, the United States could soon lose its privileged position. The ultimate goal is to create new, high-quality jobs for all citizens by developing new industries that stem from the ideas of exceptional scientists and engineers.
The congressionally requested report -- written by a 20-member committee that included university presidents, CEOs, Nobel Prize winners, and former presidential appointees -- makes four recommendations along with 20 implementation actions that federal policy-makers should take to create high-quality jobs and focus new science and technology (S&T) efforts on meeting the nation's need for clean, affordable, and reliable energy. Some actions will involve changing existing laws, while others will require financial support that would come from reallocating existing budgets or increasing them. The committee believes that ongoing evaluation of the results should be included in all of the measures.
"America must act now to preserve its strategic and economic security by capitalizing on its knowledge-based resources, particularly in S&T, and maintaining the most fertile environment for new and revitalized industries that create well-paying jobs," said committee chair Norman R. Augustine, retired chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md. "The building blocks of our economic leadership are wearing away. The challenges that America faces are immense."
A brief overview of the four recommendations follows, with a sample of proposed actions to implement them.
Ten Thousand Teachers, Ten Million Minds
Increase America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 mathematics and science education.
· Among the recommended implementation steps is the creation of a merit-based scholarship program to attract 10,000 exceptional students to math and science teaching careers each year. Four-year scholarships, worth up to $20,000 annually, should be designed to help some of the nation's top students obtain bachelor's degrees in physical or life sciences, engineering, or mathematics -- with concurrent certification as K-12 math and science teachers. After graduation, they would be required to work for at least five years in public schools. Participants who teach in disadvantaged inner-city or rural areas would receive a $10,000 annual bonus. Each of the 10,000 teachers would serve about 1,000 students over the course of a teaching career, having an impact on 10 million minds, the report says. Sowing the Seeds
Sustain and strengthen the nation's commitment to long-term basic research.
· Policy-makers should increase the national investment in basic research by 10 percent each year over the next seven years. Special attention should be paid to the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics, and information sciences, and to basic research funding for the U.S. Department of Defense, the report says.
· Policy-makers also should establish within the U.S. Department of Energy an organization called the Advanced Research Project Agency -- Energy (ARPA-E) that reports to the undersecretary for science and sponsors "out-of-the-box" energy research to meet the nation's long-term energy challenges.
· Authorities should make 200 new research grants annually -- worth $500,000 each, payable over five years -- to the nation's most outstanding early-career researchers. Best and Brightest
Develop, recruit, and retain top students, scientists, and engineers from both the United States and abroad. The United States should be considered the most attractive setting in the world to study and conduct research, the report says.
· Each year, policy-makers should provide 25,000 new, competitive four-year undergraduate scholarships and 5,000 new graduate fellowships to U.S. citizens enrolled in physical science, life science, engineering, and mathematics programs at U.S. colleges and universities.
· Policy-makers should provide a one-year automatic visa extension that allows international students to remain in the United States to seek employment if they have received doctorates or the equivalent in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or other fields of national need from qualified U.S. institutions. If these students then receive job offers from employers that are based in the United States and pass a security screening test, they should automatically get work permits and expedited residence status. If they cannot obtain employment within one year, their visas should expire. Incentives for Innovation
Ensure that the United States is the premier place in the world for innovation. This can be accomplished by actions such as modernizing the U.S. patent system, realigning tax policies to encourage innovation, and ensuring affordable broadband Internet access, the report says.
· Policy-makers should provide tax incentives for innovation that is based in the United States. The Council of Economic Advisers and the Congressional Budget Office should conduct a comprehensive analysis to examine how the United States compares with other nations as a location for innovation and related activities, with the goal of ensuring that the nation is one of the most attractive places in the world for long-term investment in such efforts. · The Research and Experimentation Tax Credit is currently for companies that increase their R&D spending above a predetermined level. To encourage private investment in innovation, this credit, which is scheduled to expire in December, should be made permanent. And Congress and the administration should increase the allowable credit from 20 percent to 40 percent of qualifying R&D investments.
The study was sponsored by the National Academies, which comprise the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council. They are private, nonprofit institutions that provide science, technology, and health policy advice under a congressional charter. A committee roster follows.
Copies of Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future will be available this fall from the National Academies Press; tel. 202-334-3313 or 1-800-624-6242 or on the Internet at http://www.nap.edu. Reporters may obtain a pre-publication copy from the Office of News and Public Information (contacts listed above).
[ This news release and report are available at http://national-academies.org ]
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy
Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century
Norman R. Augustine1 (chair) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Lockheed Martin Corp. (retired) Bethesda, Md.
Craig R. Barrett1 Chairman of the Board Intel Corp. Chandler, Ariz.
Gail Cassell2 Vice President of Scientific Affairs and Distinguished Lilly Research Scholar for Infectious Diseases Eli Lilly and Co. Indianapolis
Steven Chu3 Director E.O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley, Calif.
Robert M. Gates President Texas A&M University College Station
Nancy S. Grasmick State Superintendent of Schools Maryland Department of Education Baltimore
Charles O. Holliday Jr.1 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer DuPont Wilmington, Del.
Shirley Ann Jackson1 President Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, N.Y.
Anita K. Jones1 Lawrence R. Quarles Professor of Engineering and Applied Science School of Engineering and Applied Science University of Virginia Charlottesville
Joshua Lederberg2,3 Sackler Foundation Scholar Rockefeller University New York City
Richard C. Levin President Yale University New Haven, Conn.
C. Daniel Mote Jr.1 President and Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering University of Maryland College Park
Cherry A. Murray1,3 Deputy Director for Science and Technology Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore, Calif.
Peter O'Donnell Jr. President O'Donnell Foundation Dallas
Lee R. Raymond1 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Exxon Mobil Corp. Irving, Texas
Robert C. Richardson3 Vice Provost for Research and F.R. Newman Professor of Physics Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y.
P. Roy Vagelos2,3 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Merck & Co. Inc. (retired) Bedminster, N.J.
Charles M. Vest1 President Emeritus Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge
George M. Whitesides1,3 Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor of Chemistry Harvard University Cambridge, Mass.
Richard N. Zare3 Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science Department of Chemistry Stanford University Stanford, Calif.
NATIONAL ACADEMIES STAFF
Deborah D. Stine Study Director
1 Member, National Academy of Engineering 2 Member, Institute of Medicine 3 Member, National Academy of Sciences
I see a lot of academicians on this board as well as business executives. Academicians do not live in the real world. While I agree that their concerns should be considered, I am not about to become alarmed when when our economy and university system remain the envy of the world.
When groups like this call for immediate and substantial government response to their stated problems I am the first one to say hold on thar.
India, someday, could become a legitimate competitor. Should that day arrive however, they will also have become a huge customer for our goods and services. I still have my doubts about China.
I don't underestimate the changes taking place in the world but I do welcome them. Competition makes our country better. Competing is what we do best. Unfortunately, these threads remind me of the alarmism about Japan in the 80's when so many business leaders and academic experts were telling us we needed to adopt Japanese style models if we were to remain competitive. Fortunately, the government didn't listen - save for a few boondoggles like Semantech - and we are richer and more powerful now than ever.
The only positive roll government can play is to get the heck out of the way. It is hard to believe that people still think government is the solution to anything.70 or 80 years of failures in almost every area does not indicate success is a part of government programs.
You still voting for government involvement? You are stuck on stupid.
You'd have to grasp what is required to support something like the pharmaceutical industry to truly understand. My guess is you do not.
As for luck, I'd rather compete with people who rely on luck than those who prepare to exploit opportunities.
Give them few more years and you will see.
Ah, yes. The mantra of the doom and gloomer. I'd wager that you've been predicting this for some time and now you're regularly being forced to tell us to wait a little bit longer. Just like the race to the bottom assertion, your predictions never seem to arrive.
Oh, how I miss Ronald Reagan.
Just repeating what a MS VP stated... not my words.
LLS
I am no MS fan ok. I have used their crap since Dos 2.0. I spend a huge amount of time keeping friends and family computers working, mostly due to OS problems.
When I posted what I did, I was only quoting what a VP of MS said in a post on Audio Video Sciences Forum.
LLS
That would be the correct assumption. FTA's reduce the government's ability to intervene in the market (i.e. protectionism/cronyism). Freer trade results in more trade.
Government doesn't guide business, it meddles in business. Reducing government regulation and taxation on business can be called reforms and incentives but, what it really does, is reduce government control over the economy. There's a good reason why countries that have a higher degree of economic freedom also enjoy more political freedom and achieve a higher per capita income.
Our response to 9/11 proved we still have the fight in us.
A major thing happening now is that computers and robotics are entering the battlefield in a big way. Using technology we were able to conquer Iraq with only 150,000 troops. Gulf War I needed 500,000.
If we took on China, we wouldn't be sending a WWII sized army over. We would fight increasingly with robots, amplifying our effective troop strength by 10. Finding suicidal robots willing to fight to their death for America will not be a problem. Hopefully we'll have both Germany and Japan's engineering talent to augment ours this time.
Fair enough... I didn't meant to jump down your throat.
my bad.
Sorry. US business knows what they can do to the public and it's bad business for them to fall back on "Chinese Methods". The regulations that industries are under due to the greens, politicians trying to gouge, have been so far over the line in the last ten years, most companies have found it a sound business practice to use risk avoidance.
The countries where factories are opening, but have less regulation, an interesting thing is happening. The poeple living in those countries are complaining to their governments about pollution, safety issues and things like that. The governments are responding by creating regulation where none existed before. These countries never had environmental regulation before because they never had to deal with industrial pollution before. When industry starts causing local issues, the governments respond. The company I work for has a policy of uniform health and safety standards for all international locations that equal or are better than the U.S. requirements. And it makes better logistics to have the same policies everywhere.
The scenario you describe is certainly possible, and indeed I have spent some time thinking about autonomous ground combat machines. Effective ones are possible but are well beyond the current state of the art.
It is best to remember that American military developments are fully understood in technical detail by the Chinese. The more an American technical superiority exists the harder the Chinese will work to reduce it. The efficient Chinese intelligence apparatus did not come to an end with the Clinton presidency.
There are ways to cope with this situation. I can safely say that the Strategic Defense Initiative left many lessons of use today. Unfortunately, it seems that the Chinese have learned these lessons better than we have.
The US Navy, I can safely say, is in the midst of a building program that will allow the Navy to dominate a Taiwan Straits war. The Chinese would find a close blockade of their coastline very inconvenient especially if the Russians were working with us. The Japanese are rearming, and with nuclear weapons, making Chinese strategic calculation more uncertain. Complicated US Navy submarine operations are going on this very minute.
I hear only a very little about Air Force preparations. The F-22 is designed to deal with the Chinese Air Forces. I gather that the design is quite old fashioned, unfortunately. Follow up models with better computer systems, programing, countermeasures and signal warfare systems generally are required. More worrisome to me is that very important space systems depended on the Shuttle performing as promised. There is a serious problem here.
Bill Gates has that effect on all of us! :-)
LLS
So how is that different than trusting them to put together Free Trade deals? You obviously trust them to do that.
So lets raise taxes on us business and individuals to subsidize those needing a high quality job. That's worked so well in Europe.
Gubment... "We need more money to do the job (we fouled up the first time) to do the job next time.
Well, all I have to say is welcome to the shoes of our forefathers. The politicians won't heed the words of the people and are undermining the country with their actions.
The WTO treaty is both illegal and unconstitutional, yet both parties passed it. Nafta is undermining us boldly and effectively - and everyone sees it but the politicians answer our concerns with Cafta.. more of the same. They don't give a hoot what you say. This isn't your country. Or is it. We are supposed to be the master and the Government is supposed to be the servant. Yet the servant does what it wants and ignores the master.. seeking it's own ends. King George is reborn.. ang he is the US political establishment. Where's Washington when you need him...
Umm, not to be too obvious; but, the forefathers said otherwise and proved it. The federal government used to be funded by tariffs - the same tariffs which kept our enemies from undermining the US economy. It is a good design, serving both the economics of the fed and our defense at the same time. When they get out of the way on that point, they abrogate one of their primary constitutional duties to this country and it's people. "Get out of the way" indeed.
There's a difference in the A-bomb project and a 'broad federal effort' to create jobs. The A-bomb was a specific project with a specific goal. The government's efforts at improving education have been proven failures for the last 60 years or so. Why should I think they will change now?
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