Science Policy Change or Cheap McCain Makeover?

Tom Levenson writing at the Inverse Square Blog identifies several ways the Bush administration has effectively reversed progress in US science policy using official denialism, direct pressure on scientists and scientific organizations, and by nurturing public contempt. He then goes on to analyze how science might fare under McCain and points out several dismal realities including:

To deliver on his commitments on taxes, defense and fiscal responsibility, John McCain would have to eliminate all discretionary spending — including the few tens of billions spent on science R & D. ... McCain’s priorities are very clear — trillions for defense; trillions more for tax cuts.

I may a have short, somewhat tangentially related post tomorrow on the Saturday Open Science Thread with some, err.., breaking bloggy news.

•  Sweet young Friday

  Prince of Days!

  by DarkSyde on Fri May 09, 2008 at 03:56:30 AM PDT

  •  Well, if you like rain--heavy here in CT.

    Serious weather further south--hope all will be safe.

    by Phil S 33 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:06:50 AM PDT

    •  I just fixed my gutters and have

      waited for rain to see how good a job I did.

      I'm a blogger not a handyman

      by xxdr zombiexx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:49:31 AM PDT

      •  You forgot to preface it with...

        ..."Dammit, Jim!..."

        by JeffW on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:51:26 AM PDT

        •  Heh.. I ALMOST did

          but I thought people wouldn't get it....

          by xxdr zombiexx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:04:11 AM PDT

          •  Fascinating. n/t

            by JeffW on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:52:42 AM PDT

  •  Good Morning

    From Concord, NC.
    the trip here yesterday was uneventful, which was great.
    now the dreaded job search starts

    hope everyone has a decent Friday

    by eeff on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:06:56 AM PDT

    •  Good luck on the search.

      by Phil S 33 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:11:15 AM PDT

      •  What are all these lame comments?

        by alliedoc on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:04:26 AM PDT

•  This isn't a matter of spotted owls

  Science and understanding our impact on the environment have become imperative for our survival as a species.

  If you are anti-science you are anti- the best tool we have to save lives.

  by rini6 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:08:46 AM PDT

  •  It's about a leopard who doesn't change his spots

    Remember, he's in Arizona, lots of defense out there.

    by MikeTheLiberal on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:21:39 AM PDT

    •  Love your sig! n/t

      by SciMathGuy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:31:56 AM PDT

  •  Picked up a Field & Stream at dentist's office

    I am not a usual reader of hunting magazines but it was that or Family Circle. One of their articles was on GW and its effect on wildlife, written in the present, discussing the present, documenting changes in animals' ranges and in their populations. I was surprised since usually the articles I see are authored by anti gun, anti pointy headed liberal types.
    This was a surprise; I did note that the author treated GW as a fact with none of this nonsense of throwing in a few denialists to make the article "balanced"  

    by entlord1 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:36:31 AM PDT

•  McCain will provide plenty of govt money for R&D

  in the form of grants to defense contractors.

  After all, what other kind of R&D is important?

  by A Mad Mad World on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:09:35 AM PDT

  •  Yes, news update"defense contractors solve

    global warming. We will start bombing in five minutes. In related news, defense contractors announce a cure for cancer. We begin bombing in five minutes."

    by the fan man on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:01:25 AM PDT

    •  How much defense is enough?

      Are we waiting for someone to attack us from outer space or what?  We already spend more than all the nations of the world combined, and we're still not safe?  Well, it can't be because we don't have enough weapons.

      by trinite on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:03:39 AM PDT

      •  All guns, no sense, diplomacy, or tact. n/t

        by Dauphin on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:12:49 AM PDT

      •  a bomb shelter in every garage

        and two automatic .50 caliber MGs at every door. Since the entire universe hates the US, we must be aware that even the microbes may be in an al Qaeda training camp at this minute learning how to take us down.

        by entlord1 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:14:40 AM PDT

        •  Can't

          hurt to have two bomb shelters ... you can never have too many of em!

          by DarkSyde on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:19:51 AM PDT

          •  Have you ever looked in one of those that

            has been abandoned and not entered for a few years?  They can get really nasty with hip deep water and who knows what swimming and growing in them.   Maybe we'll be in enough trouble that none of them will be abandoned this time around.  Hmmmmmmm?

            by maybeeso in michigan on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:31:12 AM PDT

      •  John McCane's Money Laundering Identified

        The military/defense/war establishment is McCane's core consituency.  Wars such as that in Iraq are essential simply to justify the absurdity of spending so much (ignoring, of course, the missing millions that are laundered in Iraq and then find their way into republican 527's.)  

        To win the war on terror you will need to elect Obama.  McCane is committed to perpetual war.  The last thing he wants is to win.  Hence, the 100 years strategy and the emphasis on Iraq and Iran rather than on Al Queida.

        The underappreciated aspect of this strategy is that it is ultimately unsustainable.  The government is so broke it can no longer afford to pay for this stuff, so the deal John McCane struck with the French to develop US weapons abroad is at the "tip of the spear" in terms of the kind of military spending that will take place going forward.  

        A close look at current military spending reveals increasing levels of kickbacks to foreign nationals, where an increasing proportion of production and procurement is taking place.  We have already lost the manufacturing and assembly leadership needed to produce the much of the advanced weaponry.  It must be done abroad.  Unfortunately, once, others have the blueprints and theoretical know-how as well, very little further American input will be needed.  Shrewdly, these folks see the need to move offshore as America is less able to pay for military equipment.

        The entire story about the missle guidance systems being "wrongly" shipped to Taiwan was a good example.  The warheads were there to complete fabrication, but a story needed to be connocted to explain away why such devices were there in the first place.  The story was made public to signal to the Chinese that the US has transfered nuclear technology fabrication to the Taiwanese in a way that would not be a PR nightmare nor a flash point in US/Chinese relations.  If the Chinese really got too incsenced they they might call in our debt and the game would really become difficult to play.

        It is also unsustainable as those who are actually bearing the true cost of the war, the families of those serving, will be increasingly disinclined to participate in unnecessaray wars, fought largely to keep profits flowing to McCane's campaign contributors.

        This is why McCane/Bush cut the deal with the French on the tanker contract and why he received the special personal thanks from Sarkozy.  Ironically, his trip to Iraq as to provide cover for his visit to Paris.  The Euro is strong, the dollar is weak, and after all money is money.  

        Ironically, the cost of his stuff is immaterial to McCane, who has personally lost 4 multimillion dollar aircraft.  After all, he has his own personal jet now, and he doesn't have to pay for any of this stuff himself.

        Just more of the McSame Old.  

        by Velvetfish on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:23:24 AM PDT

    •  Bombing & Tax Cuts...

      ...what more do you need? /snark

      by JeffW on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:53:00 AM PDT

•  Redefining properties

  In my mind, the most egregious transgression by Bush came very early in his administration: That is when he decided to "redefine" the properties of a substance, (CO2), so as not to fit the definition of a greenhouse gas. Yet as egregious and patently ridiculous as it seemed to me, it got almost no coverage.

  by MargaretPOA on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:09:52 AM PDT

  •  Reagan was the precursor

    when catsup became a vegetable. ( it should be a fruit at very most)

    by entlord1 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:37:29 AM PDT

•  The two faces of McCain look exactly the same!

  Faustian

  

  by notquitedelilah on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:20:20 AM PDT

  •  That is some scary shit... n/t

    by moltar on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:41:04 AM PDT

    •  You know that sound you make

      when you twist your head back and forth and let your cheeks and lips slap together?

      Sort of a bb-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b sound?

      That pic makes me think of it.

      by xxdr zombiexx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:51:20 AM PDT

  •  Only the center eye shows a spark of life.

    I wonder why?

    by maybeeso in michigan on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:01:07 AM PDT

    •  Actually

      I have wondered for years whether any of the neocons are really human at all.

      by Spoc42 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:56:24 AM PDT

      •  I've wondered about that for so long I forget to

        mention it.

        by maybeeso in michigan on Fri May 09, 2008 at 10:27:44 AM PDT

    •  "Sit down Baracking, sit down, sit down..."

      I played Sky Masterson.

      by pakaal on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:27:09 AM PDT

      •  How much fun!!! I'll bet you were great!

        by maybeeso in michigan on Fri May 09, 2008 at 02:09:20 PM PDT

  •  McCain definitely has more than two.

    Faces that is.

    by trinite on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:04:50 AM PDT

  •  Satan Trismégiste? n/t

    by Dauphin on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:11:20 AM PDT

  •  Two for the Price of One!

    The parallels between the McCane and Clinton campaigns are becoming frighteningly similar.

    by Velvetfish on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:38:52 AM PDT

•  It should always be 1952, then I know what to do

  experience counts

  by 88kathy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:25:46 AM PDT

  •  We could use 1952 income tax rates for a

    while or maybe permanently.  Should be adjusted for inflation obviously, have some loopholes removed and maybe 0% for the first couple of brackets.

    Interesting chart that shows a lot of history.  Compare today's top rates with 50s and 60s for real joy.

    by maybeeso in michigan on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:13:12 AM PDT

•  main street media

  please stop calling the news "main street media". they are not main, not street and certainly not media. the news is owned by 5 corporations. so please call it "corporate bias media". thanks and have a nice day. i just posted this over at americablog.com also. thanks

  by bill123 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:31:19 AM PDT

  •  Old Media Cartel

    is a better term and Kos's "traditional media".

    It suggests that indeed you have just a few producers of a desired commodity and they co-conspire to keep it a certain way.

    by xxdr zombiexx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:08:51 AM PDT

  •  And the term, I think, is Mainstream Media

    not main street.

    by xxdr zombiexx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:09:26 AM PDT

    •  Yeah, and...

      they're doing everything they can to keep themselves afloat (except for broadcasting real news). Y'know - stuff like CNN adding Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace to the  lineup and having Lou Dobbs and his Broken Borders on every night. It used to be infotainment, but now it's just entertainment. The info turned out to be optional.

      by SciMathGuy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:38:22 AM PDT

•  ABC.com Breaking News--Obama now leads in S/D

  total:

  ABC News' Karen Travers Reports: For the first time this campaign season, Barack Obama has surpassed Hillary Clinton's support among superdelegates, according to the ABC News delegate estimate.  

  Sen. Obama, D-Ill., picked up two superdelegates this morning giving him a new metric to tout in addition to his current commanding leads in pledged delegates, popular votes, states won, and money raised.

  With these endorsements, Obama has the support of 267 superdelegates and Clinton has 265 superdelegates

  Link

  by Phil S 33 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:32:35 AM PDT

  •  Thought you meant South Dakota at first.

    Need more coffee.  That is awesome news!

    by FXDCI on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:40:21 AM PDT

•  huge issue

  with Republicans of recent vintage is the negation of science, turning their backs on the Age of Reason in favor of theocracy. The logic of this progression ultimately brings you to abandoning vulcanology in favor of sacrificing virgins to the volcano god. At least to burning at the stake for lack of orthodoxy. And with the Hagee's, etc., on his side, his empowered evangelical base will wreak at least as much havoc as they've done since Reagen brought them in from the wilderness and into the mainstream. Urrrggghhh!

  by p gorden lippy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:34:00 AM PDT

•  Thoughts from a Cancer Biology graduate student

  I'm new to the site, but I just thought i'd throw my two cents in here.  I'm finishing up my PhD in Molecular Cancer Biology at Duke University and I hope to give you some insight as to how bad things are getting in the scientific community.  When i first entered graduate school in 2002, nearly 25 percent of all new grants were being funded by the NIH.  Now, slightly more than 10 percent are.  This has led to limited job opportunities for graduating students, a smaller group of professors holding a larger piece of the NIH pie (fewer new ideas and perspectives on complex and longstanding problems), and will surely have long lasting consequences on the ability to recruit new brilliant minds as the job market continues to decline.

  Technology is at the heart of almost all new invention.  At a time when we need great thinkers to solve problems inherent in the U.S. and clearly the rest of the world (i.e. global warming, petroleum dependency, health sciences research and yes, even our countries defense capabilities) the Bush administration has taken away funding and slowed the progress that we've been moving towards in all these areas.  Unless steps are taken soon, our ability to solve these problems will be greatly compromised in order to pay for a war we dont need, and tax cuts we cant afford.  

  I urge all to speak to your congressmen, and speak up about a problem many will talk about and few will actually do anything for.  You can also find out more information at the American Association for the Advancement of Science website www.AAAS.org.

  by kevin3231 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:39:56 AM PDT

  •  Welcome

    to Daily Kos Kevin! Great comment.

    by DarkSyde on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:45:56 AM PDT

    •  Thanks

      for the warm welcome.  Hope to hear more about science related topics in the future as they are key to our societal and political future.

      by kevin3231 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:57:47 AM PDT

      •  not justnewly minted PhD's are struggling

        As a faculty researcher in cell biology at a med school, I can personally attest to the tremendous strains put on the scientific community during this administration. The level of funding has been level or reduced, the percentage of new grants funded has shrunk, as Kevin points out, from around 25% around 2000 to 10% or less currently. That means that 90% of grant applications are wasted time. It's hard for non-scientists to appreciate how much effort, creativity, careful thought and analysis, time spent filling out forms, gathering up expert collaborators, providing compelling preliminary evidence to support the proposed studies goes into these applications. To waste 90% of it is criminal, and it is certainly non-sustainable. Talented, experienced faculty are being forced out, and the prospects for new scientists looking for a reasonable career path as a reward for their own dedication and endless work are worse than at any time in several decades.

        by p gorden lippy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:19:17 AM PDT

        •  yep

          I am also a cell biology PhD student and I am a.)fighting with all my might for Barack Obama and b.)potentially preparing for my non-academic, non-government career.

          I have worked in labs in both academia and at NIH and atmospheres at both are already disastrous with perhaps worse times to come.  6 or 7 year postdocs at wages lower than I would have made coming straight out of college are now not only a possibility but the expectation.  And who cares if you can find a job if you can't fund the work once you're there.  The only outcome then is no tenure and you're right back where you started.

          Science in America is becoming a job for single foreigners - they're thrilled to do hard work for no money.  It's an interesting parallel to the Dobbsian debate on immigration.

          Myself - if I wanted a job with vows of poverty and celibacy I would have become a priest like my Irish grandmother always wanted.

          by rpoquinn on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:37:43 AM PDT

          •  Been that way for a while. n/t

            by SciMathGuy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:46:59 AM PDT

        •  You make two extremely important points.

          As a researcher now retired, I can completely agree with the important points you make.  

          When I was working about 60-70% of my time was spent either 1) preparing proposals or 2) advertising my work by attenting meetings with colleagues (potential grant reviewers), administrators, and grant officers as part of the proposal preparation process.  When I saw Bush enter the scene, I new the time spent would increase precisely for the reason you outline.  By retiring I now actually have more time to do research, even though I must fund it myself.  I am fortunate to still have the support of workers at various institutions to use libaries and other facilities and the good fortune to work in an relatively low cost area of science that allows this.  For most scientists this is not an option.

          As a result of the low success rates for grants and contracts, the vast majority of our scientists are essentially wasting most of their valuable time not doing science.  This is very much like competing on a race track full of high powered race cars, but yours only idles most of the time.  Scientists in other countries against which US scientists compete do not face investing so much time in what is essentially unproductive activity.  Consequently, as grant/contract approval rates drop we dramatically reduce our ability to compete.  Supremacy in science means staying at the edge the scientific frontier.  By leading to expand that frontier countries gain technological superiority.  Consequently, the US is loosing its leadership in science and technology.

          We really need to see more blogs and news articles concerning the dramatic decreases in scientific efficiency under Bush.  McCane's policies to extend and expand Bush's war in Iraq will only exacerbate an already dire situation.  It is only through the telling of such stories will the average person understand the depth of the crisis.  Non-scientists generally realize that they ultimately depends on scienists to keep our economy moving.  What they fail to appreciate is just how seriously republican penchant for debt and misdirected spending have undermined US technological and scientific capacity.
          It is very much the responsibily of every US scientists to speak up an emphasize the perils faced by US science as the budget squeeze created by republican policies intensify.

          The other excellent point you make is with regard to young investigators.  A tremendous effort and expenditure is made to develop young scientists.  A career in  science is not an easy road nor is it easy to find the money to train scientists.  Not only does it require tremendous dedication and sacrifice, it requires a large investment in education and training.  These cost a great deal of money.  To have increasingly large numbers of science postgraduates idled by the lack of and grants/contracts to do science or worse, dissipating into  other facets of our economy, because jobs are unavailable, is like investing time an money into building a high speed race cars and then putting them in storage or dismantling them before they are even put on the track to compete.  

          We have been fortunate to have one of the world's best educational systems.  However, the health of the entire education system is at risk, when you can't get work even with an education.  We have lost leadership in particle physics and we are rapidly loosing leadership in biotechnology, envrionmental science, and alternative energy technologies.  It is foolish to think this will not ultimately lead to a weakening of our educational system as well.  Ultimately, this will have a much more dramatic impact on our economy than the increasing price of oil.

          by Velvetfish on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:34:22 AM PDT

      •  Welcome Kevin...

        to DailyKos. Look forward to hearing more from you as you delve deeper into the community. I'm a cancer research guy (p53 signaling), though I'm getting out of the research circus to teach (high school) due in some part to some of the issues you mentioned--rather than continuing to do science in a science-adverse environment, I thought it might be more rewarding to start training the next generation of scientists who, hopefully, will find a more scientifically-nurturing environment a few years down the line.

        Anyway, welcome!

        ~Doc~

        by EquationDoc on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:13:52 PM PDT

  •  my PhD in Molecular Cancer Biology

    Slacker.

    :P

    by xxdr zombiexx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:52:42 AM PDT

  •  Warmest welcome!

    From someone else about to graduate with his PhD.  Getting ready to start a postdoc at the NIH.

    by ArchTeryx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:13:44 AM PDT

  •  The brain drain is reversing

    for decades the US has been a Mecca for the rest of the world who wanted the freedom and facilities to do research. Check the faculty list of any research institution and see how many arrived here as foreign grad students who stayed after their degree was finished.
    However now we are seeing foreign graduates opt to remain in their own countries and there is a growing sentiment in some fields that the pastures are greener in other countries for research. Look for the continuing exodus of the brightest and best to other venues as we continue to choke research financially and with legal constraints, such as with stem cell research. (my cousin with MS has just left for China where they are researching applications that will not be able to be done in the US for decades)  

    by entlord1 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:19:42 AM PDT

  •  Thanks for being here. I look forward to

    hearing from you.  Even if a lot of it is over my head.  Welcome!

    by maybeeso in michigan on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:20:55 AM PDT

  •  As bad as it is in the biological sciences

    it's worse in the physical sciences (physics, math, engineering, chemistry, geological sciences, astronomy, space). We've been trying to just survive for the past 10-15 years, and many otherwise capable people have moved out of scientific fields into management or computers to try to keep alive.

    I hate to say welcome to the club, because no one should have to have this problem, not when Georgie can dump a billion and more a week into the contractors in Iraq.

    Radarlady

    by radarlady on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:26:29 AM PDT

  •  I left scientific research years ago...

    partly for that reason. Too many applicants for too little grant money does indeed result in only well-established faculty getting grants. Sure, there were some grants specifically for new faculty, and MDs have a special pool of money available to them, but regular research? Almost no chance.

    NIH (and NSF) grants are the "gold standard" of grants. One can try to get a large number of smaller grants, but one will have to spend more than 24 hours per day writing the things - and then when does the research get done?

    Oh, wait a minute. We don't need no steenkin' research. If ya pray to JeeZus hard enough, everything will get cured anyway, right? And if gawd had wanted us to know stuff, we'd have been born knowing it, right? Or it would have been in the bible.

    ... sigh ...

    by SciMathGuy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:45:28 AM PDT

    •  Note

      It has probably never occured to these numbskulls that, just maybe, God wants us to find out about all these things for ourselves. After all, you value something you had to work hard for much more than something you got for free.

      by Spoc42 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:08:11 AM PDT

  •  PhD student in Molecular Biology at IU

    here.  I know it Kevin.

    Thanks for sharing.  Welcome to the community.

    I think your point:

    a smaller group of professors holding a larger piece of the NIH pie (fewer new ideas and perspectives on complex and longstanding problems)

    is also one of the greatest internal challenges to the scientific community.  There should be an open discussion on the impact of a stagnancy of intellectual infrastructure.

    by BWasikIUgrad on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:47:19 AM PDT

•  Inverse Square is an awesome blog

  I can make my logic and Intro students read it. Thanks for turning me on to it DS!!

  by caseynm on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:41:43 AM PDT

•  the market will fund science!

  after all, the GDP is lie, bajillions and gazillions of dollars!
  that's why deficits don't matter!
  we'll grow our way right back into the black next year, maybe two!

  (btw: biggot-in-chg hagee sez mickey maverick doesn't have to wurry 'bout science!)

  /ugh

  by netguyct on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:44:14 AM PDT

  •  Dollar is THE god they trust

    by 88kathy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:42:04 AM PDT

    •  More like: The dollar IS the god they trust n/t

      by Spoc42 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:09:18 AM PDT

•  Makeovers are not enough!

  We need finishing school... and charm lessons.

  We need a team of professional apologizers roaming the Earth seeking forgiveness.

  We need a lamp and a remote control.

  We need that dog. (grrrrrrrr...) ok...we dont need that dog.....

  We need a Democratic president - America can't tolerate another 10 minutes of Republican "leadership", let alone another 4 years.

  by xxdr zombiexx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:48:09 AM PDT

  •  Guard dog for Social Securiy and

    Medicare.  and a few other important bits

    by maybeeso in michigan on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:57:18 AM PDT

    •  Social security for John McCain

      Marrying a trust-fund baby. Works for him.

      by DWG on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:03:02 AM PDT

      •  McCain collects Social Security.

        The guy is very cheap.

        by trinite on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:11:51 AM PDT

•  Welcome to the dark ages

  That is what McCain wants.  Back to wealth concentrated in feudal war lords and barrons. Science persecuted. Human intelligence devoted to killing.  Health care for the rich, magic and herbal potions for the rest.

  by DWG on Fri May 09, 2008 at 04:59:43 AM PDT

  •  Well. when hasn't human intelligence been devoted

    to killing? Which groundbreaking discovery wasn't made used for the military first?

    by Dauphin on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:14:53 AM PDT

    •  Pennicillan or maybe plasma?

      Give me a few minutes and I will try for others.

      by entlord1 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:21:06 AM PDT

      •  Blood transfusions?

        Military use. Blood types? That and criminal investigation. Nuclear physics? Boom? Vaccination, possibly. That's another one.

        by Dauphin on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:22:49 AM PDT

        •  How about

          anti-cancer drugs, heart surgery, telescopes, definitely vaccines (tip, Dauphin), new types of cancer surgery and irradiation of tumors, explosively exciting biological discoveries like siRNA to study gene function and possibly to do gene therapy, stem cells, transgenic mice, drugs for Parkinson's? Well you get the idea. There are many, many that don't get first use by the military. And, coincidentally (ya think??), these are being hit very hard by this adminstration's policies.

          by p gorden lippy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:27:59 AM PDT

        •  I think plasma was nonmilitary

          in original application but then the main story there is the inventor of plasma bled to death following an accident, supposedly because he was African American and could not receive a transfusion at a White hospital in NC in the 1950s.

          by entlord1 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 08:44:06 AM PDT

    •  two faced technology

      It's simplistic to say that science is just used by the military. I mean, think about fire. Yeah, fire bad (to quote Frankenstein on SNL) when used to burn your neighbor's village, but fire good (to quote Tarzan and Tonto in the same sketch) when used to make pottery, kill germs by cooking food, heat your hut in cold weather. Most advances break that way, including the computers we use to post these blogs. It's not the technology, it's the people who determine how it's used. Always been that way, always will. Political vigilance is what's needed to direct uses.

      by p gorden lippy on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:39:37 AM PDT

•  Shooting his friends in the foot.

  Countries do not patent the fruits of their research, especially base research, which forms the basis for private research and development, which is concerned primarily with utilising base research in a profitable manner. Via patents, private companies can then earn hefty profits utilising a state's research.

  I've thought that McCain is corrupt, but I have to alter my opinion: While it is possible he is corrupt, he is very, unbelievably stupid. This would hurt his donors, his base, his patrons, if you will.

  If this man takes the presidency Europe will certainly overtake you in scientific research, as well as Japan and Russia, and possibly China... perhaps even Tanzania.

  Which just shows you how destructive this man's ideology is: Let's party like it's 1699! Plus the pollution, naturally.

  by Dauphin on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:10:19 AM PDT

•  All I know is...

  If McCain is elected, then I plan to start looking for my next positions either in Canada (where one of my best friends, a cellular immunologist) is located, or France, where my sister has lived for 10 years.

  Otherwise, very very big (and rather bad) news from this quarter.  Considering either making it a diary or posting it to Science Sunday; it involves lifesaving surgery and what I'm going to have to do to navigate this health care nightmare to get it.  Any suggestions?

  by ArchTeryx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:17:44 AM PDT

  •  it depends on your current coverage and the

    nature of the condition.  The problem with healthcare in this country is that each individual's situation is completely unique from every other one and there is no single correct generic answer for anything.
    For each common or everyday situation, there are a dozen different factors affecting the outcome.

    by entlord1 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:23:32 AM PDT

    •  Well...

      Not necessarily for the condition, I know what I have to do there.  Just whether to make it a comment or a diary.

      by ArchTeryx on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:27:05 AM PDT

•  'Design & the Elastic Mind' @ MOMA, Seed

  The cover story in Seed Magazine is Science and politics.

  http://www.seedmagazine.com/...

  Also, MOMA, the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, is exploring the meme of making Science more democratic/accessible even though not everyone can 'do' Science, Science should do for everyone.

  At MOMA, artists, designers, way of express the interface between Science and politics.

  by Aidos on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:23:49 AM PDT

•  McCain's Take on Science

  Vote for me and I'll fight DHMO!  
  Be Afraid, it's all around us!!

  by weaponsofmassdeception on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:27:24 AM PDT

•  But, but...

  Part of that argument -- at least with regard to funding priorities -- is a bit twisted.

  Sure, the budget tells how somebody prioritizes things, and McCain is not likely to prioritize the way most of us would like...but hate science?

  Does that mean Republicans loved science when the SuperConducting Supercollider project started in the 80s?  Or that Democrats hated science when they killed it in the 90s?

  Did Democrats hate science when they fought to curtail Reagan's space spending -- especially the ISS?

  Will the Obama administration do any better, or will it find different priorities, too?  In a country with lots of challenges, big science always finds naysayers.  You know -- "Gosh, that's nice, but we really need these missiles/this health care initiative/more troops/education/housing/anti-terrorism.

  by dinotrac on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:35:32 AM PDT

•  I've been reading a lot about algae farming.

  Seems like a much more humanitarian way to develop fuels than corn.

  Had you covered that, already?

  (Regretfully) I miss your Saturday stuff a lot and forget to go back and check. Mostly because I'm a scatterbrain.

  :)

  ::::::

  by nowheredesign on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:44:03 AM PDT

•  That would be ...

  No on one, yes on two...

  DFooK

  by deepfish on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:48:42 AM PDT

•  oooh ooooh

  just a note about your plans for the netroots convention in Austin!

  Don't forget that Eric Pianka is at U.T.!   and it may be useful to invite him to your panel on Evolution, if he isn't out on field work at the time.

  http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/...
  http://en.wikipedia.org/...

  You may remember last year or so Eric was accused of advocating terrorism because he said somethng about pandemics and the damage of the human population upon the earth....
  http://www.dallasnews.com/...

  I am not telling you what to do but I was thinking about the netroots early this morning!

  by TexMex on Fri May 09, 2008 at 05:54:24 AM PDT

•  Let's start calling WAR, WAR.

  The cited commentator uses the tired old appellation:

  ... trillions for defense ...

  It's no longer "defense" when your national policy is pre-emptive destruction.  It's no longer "defense" when you fund, create, and administer a world-wide organization that kidnaps, tortures, and kills.  It is no longer "defense" when you out-spend every other country in the world combined.

  It's war.  Aggressive war (codified at Nuremberg as a war crime).  It's the jagged, bloody, murderous thrust of empire.

  by Yellow Canary on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:01:32 AM PDT

•  When I was on an NSF panel, the associate

  director told us that Bush had cut the NSF by the same amount as the cost of his inaugural ball (2004).  Take a moment to think about that.

  This is a man who would kill thousands for a personal grudge against Sadam Hussein and who would spite the scientist for a personal grudge because of the association between academic scientist and liberal ideologies.

  Wow.

  by alliedoc on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:03:08 AM PDT

  •  Grudge

    Maybe he has a personal grudge against science. After all, if he, as God's representative on this Earth, cannot understand it, it must be valueless!

    by Spoc42 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:18:52 AM PDT

•  Importance of Science

  The importance of science cannot be overestimated.  Several science issues require priority these days.  The most important would appear to be the following.

  1.  Environmental Science - From the Bush Administration's decision to reject an already agreed upon model coal fired electric plant pollution settlement with Tampa Electric to questions about global warming to issues about opening up more land for development of petroleum and natural gas exploration, the issues facing a new administration in the environmental science arena are daunting.  The first move should be to ensure that all views are represented and counted, especially since global warming has a new issue to contend with - - the record increase in the amount of new ice, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.  Indeed, lamenting about global warming gets the world nowhere.  We need to get to solutions that fit within each of the scientific goals found essential for our planet.

  2.  Genetic Research and Plant Modification and Hybridization - Some of this work has resulted in substantial scientific advances by private industry.  The need for further research and new work in plant modification and hybridization, particularly in connection with food production, is growing steadily.  While not without substantial safety issues, we need to stay current if not in advance of these technologies in order better to understand and manage them.

  3.  Alternative Fuel and Energy Research - Connected to Environmental Science, alternative fuels and energy requires higher investment and more implementation.  Some time ago, Japan began investigating various biological sources of electricity and power.  Today, Japan remains well-ahead of our energy research, including vehicle and non-vehicular power.  More encouragement is required to obtain worldwide cooperation in accelerating this research, including more flexibility under competition laws here and abroad.

  4.  Population Control - Our planet is too small to sustain life in the numbers we are facing today, much less in a hundred years.  More work on studying how and what might be done about this ethically in order for the world to achieve population equilibrium.

  5.  Space Exploration - For each of the reasons above, we need to begin and sustain a more focused effort to expand our world to the Solar System and beyond.  This is perhaps our most important science for the future.  We simply cannot ignore its importance any more, for the good of us all.

  by Political Center on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:03:24 AM PDT

•  the let new orleans rot policy

  no money to save disasters (unless they happen in Malibu)

  Slogan

  "What works for Myanmar can work here too"

  (like the death penalty)

  by agoldnyc on Fri May 09, 2008 at 06:44:26 AM PDT

•  Who need science....

  When you have Global Warming, lack of alternative energy research, and new exotic diseases popping up each year.  I guess we can always bomb countries with oil so they produce less each year.

  Anyway, obviously McCain is being penny wise pound foolish with his "saving" ideas.  Prevention always saves more money in the long run.  We are run by businesses and the stock market that look for instant gratification and short term earnings at the expense of long term stability and growth.  This pervades every aspect of business and government today.

  The people's voice is rising and being heard but very little is changing in the halls of power.  Soon that voice will overwhelm and changes will be seen.  The people of the world will have help in the form of a World Teacher Maitreya.  His voice will rise above the din and speak for those with no voice today.  It will always be up to us to make the changes but wise clear truth with aid us.

  www.share-international.org

  Casey

  by CaseyK24 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:06:52 AM PDT

•  John McCain may be a "Scientist"!

  .. If you consider "Alchemy" to be a science.
  No, he didn't convert lead to gold, but he did figure out how to get a fortune from beer (and a "trophy" wife who is no prize).

  by OldPhart on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:40:10 AM PDT

  •  Please

    Stop insulting alchemists.

    by Spoc42 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:20:30 AM PDT

•  McCain makeovers must be done cheaply!

  None are permanent, each is only one in a sequence, sometimes necessary between the beginning and end of the same statement.  So economy is paramount.

  by AllanTBG on Fri May 09, 2008 at 07:43:18 AM PDT

•  science

  LLNL in CA is getting rid of over 500 career scientists in the next two weeks.  Workforce restructuring and cost reductions.  215 career employees were already let go earlier this year in addition to 450 supplemental labor and flex term employees.  Whoops, with the recent contract transition, the budget was miscalculated by about $200 million dollars.

  by Hopeful2008 on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:01:46 AM PDT

•  Imagine that.

  Just as BushCo finishes ass-raping the federal government, McCain will be forced, (Forced, I say!) to drown it the bathtub.  After all, who would be so heartless as to prolong its misery?

  by sagra on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:26:29 AM PDT

•  I wouldn't worry

  about President McCain's keeping his campaign promises.

  1. It's unlikely that he'll get in.

  2. He'll ignore the promises if he does.

  Worry about an asteroid strike. It would be morfe serious, and it's likelier.

  by Frank Palmer on Fri May 09, 2008 at 09:44:23 AM PDT

•  McCain is toast.

  I keep saying it, because every day I check the BBC, ThinkProgress, HuffPo, NBC, etc., and every day brings another incorrect, idiotic, or sometimes simply ignorant comment by McCain.  And every day I smile, because as tough as the Primary has been, the sweet, sweet smell of McCain toasting in the General wafts my way.

  Butter and jam please.

  by pakaal on Fri May 09, 2008 at 11:24:00 AM PDT