12 July 2004
Political science
A recent article reports on the Union of Concerned Scientists' further warnings of Bush's politicizing of science. [T]he Bush Administration continues to suppress and distort scientific knowledge and undermine scientific advisory panels.
It reminds me of the NEA issues from years ago. Taxpayers complain that they don't want their money to go to perverted abstract expressionism, so they (in the form of conservative Congressmen) issue a cease and desist. The process of NEA funding is very thorough and governed by respected individuals in their respective fields. Although the American government's anemic support of the arts is unprecedented in Western culture [find link], I always said if they want to restrict anything, they should restrict everything and get rid of the NEA. It's all or nothing if we want to leave a cultural history.
People remember the artwork of a society; they don't remember who hit the most home runs (or whatever sport was played 200 or 500 years ago). We sacrifice the arts and we leave nothing to the future.
The science issue is similar. The government should support scientific inquiry and leave the form of inquiry to the scientists. If they have to mediate scientific truth, then federal funding should go to zero and we can watch American scientific achievements drop appropriately.
An article from The Nation goes into great detail about the flat-earthers within the Bush Administration
and their immensely successful attempts to bend science to their needs.
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