Panelists Call For Increased Use of Technology By the Government

The government lags far behind the general public in its use of technology, Andrei H. Cherny '97, a former speechwriter for Al Gore '69, told listeners at the ARCO Forum last night.

The panel discussion, titled "The Technology Revolution: Is Government Ready?" also included Harvard Visiting Fellow Sylvia Mathews '87, who was deputy chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton and Meredith Bagby '95, the author of We've Got Issues: the Get Real, No B.S., Guilt-Free Guide to What Really Matters.

"There's a disconnect between Generation X and the government" Cherny said.

During the discussion, Cherny and Bagby advocated greatly increasing the government's use of the Internet, while Mathews said she supported greater moderation.

Bagby told the audience that online-voting and virtual town hall meetings were key to increasing Generation X's participation in government.

But Mathews said such measures might alienate some members of Congress.

"There are people currently in government, members of Congress, who are not familiar at all with using the Internet," she said.

The panel was only attended by about twenty people, but audience members said they thought the discussion was very relevant.

"I thought that issues discussed here tonight were definitely important. It's inspiring to see recent Harvard graduates speaking in the direction of our generation and making a difference in government," said Joe Sanberg '01.

Another student said she was strongly in favor of increasing the technological reach of the government.

"Technology is definitely a major part of economics today, so if the government wants to catch up to the times, it has to change and incorporate technological innovation," said Alex Moss '04.