At 9:55 AM -0500 11/6/00, Declan McCullagh wrote:
Just in time for Tuesday's election, Wired News has compiled a tech scorecard for the U.S. Senate.
Showing the foolishness of converting a more nuanced, vector form of voting records into a simplistic, scalar form. Consider some of these questions:
#4: A vote to require federal candidates to disclose contributions online within 24 hours. (Yes is 1)
Supporters of liberty don't like "campaign disclosure" laws at all, let alone "online disclosure." Consider the equally onerous violation of the First Amendment: "Those writing articles must disclose online anyone with whom they have had financial relationships over the past 5 years." A clear violation of the First, right? So is any limit on who I support financially, who I give money to, how candidates raise money, etc.
#8: A vote to create an information-technology-training tax credit. (Yes is 1)
Just another special interest tax loophole. Those interested in liberty know that these loopholes distort the free market. The usual result of such "training credits" is a series of mostly-bogus "Learn to Operate Keypunch Machines at the Control Data Institute!!" radio ads for fly-by-night schools in areas very far from technology centers. Getting the training subsidies is what matters. In these cases, I would argue strongly that a "No is 1." No wonder the Dems did so well. Again, the real problem is trying to collapse multiple issues into a simple-minded "technology score." At least the Nolan Chart understands that at least two dimensions are needed. --Tim May -- ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, ComSec 3DES: 831-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, "Cyphernomicon" | black markets, collapse of governments.