Republican Congressmen Crowdsource Attack on Science

[n2doc]

By Brandon Keim December 7, 2010 | 3:35 pm | Categories: Government

Under the guise of keeping federal spending under control, Republican congressmen have launched yet another attack on the basic scientific research that could lead to useful, potentially job-creating discoveries.

House majority leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) announced last week that the YouCut Citizen Review, a crowdsourcing tool for identifying “wasteful spending that should be cut,” would make its very first target the National Science Foundation.

One would expect science-targeting politicians to have learned caution from Sarah Palin’s fruit-fly debacle, in which the 2008 vice presidential candidate mocked the methodology of research into neurological disorders like Down syndrome and autism, both of which afflict members of her family.

But in a video introduction to the YouCut review, Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Nebraska), a member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, pulls rank on peer review.

“Help us identify grants that are wasteful or that you don’t think are a good use of taxpayer dollars,” he asks, mentioning “university academics received a $750,000 grant to develop computer models to analyze the on-field contributions of soccer players” and “scientists received $1.2 million to model the sound of objects breaking for use by the videogame and movie industry.”

more
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/12/nsf-youcut-review/

[SpiralHawk]

1. The Know Nothing Party (R) is doing its DAMNEDEST to...

...Bring back The Goode Olde Days*

* Dark Ages (compleat with inquisition, torture, barefoot & pregnant women silently slaving in the kitchen, and corporate royalty enjoying SPECIAL TAX BREAKS and slobbing down the FAT of the land while they plunge willy nilly into wide-stance, extramarital Family-Values diaper sex with luggage-handling faux-lesbian B & D rentboy hooker Pages).

[Drale]

2. And when they do bring apon another Dark Ages

they will be the first ones to bitch about their loss of freedom that will come with their dream

[Duer 157099]

3. This one isn't so clear cut to me

I have seen good worthy projects not get funded, and I've seen the most batshit insane projects get funded.

I hate to admit that there is a valid point here. But having an ignorant public make the distinction, that's what is worrisome.