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Originally Posted by Shane  So it is inevitably big brother to the rescue of the crying and whining masses in order to become competitive? Sad thought that. |
Some things just take a national effort. That is a fact of life. The alternative is to be left behind.
A good example would be the Space Program in the Sixties. No corporation was going to be able to address [and fund] the issues while other countries were fully funding research and development of satellite and rocket delivery systems.
The results of the US getting involved is that we have a tremendous technology sector that provides much of the world's communication technology, holds many of the patents and gains much of the revenue from that R&D funding.
If we had stood back and NOT provided Federal funding for the Space Race, companies like IBM, AT&T, GE, Boeing and Hughes would be footnotes and France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom AG, BOE Tech [china], along with Indian, Russian and English companies owning all the communications satellites that circle the world.
While not significant as to who get the profits [unless you have stock portfolios], it is significant in the geopolitical realm.