Ron Paul's spending plan to cripple science funding

[Integral]

No surprise, but worth the mention.

The congressman from Texas and Republican candidate unveiled a budget plan yesterday to reduce the deficit that would eliminate five federal departments: Energy, Commerce, Interior, Education, and Housing and Urban Development. In one fell swoop, such a step would erase, among other programs, the Energy Department's $5-billion Office of Science, the $4.5-billion National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the $750-million National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the $1.1-billion U.S. Geological Survey.

Paul would also end funding for all research programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, although the department itself would be preserved at its current budget. And he would pare roughly $7 billion from the current $30-billion budget for the National Institutes of Health within the Department of Health and Human Services. The document, "A Plan to Restore America," is silent on the fate of two independent research agencies: the $7-billion National Science Foundation, and NASA, whose $18.5-billion budget includes $5 billion for space science.

source

Any Paul fans want to justify this? I mean, the science and statistical services are two of the parts of the government that work reasonably well...

 

[Berzerker]

sure, we cant afford to keep spending $$$

and frankly I'm not thrilled paying taxes to subsidize corporations

 

[warpus]

I keep saying this: Ron Paul has a lot of good ideas, but also a lot of horrible ones.

 

[Murky]

He is too much of an Ayn Rand libertarian for my tastes. He would put his ideology before country.

The economy could crash hard, with people dying of starvation in the streets and he would just smile for the cameras like nothing was wrong.

 

[uppi]

He wants to close NIST? Is he craz...oh...nevermind...

 

[warpus]

He is too much of an Ayn Rand libertarian for my tastes. He would put his ideology before country.

He puts ideology before REALITY. In a lot of cases this leads to very good ideas, but.. in a lot of cases it also leads to really stupid ones.

Any leader or potential leader who puts ideology before reality shouldn't be in charge of ANYTHING. No matter what the ideology is.

 

[Crezth]

The economy could crash hard, with people dying of starvation in the streets and he would just smile for the cameras like nothing was wrong.

Lies of the parasites. Do not listen to Atlas and his rabble: Rapture is on the rise.

 

[Archbob]

Well, with him, you either get a new age of great growth or a depression not seen since the dark ages. I'm willing to take that gamble.

 

[Leoreth]

Any Paul fans want to justify this? I mean, the science and statistical services are two of the parts of the government that work reasonably well...

Easy. It doesn't matter if government works. It's evil mob rule, so it must be abolished.

If you don't see this you're either irrational or just not the brilliant intellectual Paul is.

Well, with him, you either get a new age of great growth or a depression not seen since the dark ages. I'm willing to take that gamble.

You sound like the "either men can get pregnant or they cannot, so there's a 50% chance of it happening" guy.

 

[Archbob]

You sound like the "either men can get pregnant or they cannot, so there's a 50% of it happening" guy.

No, we could just stalemate and nothing happens, which is true for most of the time actually.

 

[madviking]

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Super irony here: his district (TX-14) includes Galveston. Galveston's claim to fame was pretty much caused by a lack of NOAA.

 

[Lone Wolf]

If these egghead "scientists" are so brilliant, then they can get by and do their research and what-not without taxpayer money.

Besides that, as a Russian Nationalist, I support the weakening of American science.

 

[Crezth]

Name one country that benefited from having stronger science than its neighbors. You can't, and neither can I because I was educated in America.

 

[Murky]

Name one country that benefited from having stronger science than its neighbors. You can't, and neither can I because I was educated in America.

The Netherlands?

 

[Quackers]

I think America had quite a nice scientific advantage over the Japs circa '45

 

[Berzerker]

Super irony here: his district (TX-14) includes Galveston. Galveston's claim to fame was pretty much caused by a lack of NOAA.

or lack of a plane, or radio...

 

[Cutlass]

sure, we cant afford to keep spending $$$

and frankly I'm not thrilled paying taxes to subsidize corporations

It doesn't matter if we can afford it. Cut something else, or raise taxes. If you give a flying frak about the future of the country at all, you don't cut science.

 

[Joecoolyo]

or lack of a plane, or radio...

Hurricane's don't happen in a matter of minutes, they take days upon days to move, adequate time for a warning to get out pre-radio.

 

[madviking]

or lack of a plane, or radio...

They had full knowledge of a storm since Cuba along with instant communication (telegraph).

 

[Berzerker]

It doesn't matter if we can afford it. Cut something else, or raise taxes. If you give a flying frak about the future of the country at all, you don't cut science.

Convince the people who oppose those cuts too

Now the future is in jeopardy without govt grants? How'd we get this far?

Hurricane's don't happen in a matter of minutes, they take days upon days to move, adequate time for a warning to get out pre-radio.

Hurricanes aint nearly that slow and you wouldn't find many sailors willing to sail around the ocean trying to stay ahead of a storm to warn people on distant shores.

I dont even know what your point is, somebody said the NOAA was needed (in 1900?) to spare Galvestonians the worst of a hurricane. I said a plane or radio would have served the same purpose had they been available (and immensely cheaper)...