First Monday

Letters to the Editor

From: jimmy castro
To: ejv@uic.edu
Subject: The Digital Tea Leaves of Election 2000
Date: 20 Dec 2000 21:06:55

Edward Valauskas
Chief Editor
First Monday

Thank you for your excellent article, "The Digital Tea Leaves of Election 2000: The Internet and the Future of Presidential Politics" in the December 2000 issue.

This November was an especially important month - not only for American politics, but also for the future of the Internet. As voters in the United States headed to the polls to elect a new president, they hold the power to effect the course of Internet policy during the network's most impressionable stages. Although the elected President will be in office only four to eight years, decisions made now will reverberate well into the next decade.

A well-planned strategy will help the network grow, whereas a brash evaluation could stunt an economy that has so far advanced at a fast but volatile rate.

It may seem arrogant to place so much weight on the U.S. political system. But despite claims that the Internet is ubiquitous and borderless, it's no secret that the U.S. still holds political and commercial control over the majority of the network.

And while many countries are working over time to level the playing field, there will hardly be any change in this status by the time the elected candidate and his administration begin to shape policies next year.

In essence, the candidate who wins this election will greatly influence the direction of technology and the economy of the world.

Jimmy Castro
Member
Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce
Austin Texas


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Copyright ©2001, First Monday

Letter to the Editor by Jimmy Castro
First Monday, volume 6, number 1 (January 2001),
URL: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_1/letters/index.html