Budget director blames old computers for ineffective government

“Twenty years ago, people who came to work in the federal
government had better technology at work than at home,” said Orszag, director
of the Office of Management and Budget. “Now that’s no longer the case.

“The American people deserve better service from their
government, and better return for their tax dollars.”

The White House release that included Orszag’s comments said
one “specific source” of ineffective and inefficient government is the huge
technology gap between the public and private sectors that results in billions
of dollars in waste, slow and inadequate customer service and a lack of
transparency about how dollars are spent.

Obama is meeting with CEOs to solicit their views on how to
improve the federal government with new information technology.

“Improving the technology our government uses isn’t about
having the fanciest bells and whistles on our websites — it’s about how we use
the American people’s hard-earned tax dollars to make government work better
for them,” Obama said in a statement.

Obama had proposed the meeting in April. CEOs from
Craigslist, Facebook, Microsoft, Adobe Technology and Monster.com are among those
taking part.

“It’s time to bring government into the 21^st
century,” Orszag said. “Information technology has the power to transform how
government works and revolutionize the ease, convenience and effectiveness by
which it serves the American people.”

Those attending the summit are to break into smaller
groups to discuss streamlining government operations, improving customer
service and maximizing return on IT investments.

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