Social Security checks would be months behind if done manually. However, the other side of this coin is a gorgon's head: public information needs to be easily available while private personal information is protected as much as possible. In reality, information technology is a powerful tool to beat crime, terrorism and poverty, if we only wield that sword properly. So what is the key? I say it is education, but not the kind we all think about with memorization and regurgitation. We need to teach our children to think, to make rational decisions, to behave ethically and to measure their actions by their effects. We need to train children to seek out the truth and how to know it when they find it. We need to teach them the have the courage and passion to use it. We must become a nation of life long learners, for knowledge will be the power of the future. It will be readily available to all, and useful to those who act upon it. Most of all we have to remember that power corrupts and information is power. The power to control information must never be taken form the people.

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