^{Democracy & Technology Blog} There he goes again…

There Tom Friedman goes again.
This morning, in “Calling All Luddites,” Friedman offers a perfect example of his frequent, curious, and infuriating tendency to find an important topic, report on it with keen and witty observations, and then offer exactly the wrong solution to the problem.
The best example of this is his good handle on globalization and the competitive pressures it puts on Americans and American businesses (he’s written two books on the subject). A very big, important topic, the essence of which Friedman captures for a popular audience better than most. Friedman’s solution? Raise tax rates on entrepreneurs and investors!
Same thing this morning. He identifies a key shortcoming — America’s lagging communications capabilities compared to our international neighbors. Chiefly bad cell phone coverage and slow or nonexistent “broadband.” He correctly says it should be a high national priority. Friedman’s solution to this problem, which exists mostly because of too much government involvement via micromanagement and price controls from Washington and the 50 states? Government should jump in to make things better!
-Bret Swanson