Slashdot Mirror
Eric Schmidt a Contender For US Commerce Secretary
itwbennett writes "Rumor has it that the man who while CEO of Google was, at best, blithe about user privacy, is on a short list to replace Gary Locke as Commerce Secretary. Schmidt has competition, though, including former Pfizer CEO Jeffrey Kindler and US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, according to Bloomberg."
I, for one, welcome our new boss overlord, the same as our old boss overlord.
Well, that seems to be the way that Google works. I guess if Eric Schmidt gets chosen, that will be his first move: Declare all Commerce to be Beta. So if there are any problems with the US Commerce, he can just say, "Hey, this is all still Beta . . . problems are to be expected."
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
Sure, he's creepy, but he isn't a tax cheat... or is he?
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Google was a big supporter of the Obama campaign, now its time to cash in some chips.
The Commerce Dept. will become an extension of Homeland Security, Homeland Commerce Security. Any monetary transaction by anyone in the US will be posted on Google Maps for verification with the FBI. This will lead to the formation of the new Department, Homeland Commerce Federal Bureau of Investigation Security. The GoP will champion the idea saying it will save a Butt-Zillion load of dollars and give the Federal government the leverage and tools needed to confront their sworn enemy, the citizens of the U.S.A.
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There sure has been a lot of revolving door action in this administration, for a President who vowed there would be none. It's business as usual, as conflicts of interest abound with the appointment of big private industry leaders to significant posts and the vacating of significant posts leads to those persons capitalizing on their position (and, often, the actions they took while holding that position which just so happen to be in the same field of interest as the company's they're now leaving for) to private industry.
ok, I had to double-check this:
blithe/blTH/Adjective
1. Showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper.
2. Happy or joyous.
But when Eric Schmidt reminded everyone that he is bound by law to hand over your search history and that googling "how to murder my wife" was a really stupid thing to do before you go and murder your wife, I'd hardly consider his comments to be joyous or cheerfully indifferent.
I know that there is an unreasonable hatred of Google around here, but seriously, stop trying to spin this quote into some sort of distopian doomsaying.
And while I'm at it, I'm going to pre-emptivly rant about how it's not "Do no evil", it's "don't be evil". Just wait, someone will drag that minor grammar mistake out. Well you sir can consider yourself ranted against.
At least if Schmidt gets appointed, there will be *SOMEONE* in DC who understands the Internet.
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
"Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people."
-- Eleanor Roosevelt
Look at the last 4 story posts by soulskill. Looks like the cover of a gossip magazine. Here I am being ironic pointing this out. Guess I need to be angry at myself first, then. I'm just getting older and cranky. I think a lot of us are around here. I stopped putting energy into this system. I'm sorry everyone. I bring this place down too.
slashdot: where everyone yells sarcastic metaphors to themselves to understand the issue
Wow...so we've got three choices: a guy who openly declares his current employer to be an advertising company masquerading as a benevolent information broker; a former boss of the most corrupt, cynical corporation in an industry that's famous all around for bribes, price fixing, and bad science for profit; and a bureaucrat.
Is this Russian roulette or what?
Someone as naive as Eric Schmidt would be perfect, because hes naive but also commercially connected.
Sarah Palin for vice president! Paris Hilton as speaker of the house. Gonna be a blast!!
He is not from Goldman Sachs or any other Wall Street company. I also prefer him over an ex-CEO of Pfizer.
Good choice! He did such a wonderful job with Novel.
Two megacorp CEOs are not only eligible for, but are candidates for the position of commerce secretary. Real smart guys. Real smart.
"When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
Average a high, 3-digit IQ with hundreds of double and single digit IQs, and you'll find that the quotient is only raised by a disparagingly small amount.
A burned out CEO from a company that is in a death spiral (Pfizer) seems like a very unlikely choice. Let's hope that US is not following the same trajectory as Pfizer.
A "know-it-all" in D.C., helping to enact his personal favorite legislation over us all.
Maybe if Schmidt changes his name first, nobody will notice it's him.
God help us.
With a crushing budget deficit, what better than to appoint someone whose specialisation seems to be international tax dodging. Maybe he can advise all of Americas corporations how to use these 'double dutch' schemes so the US can collapse altogether.
Get Jeff Bezos in there. If anybody understands commerce AND the internet, it's him.
http://gawker.com/#!5419271/google-ceo-secrets-are-for-filthy-people
"The world is a construct of forceful imagination. Those who don't know walk around in the reailties of those who do"
This just shows there is no end to the corporate revolving door of CEOs and politicos playing the chair game. We as Citizens are totally fucked.
Businessmen in politics. It's America's problem.
They aren't trained to be educated, to know science, to understand education, or even to understand how the government works.
They are trained to make money and use the people to do so.
If Scientists and Engineers ran the government, we might need some businessmen as assistants to help us understand business, but we wouldn't give a rats ass about what number is in the deficit or how much money can be made through a government office.
If some corporate "exotic lobbyist" runs up to a Businessman's office and offers them three hundred thousand dollars to pass a bill that will get people killed for the sake of money, the businessmen will be coerced by the number.
If some corporate "exotic lobbyist" runs up to a good physicist's office and offers them three hundred thousand dollars, the physicist will spit on his food and tell him to get out and never come back.
However, politics might get seriously screwed up in the whole war thing.
Army brat: We need to buy more M4's for the upcoming troops.
Physicist (AKA Speaker of the House): What? No. The sand will get caught in the gun barrel and increase the chances of a backfire, killing the soldier.
Chemist (AKA Vice President): No. The powder will react with the metals and potentially send some gas down through the gun, exploding the powder.
Astrophysicist (AKA Governor of New York): Chaos theory. Why are we even there?
Neurologist (AKA US Commerce Secretary): They say it's about the terrorism, but, psychologically and neurologically, our presence makes no significant difference.
Businessmen (AKA 2012-elected President): Naah. That doesn't sound right, you guys don't know what you're talking about. We have to be there. We need to separate God from Islam and keep those terrorists in check like we always have.
All Scientists: Mutiny.
People: Mutiny.
1 election later...
Astrophysicist (AKA 2012-emergency-elected President): Off with the war, on with the education.
Lordy. Kindler made that short list? Really might want to check out how well Pfizer's done since he took the helm.