The failed promise of innovation in the US

[WhiskeyGirl]

This is an interesting article, with several pages.
 
The failed promise of innovation in the US

8 Jun 2009, 1807 hrs IST, BusinessWeek

"We live in an era of rapid innovation." I'm sure you've heard that phrase, or some variant, over and over again. The evidence appears to be all around us: Google, Facebook, Twitter, smartphones, flat-screen televisions, the Internet itself.

But what if the conventional wisdom is wrong? What if outside of a few high-profile areas, the past decade has seen far too few commercial innovations that can transform lives and move the economy forward? What if, rather than being an era of rapid innovation, this has been an era of innovation interrupted? And if that's true, is there any reason to expect the next decade to be any better?

These are not comfortable questions in the U.S. Pride in America's innovative spirit is one of the few things that both Democrats and Republicans—from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush to Barack Obama—share.

The professor, trader, and author Nassim Nicholas Taleb calls technological breakthroughs "positive Black Swans"—unexpected events with huge positive consequences that in retrospect look inevitable. Some, such as Google, come out of nowhere to dominate within a short time. Others take years to mature and are surprising only because people forgot they were there. We've learned over the past 10 years just how unpredictable technology can be. But right about now, the U.S. could use a few positive Black Swans.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/The-failed-promise-of-innovation-in-the-US/articleshow/4632067.cms?curpg=1

The Obama administration in just over a hundrend days has increased spending on welfare programs, temporary jobs, outsourced good paying jobs, increased the debt, taxes, and ponzi schemes like 'cap & trade'. 

How much money is left for innovation? 

When was the last time government innovated anything? 

It seems like the best and brightest are left with little opportunity - no money.

When does the U.S. get a Marshall plan?  When will Americans get to keep their hard earned money?   Somali pirates get millions, and keep asking for more. 

When will the government stop the flow of peoples, drugs, and violence pouring through our borders?

When do Americans come first?