BrianGarst.com

At first it looked like one of the typical throwaway resolutions that come out of Congress everyday praising everything from the flowers to puppies, but then I realized that this particular resolution is an excellent illustration of the fundamental flaw of the state-centered conception of society.  Here’s what H. Res. 558 does:

Supports the designation of the week of December 7 as National Computer Science Education Week. Encourages: (1) identification by schools, teachers, researchers, universities, and policymakers of mechanisms for teachers to receive cutting edge professional development so that they can provide sustainable learning experiences in computer science; (2) exposure of students to computer science concepts; and (3) opportunities for females and underrepresented minorities in computer science. Supports research in computer science to address what would motivate increased participation in such field.

The resolution also notes that “computer science is transforming industry, creating new fields of commerce, driving innovation in all fields of science, and bolstering productivity in established economic sectors.”

Wow, good thing Congress is on the ball! What if they hadn’t acted and we never gave computer science the attention it deserved?  Oh wait, I almost forgot, the transformation of industry by computer science began over 30 years ago.

Where was the congressional resolution that motivated Bill Gates?  Or the one that encouraged businesses to embrace information technology? Or that brought personal computers into almost every home in America?  There were none!

I did my undergraduate studies in Computer Science at a university that ended in the words “Institute of Technology.”  No congressional resolution pointed me toward that field.   Society itself directed me there as people already saw how important it was.

Political bodies are incapable of being at the forefront of these kinds of changes, which occur organically in competitive markets.  Central planners are rarely even aware of them until after the fact.  Yet not a single member of congress voted against this silly endeavor, in part because they know how unserious these resolutions typically are, and no one wants to be “against technology.”  Still, it betrays an attitude toward social advancement – that important innovations come from the top-down – which is fundamentally flawed.