Comments on: Missing: Politicians who take clear stand on tech

Republicans and Democrats tout their tech agendas, but remain silent on key topics like privacy, censorship and Net neutrality.

[the1kingarthur]

It's time for the public to wake up

Net neutrality, and security are issues that should never be ignored. And in some ways the People can no longer blame the politicians. Apathy and illiteracy has grown to epidemic proportions.

Downloading, blogging, and gamming have become more important than issues of net neutrality, national security and Constitutional Rights.

Too many Americans have developed the lifestyle and belief that our elected officials will protect us, and do what is right. These Americans feel there is no need to do any thing because it's already being done.

Added to this is the tragedy that hand writing and mailing a letter via the US Postal service is becoming a lost art. Granted that users of the Internet has grown tremendously, but the largest percentage of the US population is not online and depend on their daily newspaper, and /or local television news,

I have one question for the readers here. Do you know your neighbors first name?

[Michael K.]

Net neutrality ruined this article

Net neutrality is entirely different from all of the other things in this article which tend to be based on good economic principles. Net neutrality, on the other hand, is interest group politics. It is no surprise that CNET News.com supports it, because that's their best interest. Unfortunately, it makes them an incredibly biased source. Companies should be able to price as they desire, not based on government regulation.

[declan00]

Not at all

CNET News.com has never taken a position on Net neutrality. We were neutral, so to speak, in our scorecard last year:
http://news.com.com/Technology+voter+guide+2006+-+Grading+Congress+on+high-tech+cred/2009-1040_3-6131719.html

But contrary to what you surmise, even *opponents* of Net neutrality would like to see politicians take a stand on it one way or another.

Put another way, specifics benefit both opponents and supporters of a certain piece of legislation. What they don't benefit are politicians, who like to preserve their wiggle room, which is why we don't see it in their political manifestos this week.

[ghostofitpast]

The wisdom of Wittgenstein

No one would accuse Ludwig Wittgenstein of being a political theorist. However, in this case he hit the nail right on the head: "Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darueber muss man scheigen." ("What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence.") Most politicians do not know much about technology, but most of them seem to have learned the dangers of speaking about it from a point of ignorance!

[Phillep_H]

Heh

"Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought an idiot than open your mouth and remove all doubt."

So far as I can see, the devil is in the details, re net neutrality. Too much "neutrality" means monopolies, as does too little.