It's the job
Everything Bruce says about tech is also true of the law as a discipline. It's incumbent upon lawyers -- and legislatures -- to keep up, or they're not doing their jobs. Back in the 40's legislatures and government executives in the US had to become experts in military logistics and war strategy to make the decisions necessary to defeat the Axis. Later, in the 50's they had to tackle the task of funding the engineering feat that became the US interstate highway system. There are lots of other examples showing politicians being forced into the uncomfortable position of having to learn new stuff. Frankly, if any individual politician isn't up to the job, they should get out and go run a sandwich shop franchise. I'm really tired of the excuses. A demonstrable understanding of the most basic tech should be mandatory for anyone who is going to vote on tech policy. It should not be optional.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
