NYT: Behind Bush's New Stress on Science, Lobbying by Republican Execs

[DeepModem Mom]

Behind Bush's New Stress on Science, Lobbying by Republican Executives
By JOHN MARKOFF
Published: February 2, 2006


SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 1 — President Bush's proposal to accelerate spending on basic scientific research came after technology industry executives made the case for such a move in a series of meetings with White House officials, executives involved said Wednesday....

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Computer scientists have expressed alarm that federal support for basic research is being eroded by shifts toward applied research and shorter-term financing. But in his speech, Mr. Bush pointed to work in supercomputing, nanotechnology and alternative energy sources — subjects that were favorites in the Clinton administration but had not been priorities for the current White House.

What was different this year, according to a number of Capitol Hill lobbyists and Silicon Valley executives, was support on the issue by Republican corporate executives like Craig R. Barrett, the chairman of Intel, and John Chambers, the chief executive of Cisco Systems.

Industry officials eager to see a greater government commitment to research held a series of discussions with administration officials late last year that culminated in two meetings in the Old Executive Office Building on Dec. 13.

There, a group led by Mr. Barrett and Norman R. Augustine, a former Lockheed Martin chief executive, met with Vice President Dick Cheney. A second group headed by Charles M. Vest, the former president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, met with Joshua B. Bolten, director of the Office of Management and Budget....


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/02/business/02research.html

[rfranklin]

1. Something good happens by accident...

Of course, they will somehow try to privatize this, let their cronies patent the results, and end up turning it into a boondoggle for a political contributor.

[mrbassman03]

2. When he was discussing tax breaks for research...

I was wondering if it had anything to do with pharmaceutical companies looking to come away with even more profit.

[Marie26]

3. So now we know where animal/human hybrids

came from! That's probably one of the only things that stuck in Bush's mind from that meeting.

[JudyM]

4. There was footage of him speaking today, again focusing on the importance

of R&D. It's clear that something's up, since this guy doesn't operate for the good of the public.

[warrens]

5. They mean, make them study science at Bob Jones U

Can't solve that equation? Pray harder. The GOP holds scientists in contempt unless they're saying what the Rethugs want them to say. Which is very, very rarely, since nothing the Repukes say makes scientific sense.

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. As a former science teacher ....

I think they'd have a lot more students studying math and science at the college level if they knew they would have a career when they graduated. What's the point of going to school for 4 or more years if there's a good chance your job will be outsourced overseas or given to a guest worker with an H1b visa. We have thousands of unemployed engineers and computer scientists here already.

[HockeyMom]

7. You hit the nail on the head

It is precisely the same reason why college students are dropping their Computer Science majors. NO JOBS are you graduate.

[David Zephyr]

8. I guess that Neil Bush will now begin sleezing around "research science"

n/t

[Hotler]

9. Maybe if the rich made only 50-times

the average worker instead of 400-times I could understand subsides to their industries. As it stands they can spend their own money on R&D. No more welfare to corporate amerikA. If you can't survive on the merits and quality of your product/service as it 's sold to the consumers you don't need to be in business. It's time corporations learned to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.