Former congressman discusses technology

Technology, government policy and business are becoming increasingly interconnected as the 21st century nears, according to recently retired Rep. Bob Walker. Walker (R-Pa.) discussed this new reality yesterday in a speech entitled, "The Impact of National Technology Policy on Science, Education and Business in the 21st Century," as part of his visit to the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Walker, who served in the U.S. House from 1976 to 1996, represented Pennsylvania's 16th district, which comprises Lancaster and Chester counties. Before he retired, he chaired the House's science committee and frequently examined the importance of technology in public policy. During his speech, which drew more than 50 people to the Towne Building, Walker discussed the effects of the "profound revolutions? driven by science, technology and economics." These revolutions, he said, have rapidly transformed the American economy from a national industrial-based system to a global informational model. Walker said Congress' 18-month federal budget cycle makes it extremely difficult to react to rapid changes in technology. During the 1 1/2 years it takes for the federal budget to be implemented, an entire generation of technical advancement "has come and gone." "Public policy often can't react fast enough to what is happening," he added. Because of these fast-paced changes, Walker -- who considers basic research the most important factor in technology policy -- said the nation's political landscape has shifted. What was once an organized political party system has evolved into what he called a "force field politics" in which "the energy of an individual's or a group's ideas drive the political structure." Prior to serving in Congress, Walker worked as an educator, and he has used that experience to integrate education into technology policy. To encourage basic research, he said, the government should "spend money on universities and other organizations" and use tax breaks as incentives for businesses to form partnerships with academic institutions. Pointing out the industrial communities surrounding many of the nation's universities, Walker argued that research capacities can be expanded toward industrial and technological developments. Walker now serves as president of the Wexler Group, a bipartisan government affairs firm in Washington, D.C. His speech was the second annual in the Engineering School's Technology, Government and Business Lecture Series.