Obama vows investment in science

[Coventina]

Source: BBC

President Barack Obama has set a goal of devoting 3% of gross domestic product to US science research.

President Obama made the announcement during a speech on Monday to the US National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC.

He also discussed a US public health emergency over the swine flu virus outbreak.

President Obama added that it was time for America to lead again in the area of research and development (R&D).

He said the goal represented the largest commitment to scientific research and innovation in US history.




Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8020930.stm

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What a change an administration can make!

[slackmaster]

1. A little peace and quiet would do us all some good

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_--YjWiyF8eE/R3arAaiu0-I/AAAAAAAABk0/JFvAw-4hw0s/s320/Emily+Litella.jpg

[Psychic Consortium]

2. Obama is leading us into the 21st century, a renaissance on many levels.

[No Elephants]

7. Especially after Dummya tried to lead us into the Dark Ages.

[Gator_Matt]

3. Half of men will get cancer...

What percentage will die from a terrorist attack? Now look at the difference in funding per death. Outrageous. Glad to see Obama is increasing the funding for research.

[Overseas]

4. K&R !! I am very glad President Obama prioritizes science.

But watch for Republicans to pick out specific R&D projects to criticize-- "look they're spending your tax dollars on studying a tiny fruit fly," etc. I can see them rubbing their hands together in glee, waiting for the list of projects to pick apart.

President Obama talked about funding science during the campaign, though, so I'm hoping Republican critiques will continue to reinforce the public's understanding that the GOP is all about attacks and promoting the destructive policies that led to the Bush Depression we are trying to crawl out of.

But the Newt is out there too. Doing his best to toss mud in full sentences-- complaining about the carbon tax as killing our jobs and raising the cost of living on our poor seniors. The GOP has always cared so much about seniors-- they wanted to privatize social security before the Bush Depression disappeared a lot of our savings and fabulous 401ks.

But they are still given the majority of TV time to push their discredited policies again and again. Our major TV media are still consolidated into right wing hands who put 20% progressive content on and call themselves "balanced."

[nyy1998]

5. 3%!!!!!!

Wow, that's wonderful news. An extremely smart investment.

[grillo7]

6. I'm more impressed with Pres. Obama on a daily basis... n/t

[cap]

8. what for? If the jobs are going overseas, what are we investing for?

If our science PhD programs are overwelmingly foreign born and the foreign born PhDs are leaving the US to return home for better opportunities, why are we paying for this? Obama says that it is important the US lead in R&D ... but how can that hold when our corporations are offshoring their R&D departments? If native born US citizens who get PhD's in the sciences can't get jobs, what are we paying for? We have science students who cant get jobs that will pay off their student loans.

I agree in principle with what Obama is trying to do... but it has to be done in context with a commitment by US corporations to invest in that talent here in the US.

[OhioChick]

10. Valid points, cap. n/t

[Earth_First]

9. More lip service? Those folks and their eventual jobs will end up in India. n/t

[ChromeFoundry]

11. I'd like to see the outline of where this will be spent...

Will it be mostly corporate funding or through R&D at universities? Either way, it will need a lot of oversight... without oversight, may as well just burn it.

[question everything]

12. Wonderful!

He put his proposals where his comments are.

What a major change since... the days of Reagan when he ruthlessly cut off fundings for basic research in academia.