In Defense of Technology

In his State of the Union message, Richard Nixon only echoed what became a national clichee moments after Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon 2 1/2 years ago. Said the President: "A nation that can send three people across 240,000 miles of space to the moon should also be able to send 240,000 people three miles across a city to work." In recent years, complaints have mounted that the U.S. has funneled inordinate amounts of money into military and space technology at the expense of problems closer to home. That emphasis, say the critics, has also slowed down the basic research in nondefense industries that is needed to keep American goods competitive.

Last week the President asked Congress to approve "a strong new effort to marshal science and technology in the work of strengthening our economy and improving the quality of our life." Among other things, he asked for a greater emphasis on domestic needs by such agencies as NASA and the Atomic Energy Commission, a 12% increase in federal funding for university research programs, and a series of regulatory changes that would improve the "climate for innovation." The President proposed to bring Government, private enterprise, state and local governments, universities and research centers closer together in "a coordinated, cooperative effort to serve the national interest." All that may not move 240,000 people three miles across a city much faster in the immediate future, but it is an overdue beginning.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.