Health reform debates during the Obama Administration’s first week
posted 1-28-2009 3:50 p.m.

 
In a week in which 10,000 jobs were lost in a single day, with more losses to come in the months ahead, the weak health care spending measures meant to cover more children and unemployed are already virtually moot. Unless Congress snaps to and suddenly realizes its gross underfunding, the monies intended to expand coverage won’t even give the states enough to maintain status quo. And the states aren’t waiting: they’re already cutting back.

There is a solution, but the Democrats would have to be uncommonly brave to take it on. And they’d have to push aside all but a mere handful of moderate conservative Republicans to get it done. The economic disaster is of great enough proportions to justify it; but that doesn’t mean the majority in the House and Senate will work up the nerve and twist enough moderate arms to get it done. And they're in too big of a hurry, as is the President.

A workforce for today and tomorrow
posted 1-15-2009 3:03 a.m.

 
President Obama is saying all the right things about rebuilding not just the physical infrastructure of the nation, but also the workforce infrastructure, in that he thinks there's plenty of opportunity to create new jobs by encouraging the proliferation of newer, greener industries. He's right, as far as that goes — but who's going to be the innovators of those industries if not scientists and engineers, those folks we need but don't have enough of? Not only do we not respect those people we call geeks, we don't graduate enough of them for this future workforce.

Mr. Obama's got to do a lot of fast talking and faster planning to solve this situation before he can convince Congress — because Congress is way behind on this issue. And the Republicans don't even want to discuss it, because of what the funding consequences have to be in order to bring about the goal of more scientists and engineers. Better science and math education in grade and high schools is barely a start: it's college programs that really make the difference and will produce results sooner.