Government C.S. Funding -- A Case Study
James Salsman
mailed less than a week ago. Three people have already asked for the
ASCII text, so I think it's probably time to post it. :jps]
GOVERNMENT FUNDING OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
-- THE AGENCY OR THE COUNTRY? --
A CASE STUDY
By James Salsman, CPSR/Palo Alto;
hereby placed in the public domain, no copyright restrictions apply.
Since the advent of electronic computers, the Department of Defense has
been the most extensive source of government computer science research
funding. The same military that gave us the first computers still
supports most of the latest hardware, software, network, and human-
interface technology developments. Computing professionals are
generally aware of this, and consider the military's role not only
traditional but in many cases indispensable for continued important
advances in nearly every aspect of computer science.
Regrettably, indiscriminate reliance upon military funding could delay
or prevent some of the most important breakthroughs upcoming in computer
technology. The goals of the military are not always aligned with the
goals of society at large, and in some cases military objectives are
clearly opposed to peace, human rights, safety, liberty, and the
empowerment of the individual. This inherent potential trouble has not
gone unrecognized by government leaders who have directed other agencies
to fund computer science research and development, such as the National
Science Foundation and to a lesser extent the Department of Commerce,
medical and educational agencies. Unfortunately, there is still much to
be done to insure that computer science is sufficiently freed from the
constraints of military research funding agencies. The problem
stretches far beyond the fact that the entire National Science
Foundation budget is radically smaller than the Department of Defense
research budget for computer technology alone.
The problems of modern computer science research and development are
numerous. Computer hardware and software companies are rarely able to
justify basic or untried research to their boards of directors. And
many of the "dual-use" programs instituted in recent years, while highly
commendable, can tie basic research to the restrictions of the
commercial marketplace too early in the development cycle. This
situation leaves the responsibility for much of the most important
research in the hands of universities, small private or non-profit
research centers, or government agencies themselves. Sadly, specialized
university departments, research centers, and government agencies are
often faced with a conflict of interest situation, in that the
development of a solution to the problems that they are directed to
study could lead to their own obsolescence. Finally, the cold war's
conclusion could mean a "peace dividend" for the taxpayer, but the end
of the arms race has already caused an abrupt halt to a horde of
military weapons projects, and almost $200 million of Defense Department
funds for basic research at universities. Although 90% of that funding
was maintained for another year in a stopgap congressional budget
measure this summer, the future of military funding for basic computer
science remains in doubt.
For good reason, the Defense Department should no longer be funding
university computer science research. The basic research required by
the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA)
for sustained development of weapons is clearly more suited for the
National Science Foundation and the other agencies mentioned
previously. ARPA's mission is clearly defined as the pursuit of
high-risk projects that will enhance military strength; that leaves
little room for truly basic research. But parsimony is the least
important reason; scientific research objectives should be set by peer
review instead of the Pentagon's top brass. Most importantly, there
is no remaining threat to our nation's military superiority. Funds
used to preserve national security by the development of more powerful
weapons are being misspent. A wiser strategy of defense spending for
our post-nuclear age requires the containment of weapons technology
away from potential aggressors. For all the merits of ARPA, it is an
agency of the arms race, and the arms race is over. Allowing the
military to continue to drive basic research is at best careless, and
possibly very dangerous.
Examples of that danger can be found in the history of ARPA-funded
automatic speech recognition technology development, and in
particular, a fledgling research and development project at Carnegie
Mellon. ARPA has been funding speech recognition research for decades
at CMU, MIT, SRI, BBN and elsewhere, using military
command-and-control benchmarks to chart progress and award further
funding. Only recently has the commercial speech-recognition market
grown to fruition. How much faster would this valuable technology
have arisen if research goals had been more in line with consumer
demands? There is no objective way to avoid speculation, but we can
learn a lesson from the current state of affairs at Carnegie-Mellon
University in Pittsburgh, where Dr. Jack Mostow is leading Project
LISTEN, programming computers to help children learn to read.
Project LISTEN (an acronym standing for "Literacy Innovation that Speech
Technology ENables") is a world-class research project. The American
Association of Artificial Intelligence awarded Mostow's group's "A
Prototype Reading Coach that Listens"[1] the Outstanding Paper Award at
their national conference in August. Project LISTEN's current
state-of-the-art speech recognition-based reading coach and earlier
systems have already been tried and tested in several schools, and have
been shown to advance students' reading ability[2] by at least six months
and potentially two years. I am not affiliated with Project LISTEN, but
as a volunteer literacy tutor with Project READ in the impoverished
community of East Palo Alto, California, I am certain that Project LISTEN
is the most important and useful computer science development to date.
Everything we do with computers, in the workplace and in democratic
government, and in almost all of modern society depends on our ability
to read. There are serious problems with illiteracy in this country, to
the tune of at least $237 BILLION 1972 dollars[3] lost each year. But
the simple monetary figure of illiteracy's impact belies the serious
social problems segregating our society, where simple poverty is
socially repressing[4] and in fact criminalizing[5] children who could
otherwise lead a productive life.
Yet nobody at the U.S. Department of Education with whom I have spoken
was even aware of the existence of Project LISTEN. Why? To date, LISTEN
has been funded by ARPA and, to a lesser extent, the National Science
Foundation. According to Dr. Mostow, "The broader question is the
funding gap for adapting advances in technology to meet the nation's
educational needs. NSF does some of that, but focuses on science and
math education. The Dept. of Education is more interested in evaluating
technology that is already mature enough to deploy widely -- they
support almost no technology development. Both ARPA and the Dept. of
Commerce have programs that aim at tech transfer from lab to product,
albeit under the control of companies rather than universities."
Dr. Mostow has stated that Project LISTEN is in serious need of
further funding to continue, but ARPA isn't interested in teaching
basic skills -- that's not ARPA's mission. The National Science
Foundation isn't interested in teaching reading, a basic skill that is
ironically too fundamental to qualify for their offered awards. Since
there is no commercial partner that has transfered the technology of
Project LISTEN to a product that could be tested in enough classroom
trials to satisfy the Department of Education, Project LISTEN is left
hundreds of thousands of dollars short to continue the development of
a technology far more vital than defense, now more than ever. To
paraphrase an anonymous sage, it will be a great day when our schools
get all the money they need and ARPA must hold a bake sale to build an
autonomous tank.
Why won't the Department of Education fund basic technological research
and development? The meager Education research budget makes the NSF
budget look enormous by comparison. All of the Education Department
research awards for the "Improvement of Educational Practice" are
hotly contested, tightly controlled, and very poorly funded with respect
to the levels required for advanced computer science research and
development. Since the computer, perhaps the most powerful educational
tool of all time, has traditionally been funded by military research,
there is simply no precedent for the Department of Education to support
any serious computer science.
The times have changed; we must demand that our government change with
them. As a literacy volunteer, I tutor a woman who left her
crowded public school system without learning the fundamental skills
that she needs to work her minimum-wage job. What if she had access to
a computer system that could teach her with minimal supervision the
skills that take my evenings and weekends to painstakingly reiterate?
Everyone would be better off: she would be earning more money, I would
have more spare time, and more taxes would be paid to the rest of the
country. The politicians who bring this about will be able to claim
credit at election time and later find it easier to balance their budgets.
The crime rate will go down[5], and productivity will increase[3].
That scenario might be every politicians dream, but right now only a
handful of government officials and know about Project LISTEN at all.
You can change that. By telling them your thoughts about government
computer science funding in general, and Project LISTEN in particular,
you can take the first steps toward a more useful technology funding
policy. You should start with letters to your own congressional
representative and senators. In addition, I have appended an extensive
list of government officials who can cause the Department of Education
to support educational computer science projects like LISTEN, as well as
educational organizations in Washington that can encourage them to do
so. Please help bring our government's cold-war computer science funding
strategy up to date by writing your opinions and voting your conscience.
REFERENCES
1. J. Mostow, S. Roth, A. G. Hauptmann, and M. Kane, "A Prototype
Reading Coach That Listens," _Proceedings of the Twelfth National
Conference on Artificial Intelligence_ (AAAI94; Seattle, Washington,
August 1994), American Association for Artificial Intelligence, Menlo
Park, California and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
2. "A New Chapter in Learning to Read," by Mariette DiChristina in
_Popular_Science_, Computers & Software section, September 1994, page
42.
3. Jonathan Kozol, "The Price We Pay," chapter 3 in
_Illiterate_America_, PLUME/Penguin Books USA, 1985.
4. Jeanne S. Chall, et al., _The_Reading_Crisis:__Why Poor Children
Fall Behind_, Harvard University Press, 1990.
5. National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of
Education, "Adult Literacy in America," GPO # 065-000-00588-3,
September 1993.
APPENDIX
(After the elections, an updated copy of this published address list
will be in http://www.eecs.nwu.edu/~bovik/education-addrs .)
Susan Wilhelm
Staff Director
Subcommittee on Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Education
House Education and Labor Committee
RHOB room B-346A
Washington, D.C. 20515
Rep. Dale E. Kildee, D-Mich. (subcom. chair)
Rep. George Miller, D-D-Calif.
Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Ohio
Rep. Major R. Owens, D-N.Y.
Rep. Jolene Unsoeld, D-Wash.
Rep. Jack Reed, D-R.I.
Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind.
Rep. Patsy T. Mink, D-Hawaii
Rep. Eliot L. Engel, D-N.Y.
Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.
Rep. Gene Green, D-Texas
Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif.
Rep. Karan English, D-Ariz.
Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio
Rep. Donald M. Payne, D-N.J.
Rep. Carlos Romero-Barcelo, D-P.R.
Rep. Bill Goodling, R-Pa.
Rep. Steve Gunderson, R-Wis.
Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif.
Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wis.
Rep. Susan Molinari, R-N.Y.
Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif.
Rep. Dan Miller, R-Fla.
Rep. Marge Roukema, R-N.J.
Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio
Rep. William D. Ford, D-Mich. [comte. chair=_ex_officio_ subcom. member]
David V. Evans
Staff Director
Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities
Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee
Room SD-648
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Sen. Claiborne Pell, D-R.I. (subcom. chair)
Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum, D-Ohio
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn.
Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill.
Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. (comte. chair)
Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn.
Sen. Harris Wofford, D-Pa.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa
Sen. James M. Jeffords, R-Vt.
Sen. Nancy L. Kassebaum, R-Kan.
Sen. Daniel R. Coats, R-Ind.
Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H.
Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C.
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah
Sen. Dave Durenberger, R-Minn.
Richard W. Riley
Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4181
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Alicia Coro
Director for School Improvement Programs
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
U.S. Department of Education
Room 2071
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Eve M. Bither
Director of Programs for the Improvement of Practice
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
Room 500-E
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20208
Joseph Conaty
Director of Research
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
Room 610-D
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20208
Thomas Payzant
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education
U.S. Department of Education
Room 2189
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Sharon Porter Robinson
Assistant Secretary for Educational Research and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
Room 600
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20208
Kay L. Casstevens
Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs
U.S. Department of Education
Room 3153
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Kate Kahlor
Director, Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4181
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Nelson F. Ashline
Director, Policy Oversight and Issues Analysis Staff
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4155
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Victor Klatt
Director of Legislation and Congressional Affairs
U.S. Department of Education
Room 3153
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Nguyen Ngoc-Bich
Deputy Director for Bilingual and Minority Language Affairs
U.S. Department of Education
Room 5082
330 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Augusta S. Kappner
Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4090
330 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Jean Naraynan
Director for Recognition
U.S. Department of Education
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20208
Billy Webster
Chief of Staff, Office of the Secretary
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4181
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Andy Hartman
Director
National Institute for Literacy
Suite 200
800 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Ronald S. Pugsley
Acting Director for Adult Education and Literacy
U.S. Department of Education
330 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Ed Long
Clerk
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
Senate Appropriations Committee
Room SD-186
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa (subcom. chair)
Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va. (comte. chair)
Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C.
Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii
Sen. Dale Bumpers, D-Ark.
Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.
Sen. Mark O. Hatfield, R-Ore.
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska
Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.
Sen. Slade Gorton, R-Wash.
Sen. Connie Mack, R-Fla.
Sen. Christopher S. Bond, R-Mo.
Mike Stephens
Staff Assistant
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
House Appropriations Committee
RHOB room 2358
Washington, D.C. 20515
Rep. Neal Smith, D-Iowa (subcom. chair)
Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wis. (comte. chair)
Rep. Louis Stokes, D-Ohio
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-N.Y.
Rep. Jose E. Serrano, D-N.Y.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-N.Y.
Rep. John Edward Porter, R-Ill.
Rep. C. W. Bill Young, R-Fla.
Rep. Helen Delich Bently, R-Md.
Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas
Rep. Joseph M. McDade, R-Pa. [ranking comte. R=_ex_officio_ subcom.
member]
Director, Reading Literacy Programs
c/o Sheldon Hackney, Chairman
National Endowment for the Humanities
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20506
Mary Anne Schmitt
Director, Goals 2000: Educate America
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Ruth Graves
President, Reading Is Fundamental
Smithsonian Institution
Suite 600
600 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20024
John Y. Cole
Director, The Center for the Book
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington, D.C. 20540-8200
Robert Stonehill
Director, Educational Resources Information Center
U.S. Department of Education
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20208-5720
Lillian Dorka
Associate Director
National Institute for Literacy
Suite 200
800 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20006
Gordon M. Ambach
Executive Director
Council of Chief State School Officers
Suite 700
1 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20001-1431
Brenda L. Welburn
Executive Director
National Association of State Boards of Education
1012 Cameron Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Thomas A. Shannon
Executive Director
National School Boards Association
1680 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Lorraine Amico
Senior Policy Analyst for Reading and Literacy
National Governors' Association
444 N Capitol Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Samuel G. Sava
Executive Director
National Association of Elementary School Principals
1615 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Timothy J. Dyer
Executive Director
National Association of Secondary School Principals
1904 Association Drive
Reston, VA 22091
Paul D. Houston
Executive Director
American Association of School Administrators
1801 N Moore Street
Arlington, VA 22209
Larry Diebold
Executive Director
National Council of State Education Associations
1201 16th Street NW, 4th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20036
Arnold F. Fege
Director of Governmental Relations
National Congress of Parents and Teachers
Suite 600
2000 L Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Eileen D. Cooke
Director, Washington Office
American Library Association
110 Maryland Avenue NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
Robert Hochstein
Assistant to the President
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
1755 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Benita Sommerfield
Executive Director
The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
1002 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20007
Dick Lynch
Director, Special Committee on Law and Literacy
American Bar Association
1800 M Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Paul Weckstein
Director, Washington office
Center for Law and Education
Suite 510
1875 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20009-5728
Michael Usdan
President
Institute for Educational Leadership
Suite 310
1001 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Michael Cohen
Director, National Center on Education and the Economy
National Alliance for Restructuring Education
Suite 750
700 11th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
John Anderson
President
New American Schools Development Corporation
Suite 2710
1000 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22209
Joyce McCray
Executive Director
Council for American Private Education
Suite 1102
1726 M Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036-4502
Ellen Gilligan
Director, Education and Literacy Initiative
United Way of America
701 N Fairfax Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Stephen F. Moseley
President
Academy for Educational Development
1875 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
William J. Russell
Executive Officer
American Educational Research Association
1230 17th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Dena G. Stoner
Executive Director
Council for Educational Development and Research
Suite 601
2000 L Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Charles Horner
President
Madison Center for Educational Affairs
Suite 712
1155 15th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Charles R. Roll, Jr.
Director, Washington operations
Education and Human Resources Program
Rand Corporation
2100 M Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
Gerald C. Odland
Executive Director
Association for Childhood Education International
Suite 315
11501 Georgia Avenue
Wheaton, MD 20902
Gene R. Carter
Executive Director
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
1250 N Pitt Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
A. Graham Down
President
Council for Basic Education
Suite 900
1319 F Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
Mike Casserly
Director
The Council of the Great City Schools
1413 K Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Patricia Mitchell
Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Education
National Alliance of Business
Suite 700
1201 New York Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Marilyn M. Smith
Executive Director
National Association for the Education of Young Children
1509 16th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036-1426
Daniel W. Merenda
President
National Association of Partners in Education
Suite 401
209 Madison Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Bruce Astrein
Executive Director
National Committee for Citizens in Education
Suite 8
900 2nd Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
Ann W. Lewin
President
National Learning Center
800 3rd Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
Richard D. Bagin
Executive Director
National School Public Relations Association
Suite 201
1501 Lee Highway
Arlington, VA 22209
Dorothy Rich
President, Mega-Skills Education Center
The Home and School Institute
1500 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
James C. Wilder
Director, Washington office
The Charles F. Kettering Foundation
Suite 434
444 N Capitol Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Forrest P. Chisman
President
The Southport Institute for Policy Analysis
P.O. Box 25424
Alexandria, VA 22313
Ramona H. Edelin
President
National Urban Coalition
Suite 400
1875 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20009-5728
Ron Stroman
Staff Director
Subcommittee on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations
House Government Operations Committee [oversees Education Department]
RHOB room B-372
Washington, D.C. 20515
Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y. (subcom. chair)
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
Rep. Thomas M. Barrett, D-Wis.
Rep. Donald M. Payne, D-N.J.
Rep. Craig Washington, D-Texas
Rep. Steven H. Schiff, R-N.M.
Rep. John L. Mica, R-Fla.
Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio
Rep. Bernard Sanders, R-Vt.
Rep. John Conyers, Jr., D-Mich. [comte. chair=_ex_officio_ subcom.]
Rep. William F. Clinger, R-Pa. [ranking comte. R=_ex_officio_ subcom.
member]
Ramon Cortines
Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4181
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Janet L. Shikles
Assistant Comptroller General
NGB/ACG, Education Department Program Evaluation
General Accounting Office
441 G Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20548
Sally H. Christensen
Chief Financial Officer
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4079
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Madeleine M. Kunin
Deputy Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4015
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Tom Wolanin
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs
U.S. Department of Education
Room 3153
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Cary Green
Director of Information Resources
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4682
7th and D Streets, SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Patty Hobbs
Special Assistant
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
Room 600-E
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20208
Alan L. Ginsburg
Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning
U.S. Department of Education
Room 4155
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Eunice Henderson
Chief of Staff
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
Room 602-C
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20208
Dick Hays
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
Room 602-H
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20208
Mary Jean LeTendre
Associate Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education
U.S. Department of Education
Room 2189
400 Maryland Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Eugene E. Garcia
Director for Bilingual and Minority Language Affairs
U.S. Department of Education
Room 5082
330 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
Rene Gonzalez
Associate Director for Bilingual and Minority Language Affairs
U.S. Department of Education
Room 5082
330 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20202
DISCLAIMER
I, James Salsman, am not in any way affiliated with Carnegie-Mellon
University or Project LISTEN, nor is my employer, nor is any
organization to which I belong. My only contact with Project
LISTEN's staff has been through infrequent question-and-answer
correspondence. No staff member or affiliate of Project LISTEN nor
any employee, student, or faculty member of Carnegie-Mellon
University has ever asked, enticed, or suggested that I take any
action on behalf of Project LISTEN. My statements are solely my
own, and should not be construed to represent Project LISTEN or
Carnegie-Mellon University in any way. My sole motivation to make
these statements is to influence the way my taxes are spent in the
United States representative government.