Technology and the rebuilding of the Republican party

I keep having this feeling that both parties - Democratic and Republican alike - are missing the boat when it comes to the changing world around us. We are indeed, to coin a phrase from Thomas Friedman, living in a flat world, where modern technology and a world wide economy increasingly govern our lives. But to listen to the recent campaigns of McCain and Obama, the topic was obviously the elephant in the room - the one that everyone was determined to ignore.

Obama is now our president, but unless I missed something along the way (which is certainly possible)he doesn't have a plan for us to more effectively play on this field. What does he believe is the role of the federal government when it comes to our country and the changing world? Is there still a plan around somewhere for aiding schools that have no access to the Internet, or perhaps not even computers? Will an Obama presidency attempt to help Americans who lost their jobs to foreign companies? Wasn't there a plan around at one time to build an "information highway," a cheap, readily accessible, high speed network that would give Americans a leg up on the emerging Informational Age?

I call upon Obama, and all our representatives, to address this issue. If we are to effectively compete in a flat world, we all need to address the subject.