Gore's New Invention: E-Gov't

Gore said he wants people to get online -- not stand in line -- and use technology to establish a government that works better, costs less and is more relevant. "Together we will transform America's collection of ramshackle bureaucracies into an 'e-government' that works for you," the vice president said in a campaign speech at North Carolina State University's Centennial campus. Gore proposed that all federal agencies be required to put their services online by 2003 so people could instantly obtain a bevy of federal data -- ranging from the purity of drinking water to the quality of a nursing home to the amount of a pending Social Security check. Using the Internet, they could also apply for federal aid, and even bid on government work or old equipment up for auction.