Government Software should be produced by a startup design and engineering studio

Hello Mr. Obama,

Healthcare.gov is a symptom of a major problem, which is that we lack a major vision and initiative to build software worthy of the American people.

We need government programmers and artists.  Modern software is not something that can be delivered on a CD.

Great modern software is a service that learns from it's users to empower and enrich them.  This service can only be driven by a dedicated staff of artists and engineers on the scale of a google or facebook and in the spirit of a startup.

Partly, we lack this now because congress has blocked the hiring of government software engineers through laws forbidden government to build software when it can be provided by private contractors with the lowest bid, but there also just does not exist any initiative to hire programmers and artists simply for the goal of creating great software that Americans need and can rely on.

Healthcare.gov has shown that in fact private contractors are not able to deliver what a dedicated, full-time engineering, art and production team could deliver.  This is partly because of contracting regulations that affect development flexibility of contractors and partly because software development is an art form that requires dedicated and focused artists and engineers who care about nothing other than making great software for America.

The government should pass a bill to immediately hire at least 2000 engineers and pair them with 100 visual designers, 100 interaction designers and 100 project managers.

Task the team with the job of creating great software that represents the true talents of American engineers and artists, dedicated to the cause of delivering cutting edge access to information and services that empower and enrich our nation.  We should allow the talent of the crew to drive what emerges with a vision to revolutionize access to information, deliver government services across all pc and mobile platforms and decrease the long-term cost and risk of managing the growing complexities of governance.

Don't Underfund Science

Congrats on setting a new tone in the White House, Pres. Gregg for commerce is a quiet victory for your access to stimulus. You've got the right plan. Don't let the funding for Science be taken out, though. My wife is a Stanford post-doc who is torn over whether to start her own lab. She's recently discovered new roles for RNA in cell division that may lead to millions of new targets for cancer treatments. If the NIH funding remains underfunded, she doesn't see a future in science.

Internet Use?

Hello President Obama,  

Will you have access to the internet?  

The internet presents a unique opportunity for citizens to communicate with you, however, the true power of the internet is only realized if you use it to connect with us in more than a publish-my-blog-after-cia-approves way.

For instance, if George Bush read google news before invading Iraq he would have learned from on-the-record weapons and energy experts that THE "aluminum tubes" would be destroyed in uranium centrifuges.

Equal Human Dignity

Hello President Obama,

I want to learn more about your views on equal human dignity as a central consideration of your foreign policy.  You've spoken of the right to equal human dignity for all men and women - American or not. Can you elaborate more on this as a guiding principle in your foreign policy?  

Will this lead you to ban use of cluster bombs? Change our policy of not counting enemy casualties? Lift the embargo on Cuba? Support international labor movements? Disable nukes?

Automobile Electrification Plan

3 Step, Unsolicited Stimulus Suggestion

Automobile Electrification Plan

The electrification of the automobile represents our greatest hope to eradicate dependence on foreign oil in 10 years.  

Here's the plan:

1- Subsidize the construction of sustainable electron capture, storage and distribution systems.

2- Fully subsidize all private R&D work to decrease costs of electric cars.

3- Provide tax credits for the purchase of electron-core cars to make them cost competitive with carbon-core cars.

Premise

This blog is a copy of 500 character messages I've decided to send to Obama through whitehouse.gov.  Not sure if they will just fall into the abyss...thought a blog would be a good place to keep copies of them.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

You should email Obama, too!