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Can the US Keep Its High Tech Edge?
- bediger4000 8y agoIt's paywalled, so I'm working off the title, but I honestly would have to say not unless we reverse course on quite a few issues. First, the incredibly pernicious idea of "Intellectual Property" will put the brakes on any kind of innovation. Arguably, California's loose "Intellectual Property" attitudes and laws led to the ultimate success of Silicon Valley, just as the stricter laws and attitudes of Michigan and Massachusets led to declines in high tech industries there. Second, the US has prospered in the past by allowing immigration of engineers, scientists and promising foreign students. "Build the wall" is hardly going to encourage that sort of thing. Third, we're going to have to allow some competition in markets, even if it means displacing old favorite incumbents. I know "anti-trust" has gotten a bad name since the Reagan Years, but well, evidence is piling up that consolidation is not that great for innovation. Fourth, our elite classes seem to be turning against higher education: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/imagine-a-world-without-mandatory-college-diplomas/2018/08/24/6ac9bcac-a726-11e8-8fac-12e98c13528d_story.html?utm_term=dogface https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/imagine-a-world-with... This does not bode well for "high" tech, maybe tinkering and fields where theory doesn't lead practice. Unfortunately, high tech is not one of those areas.