Alan Alda poses question in new contest for scientists: What is time?

[Lint Head]

80. The most disturbing thing about this is the quote,

"I've even heard from a number of people in Congress that they often don't understand what scientists are talking about when they go to Washington to testify, and these are the people who make the decisions about funding and policy."

We are sending people to Washington to make critical decisions about the complicated issues that impact our lives and science has to be dumbed down to a sixth grade level for them to understand? How about a High School level? No wonder social problems are manifested in this country. We are electing idiots who don't even realize that bridges need to be replaced once in a while and the infrastructure is falling down around our heads. That space exploration leads to inventions we use on earth. Our even educated in basic Civics. There is something definitely wrong with an education system that turns out graduates who don't have a clue about basic human and social needs.

I'm not a scientist but I can understand the majority of what scientists talk to me about either personally or when I watch one testify before Congress. The difference is that I actually read and study. It does not take an enormous effort to obtain a basic understanding of science. There are rules for all theories, computations and scientific concepts. When a scientist pushes the boundary's of known science he or she is still using the basic rules. The old saying, "It ain't rocket science." is apt here. You do not need to know the exact physics calculations behind something to understand it. Congress has lost all common sense.