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Obama reinvests in science

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  • Obama reinvests in science

    Originally posted by Phil


    I have good news — really, great news — about Obama and science. But I’ll warn you, I get a little ticked at the end here.

    But first, this really is fantastic and highly encouraging news: speaking at the National Academy of Sciences today, President Obama confirmed what most of us in the reality-based community have been hoping for: a massive reinvestment in science. In his speech today, he outlines a tremendous increase in science investing by the government. It includes a doubling of the budget for the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, both of which are fundamental supporters of basic research in the U.S. It includes making permanent a tax credit to companies that do basic research and experimentation. It includes $150 billion over ten years to invest in sources of renewable energy and energy efficiency. And (perhaps most excitingly) it includes the creation of a new initiative: the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, or ARPA-E.

    The original ARPA (as part of the Department of Defense) helped create the Internet. So we’re talking big-time stuff here, and aimed squarely at scientific research, developing new methods of creating energy, and new ways of using it. I am completely and 100% behind an effort like this.

    All in all, I feel an immense sense of relief. In his inauguration speech, Obama said he would restore science to its rightful place, something we desperately needed after eight years of the jack-booted heel that had been at science’s neck. Not only has that heel being removed, a hand is being offered to help us up.

    But there is still a sense of unease I have, and it became more clear as I read the President’s speech.
    NASA question

    He mentions NASA several times, including how the Apollo program was our response to a huge challenge (the Soviet launch of Sputnik and the threat of an enemy’s superiority in space), how it gave us new opportunities in science and research, and how it gave our country a renewed sense of exploration.

    In fact, in that speech President Obama uses NASA many times as an analogy. But what about where the rubber hits the road; how does NASA fare in this huge increase in science investment? In that speech, NASA is mentioned only once when it comes to benefits of this new resurgence in science, and only then in NASA’s ability to help investigate climate change.

    While this is an important part of NASA’s mission, it’s only one part. I would say that NASA’s main goal is to explore. To push back boundaries, to see how far we can go, to see just what we can do in space. I would bet solid money that most people in this country would agree with that; the most famous and publicly-known missions are Hubble, Cassini, Apollo and the like. That’s what we see from NASA, and that’s what the public needs to see.

    But there’s no mention of this in Obama’s speech. No talk of solid reinvestment in NASA’s space science, or of how it will help create the next generation of scientific exploration in astronomy, space, and aeronautics.

    For sure, NASA’s budget did pretty well in both the economic stimulus package and in the federal budget. But it bugs me that Obama didn’t see fit to talk about this in his otherwise very lengthy speech. And if that seems petty of me, remember that right now NASA doesn’t have a chief Administrator! Mike Griffin left the post months ago, and Obama has not appointed a new one. Why not? If NASA is a priority in Obama’s mind, then why leave it headless for over three months?

    Why pick the new White House puppy before the top dog at NASA?

    That’s what concerns me, very much. Obama talks a good game, and in almost all cases he has walked the walk as well. After eight years of lies, deception, and ideologically-driven politics trumping reality pretty much every time, a President who respects and understands the importance of science is like breathing fresh air after almost a decade of living in a windowless slaughterhouse.

    But still. NASA has but a handful of Shuttle launches left before the fleet is retired next year. The Ares rockets are nowhere near ready to pick up the slack, and I’m guessing (and I sincerely hope I’m wrong) that we’ll have more than a five year gap before NASA can launch humans into space again after the Shuttles shut down. Many NASA science programs are running late and over budget. Decisions need to be made, and soon, about what NASA will be doing in the coming years.

    Heaping money on the space agency won’t close the rocket gap, nor will it accelerate or fix the other problems. But a NASA without a permanent chief is one that cannot make the big decisions, or at least cannot make them and expect them to stick. And while NASA is a small part of the national budget (much less than 1%), it still looms large in the future of this country; when we have to start paying the Russians to launch our payloads into space you can just bet there will be some noise made about that.

    So, President Obama: I praise you on your phenomenal support of science, and your understanding that we cannot simply restore it to where it was before Bush’s Pyrrhic onslaught, but must increase its standing in our lives.

    But whence NASA? When will you find the time to make sure our most famous and one of the most important agencies gets your attention, the attention it deserves and so desperately needs?
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    [COLOR=#4b0082][B][SIZE=4][FONT=trebuchet ms]“If you think you can, or you can’t, you’re right.”
    -Henry Ford[/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]

  • #2
    Re: Obama reinvests in science

    if Obama revives the electric car, I'll be impressed. His initiative for investing in science, particularly for energy, will make sense.

    His intent is not to invest in exploration of outer space, that's a give in, because it has nothing to contribute to the economy, which is what he's obsessed with tweaking, providing magical change to.
    Last edited by jgk3; 04-28-2009, 05:39 AM.

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    • #3
      Re: Obama reinvests in science

      The electric Ford Focus is scheduled for production in 2011.... Canada's Magna corporation has designed the entire system for Ford. If everything goes according to plan, should be seeing them on the road in the not too distant future... but you know how plans change.

      It looks like star wars has been put on hold since the Regan administration... when the USSR collapsed, there was no need for further advancement in space.
      Last edited by KanadaHye; 04-28-2009, 05:45 AM.
      "Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it." ~Malcolm X

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Obama reinvests in science

        yep... Perhaps NASA should go conquer Greenland or something and tax its subjects to fund their research more. Shouldn't be hard with space technology.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Obama reinvests in science

          We learned so much from the exploration satalites mentioned. The information was at times surprising and changed the way we look at planets and moons. This kind of exploration is very expensive and it makes sence that in toughf economic times it is sidelined. I hope things change soon and new missions are launched. With the government funding of stemcell research and other scientific endeavers i think we can expect some good and usefull results soon. It is so nice to have a proactive government when it comes to science and it will in turn benefit us all.
          Hayastan or Bust.

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          • #6
            Re: Obama reinvests in science

            Originally posted by Haykakan View Post
            We learned so much from the exploration satalites mentioned. The information was at times surprising and changed the way we look at planets and moons. This kind of exploration is very expensive and it makes sence that in toughf economic times it is sidelined. I hope things change soon and new missions are launched. With the government funding of stemcell research and other scientific endeavers i think we can expect some good and usefull results soon. It is so nice to have a proactive government when it comes to science and it will in turn benefit us all.
            The government doesn't need to fund stemcell research, those are tools used by politicians to sway public opinion. Stemcell research has been progressing in other countries like South Korea. Unfortunately, there has been corruption and scandals surrounding the success through the research of stemcells. If there is such a benefit to stemcell research, wouldn't the private medical/pharmacy giants be the first ones to invest into the research? What role does government play aside from providing money from the public/tax payers?
            Last edited by KanadaHye; 04-28-2009, 09:20 AM.
            "Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it." ~Malcolm X

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Obama reinvests in science

              Nasa's important, but i don't really care about it. I mean after all it will still get better funding even than it has, even if it's not what's needed. If they want more money, let them save it by not crashing rovers out in space by not accidentally programing the thing with the wrong measurements, or actually thoroughly check on each shuttle before they blow up.

              I'm much more interested in green technologies, medicine, and exploration of the fathoms of the deep

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              • #8
                Re: Obama reinvests in science

                Better than nothing I guess. But no mission to Mars anytime soon.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Obama reinvests in science

                  Originally posted by KanadaHye View Post
                  The government doesn't need to fund stemcell research, those are tools used by politicians to sway public opinion. Stemcell research has been progressing in other countries like South Korea. Unfortunately, there has been corruption and scandals surrounding the success through the research of stemcells. If there is such a benefit to stemcell research, wouldn't the private medical/pharmacy giants be the first ones to invest into the research? What role does government play aside from providing money from the public/tax payers?
                  There is no dought that stemcell research yeilds enormous benefits. Chances are that stem cell technology will be used to save the life of your loved one and maybe yourself. Why should we not participate in such important research? With a progressive stance on science issues taken by this government we already see many private companies getting involved in this field and there will be more coming soon. Government can play a very constuctive or a very destructive role, it all depends on the competence and intent of the people governing.
                  Hayastan or Bust.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Obama reinvests in science

                    Originally posted by Haykakan View Post
                    There is no dought that stemcell research yeilds enormous benefits. Chances are that stem cell technology will be used to save the life of your loved one and maybe yourself.
                    As far as the benefits, as of right now the extended benefits are false hopes. There hasn't been a break through to justify the possible enormous benefits. That doesn't mean that there won't be, however its going to take lots of research to validate the claims.

                    Originally posted by Haykakan View Post
                    Why should we not participate in such important research? With a progressive stance on science issues taken by this government we already see many private companies getting involved in this field and there will be more coming soon. Government can play a very constuctive or a very destructive role, it all depends on the competence and intent of the people governing.
                    Why should YOU invest YOUR tax dollars towards the research when the government isn't in the business of medicine/healthcare. That is the responsibility of the private sector. They are the ones that profit from such findings. Would you let George Bush or any politician or congressman operate on you? They don't know the first thing about healthcare, just like Obama doesn't know the first thing about the automobile industry.
                    Last edited by KanadaHye; 05-05-2009, 06:25 AM.
                    "Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it." ~Malcolm X

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