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of the security agencies. The normal civilian agencies are usually wrong and late
regarding everything they predict.
Many state and municipal governments are rapidly heading toward bankruptcy
under the ever-increasing debt loads due to overly luxurious pension systems (i.e.,
3% to 6% cost of living adjustments and free lifetime medical care for retired em-
ployees and some relatives). It is simple math to predict that benefits such as these
awarded to an increasing population of recipients who are living longer and retir-
ing younger must lead to bankruptcy. There is no other destination.
The elected government is probably not qualified to solve these problems they
created due to the fact that politicians pay more attention to lobbyists and special
interests than to the actual good of the electorate. Appointed and salaried officials
may know about the problems, and some might know solutions, but they lack the
power to overrule bad judgments by elected officials.
Given the huge reach of the web, a neutral or benign nonprofit organization
could apply predictive analytics to federal, state, and municipal laws and regula-
tions before they are passed. The nonprofit by itself would have no legal standing,
but it would use the power of the web to align millions of citizens to force elected
leaders toward more rational behavior patterns, such as actually using predictive
analytics prior to passing laws that will raise taxes and cause distress to a majority
of voters and taxpayers.
It is too bad that such a nonprofit using predictive analytics was not able to
tackle the periodic federal flaps on the budget ceiling, on sequester, on Obama-
care, and on various entitlement programs. It is too bad that state nonprofits using
predictive analytics were not available to tackle pension reforms, out-of-state col-
lege fees for illegal aliens, and welfare costs.
Predictive analytics at government levels are reminiscent of the Greek legend
of Cassandra. She was given the gift of truthful prophesy combined with the curse
of nobody ever believing her.
Wearable Computers
As many readers know, Google has been working on a prototype of a wearable
computer called Google Glass. The device looks like an ordinary pair of glasses
but contains an embedded computer with lenses that can display information.
This concept has been greeted with both favorable and unfavorable comments.
The favorable comments are that the new device can provide useful information
such as weather alerts, traffic problems, and emergency messages. The unfavor-
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