tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989966954446423670.post2367934753164799110..comments2024-03-02T00:44:55.128-08:00Comments on Pleiotropy: Politicians take money away from researchBjørn Østmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08859177313382114917noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989966954446423670.post-91277645877074528302009-08-10T12:54:02.522-07:002009-08-10T12:54:02.522-07:00Thanks for the info... I didn't know this one....Thanks for the info... I didn't know this one.<br /><br />Issa is a real tool. Not so much a loony himself as an amoral "authoritarian leader" who gets and maintains supporters by acting like a loony. Repubs in CA tend to be particularly horrid, since the state is really polarized, gerrymandered, and the laws here have allowed the political minority to become very powerful obstructionists.<br /><br />However... there is something to be said for favoring US based work. Not in this case I think (where the work seems US based, but the subjects are overseas). The example that pops to mind is the "DNA fingerprinting of Bears" McCain made fun of in the election. Yeah the study was actually well worth doing (and the potential 'winners' is the mining industry), but the actual bulk of the lab work was outsourced to a company in Canada. That last part is wrong IMO... spend more on the lab work and have it done in US university labs. All part of the building of infrastructure and training the next generation.<br /><br />Anyways, funding scientific studies/projects subject to the whims of the special interests and general public is very bad. We get to see this regularly as politicians trot out lists of "absurd" earmarked projects... of course the overwhelming majority are quite merit worthy and are only absurd sounding when mis-described to a largely ignorant public. (Funding science by earmark has some real negatives, but that is a discussion for another day.) As bad a sausage factory as the NIH, NSF, ect proposal review process is, it is far better leave it alone rather than letting politicians line-item veto projects.Travchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12790548845692414891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989966954446423670.post-46449107650279999412009-08-06T11:58:23.265-07:002009-08-06T11:58:23.265-07:00I am actually of the observation that, while also ...I am actually of the observation that, while also very concerned about getting paid as well as re-elected, dems really aren't as ideologically blinded as the reps. It is, for instance, quite clear and well-known the the reps are more so married to a religious doctrine that you yourself know so well, despite the fact that any sane person can see there is a conflict with science, for example. Or with proof of being born in Hawaii, for another.Bjørn Østmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08859177313382114917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4989966954446423670.post-52386227095155160712009-08-06T03:26:04.700-07:002009-08-06T03:26:04.700-07:00One more piece of evidence that Dems and Repubs ar...One more piece of evidence that Dems and Repubs are, under the bullshit all of one mind. That mind being the sort which immediately seizes any vaguely usable excuse to divert valuable resources towards things which will get them paid, get their sponsors to pay them more, and give them more bullshit talking points with which to convince people to give them more opportunities to get paid.<br /><br />One of the reasons I've been focusing on religion so much lately is that it is actually <i>less</i> depressing than politics.Fiat Lexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10441862977921307080noreply@blogger.com