Vermont and California State of State Speeches Articulate Technology-Related Programs

Yesterday, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger both gave their state of the state addresses, and both mentioned -- either directly or indirectly -- new technology initiatives. Douglas said that "to help ensure the success of rural and urban employers alike, we must also build a robust technological infrastructure. Working with private-sector partners we will create a wireless network that covers all of our major transportation arteries, and extend broadband Internet access to 90 percent of our homes and businesses by 2007."

Schwarzenegger said California's executive branch was "a mastodon frozen in time and about as responsive." He said the state's purchasing program was "archaic and expensive," and called for its modernization, saying he planned "a total review of government -- its performance, its practices, its cost."