Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Applied Materials No-Politics Thread (AMAT) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (12260)	12/1/2004 3:30:22 PM
From: Bookdon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25522

Although I agree that advanced technology needs some government encouragement, I believe that it is often tempting for elected government officials to divert large amounts of money from true researchers (at universities and other research organizations) to lobby-rich corporations, resulting in little real benefit to the technology. As an ex-AMAT employee, I have seen a lot of money soaked up by SEMATECH and government funded boondoggle projects at AMAT (and other high-tech companies). A lot of this money goes to either extend someone's pet project (that has no solid support in company management), or to allow some engineering mpeople to be shelved, rather than fired. A lot of careers were dead-ended by assignment to SEMATECH, and a lot of money was wasted for purely political purposes.