www.johnkerry.com/issues/technology/plan.html
Science and Technology A Plan To Create Millions Of High-Wage Jobs In The Industries Of The Future Strengthening America's Leadership in Science, Technology, and Innovation John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to ignite the growth of America's high-tech economy that will help create millions of high-tech, high-wage jobs in the industries of the future such as the broadband Internet, clean energy, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. John Kerry and John Edwards are also committed to increasing investments in areas such as K-12 math and science education and long-term, high-risk research that will help ensure America's scientific, economic and technological leadership in the 21st century. George Bush has failed to lead on science, technology, and innovation. He has politicized or ignored scientific and technical advice. His budget plan cuts almost every area of research that is critical to our future economic growth, and during his tenure, America's position as a leader in broadband Internet technology has eroded from 4th in the world to 10th in the world. The Kerry-Edwards plan will be paid for by accelerating the transition to digital television while ensuring that Americans continue to enjoy free, over-the-air television. This will provide wireless broadband for first responders, expand the spectrum that is available for unlicensed wireless broadband and also free up at least $30 billion of spectrum for public auction - paying for his investments in innovation. Some highlights of the Kerry-Edwards plan include: Create a Business Environment That Will Enhance America's Competitiveness * Eliminate capital gains for long-term investments in small businesses * Extend the Research & Experimentation tax credit Create High-Tech, High-Wage Jobs with a National Strategy for Universal Broadband * Provide a tax credit to ensure that broadband access is universal and affordable * Provide broadband to all first responders by the end of 2006 * Expand spectrum that is available for wireless broadband Invest in Research for the Industries of the Future * Provide substantial research increases for clean energy, medicine, advanced manufacturing, information technology, nanotechnology, and other priorities. Build a High-Tech Workforce * Expand America's science, engineering, and technical workforce. Build an Information Society * Use technology to transform everything from medicine to government. Principles of the Kerry-Edwards Plan * The ability to innovate - to create new products, services and even entirely new industries - is a unique strength of the American people and the American economy. The United States has an entrepreneurial culture, world-class research universities, the highest concentration of "angel" and venture capital, and an openness to new ideas and hard-working immigrants from all over the world. The United States cannot take this leadership for granted, and must be prepared to make the same types of investments in science and education that we made in the wake of Sputnik to maintain this edge. The government's important responsibility is to create an environment that will foster private sector investment and vigorous competition, and to support the building blocks of a dynamic and innovative economy - such as research and development and a workforce that is second to none. Information and communications technologies increase the productivity of businesses that use them creatively, and can transform the way teachers teach and students learn. Clean sources of energy will reduce our dependence on Middle East oil, and preserve the environment for our children. Life sciences technology will help prevent disease, cure serious illnesses, and improve our quality of life. New technologies are absolutely essential for maintaining America's military might, and protecting our people from terrorist attacks. What Innovation Can Accomplish New technologies will not only create the jobs of the future, but also help meet important national goals and improve our quality of life. Examples include: * A universally available broadband network that is 10 to 100 times faster than today's network, reaches rural and inner-city communities, and that enables a new generation of applications in e-learning and e-health. The Kerry-Edwards Plan Create a Business Environment That Will Enhance America's Competitiveness John Kerry and John Edwards are committed to creating a business environment that will promote private sector investment, innovation, competition, and the formation of new businesses. This will require a responsible fiscal policy, targeted tax cuts that reward long-term investments, and trade and regulatory policies that will enhance America's high-tech competitiveness. They will: Eliminate capital gains taxes for long-term investments in small businesses. Small, entrepreneurial firms play a critical role in creating new jobs and commercializing new technologies. As new companies, they are less wedded to incremental improvements to existing products and services, but often have difficulty attracting capital because of the high degree of risk involved. John Kerry will exempt investments held for five or more years in small businesses - a proposal that would cost $6 billion over ten years. The Research & Experimentation tax credit provides a powerful incentive for companies to invest in R&D, but its effectiveness would be greatly increased if it were extended so that companies could rely on its existence. John Kerry will work with the Congress to find a way to pay for extending the Research and Experimentation tax credit with the goal of making it permanent. Reform or eliminate regulations that impede America's high-tech competitiveness. John Kerry will reform or eliminate regulations that are blocking the growth of new technologies. Examples include: * Supporting stem cell research, which could help find cures for Alzheimer's, diabetes, Parkinson's, and cancer. For example, tradable permits were used successfully to reduce the emissions that cause acid rain. This will increase the incentive of companies to adopt environmental technologies, as opposed to doing the minimum required to comply with "command and control" environmental regulations. John Kerry is committed to expanding trade and opening markets for US goods and services abroad. He will vigorously crack down on unfair trade practices, such as piracy of our intellectual property and China's discriminatory policies towards semiconductors and other technological products. In addition, he will work to ensure that China honors its World Trade Organization (WTO) accession agreement to stop forced technology transfers as a prerequisite for doing business in China. End special tax breaks for moving jobs overseas - and cut corporate taxes in the United States. John Kerry recognizes that we cannot keep all jobs in America, but he believes that we need to end special tax breaks for companies shipping jobs overseas. The savings can be used to lower corporate taxes by 5 percent - providing a tax break for 99 percent of taxpaying corporations. This is part of the broader Kerry-Edwards plan to improve the competitiveness of the American economy, making it a more attractive place to create high-quality jobs. Cut the budget deficit in half while investing in priorities. John Kerry has a plan to cut the deficit in half while paying for all his priorities. The Kerry-Edwards plan does this by paying for all proposals, keeping discretionary spending other than education and security growing less than inflation, and cutting corporate welfare. In contrast, George Bush has passed trillions of dollars of tax cuts - squeezing out investment in critical areas such as science and technology. This not only passes the burden of debt onto our children, but also shortchanges the vital investments that are needed to enrich future generations. Create High-Tech, High-Wage Jobs with a National Strategy for Universal Broadband During the Bush administration, the United States has fallen from 4th to 10th in terms of adoption of broadband. Not only that, other countries such as South Korea and Japan are ...
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