Senator Edward Kennedy's floor statement on the death of 2000 American soldiers includes a long shopping list of items comparing the $195 million spent each day in Iraq to how that money might be spent domestically. Since one of those items involves information and communication technology, I quote it here:
One day in Iraq could close the financing gap for interoperable communications in 41 small cities, 36 mid-sized cities, or 6 large cities so that federal, state and local first responders can talk to one another during an emergency. Source: U.S. Conference Of Mayors, June 2004 Interoperability Report (PDF). (Cities under 100,000 in population needed $4.7 million on average, cities between 100,000 and 400,000 needed $5.4 million on average, and cities over 400,000 needed $30 million on average.)
In all of the reports over the last year or so from countries struggling to overcome the Digital Divide, the numbers, often quoted in the billions of dollars are difficult to comprehend. Numbers like those quoted in the Conference of Mayors study, although large, are at least digestible. The digital divide cannot be overcome with money alone, however, understanding that many of the pieces of the solution have price tags and determining those costs is a worthy endeavor.
Please do not construe my posting of this speech or this particular report as an endorsement of the Senator from Massachusetts...I have an unpleasant personal memory of an encounter with his organization that dates back to a 1972 (or '73) visit to Auburn University. Unfortunately, that memory still shades my opinions of the man's fiscal realities...ask me about it sometime.