Comments on: Help restore science to its rightful place

By: The OTA needs a rez « The Planetologist

The OTA needs a rez « The Planetologist — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:59:14 +0000

[...] go to the Bad Astronomer for spreading the word on this. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Bring back the OTA, stop the War on [...]

By: Cindy

Cindy — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:09:09 +0000

Rush Holt is my congressman, but I’ll go ahead and write him. Not only does he have a Ph.D. in physics, but he ran Princeton’s Plasma Lab for several years.

Rush Holt’s election bumper stickers say “My congressman IS a rocket scientist”.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:21:48 +0000

“I can’t forget that he divorced his first wife while she was sick with cancer so he could marry somebody he’d been cheating on her with.”

A false story and one not relevant.

I’m not sure that resurrecting the OTA, even if we accept that it was a good thing back in the 80’s, is a good idea. Does anyone think that, in the present environment, they are going to refrain from endorsing “green jobs” and certain car technologies and energy policies that have far more to do with economics than science?

I prefer that Congress stay the heck out of the nuts and bolts of science. Science funding should never come from specific budget requests and certainly not earmarks. It should come from peer-reviewed agencies like, DOE, NIH and NSF. Those agencies could also be tasked with advising Congress on larger issues like stem cells.

By: Richard

Richard — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:40:33 +0000

@Steven Dunlap, etc. No one is stopping those of you who think this is a great idea from starting your OWN organization(s) that explain scientific and technological concepts for lay people and provide summaries to Congress. Why are you so willing to force a solution on everybody, but not to do the work yourselves?

By: Steven Dunlap

Steven Dunlap — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:48:04 +0000

The OTA was my favorite government agency ever. It remained scrupulously non-partisan and its reports explained scientific and technological concepts – some very complex ones – very well for the non-specialist. Because the staff wrote these reports for members of Congress they had to make complete explanations that a college-educated person of at least average intelligence could understand. And librarians loved them for that and they often included copious primary sources and suggestions for further reading, identified experts within the government or academic community and surprisingly candid assessments of some of the political actions taken (or not) relating to the topic in question.

I understand the concerns of those who wonder about “state sanctioned science” but if the OTA were restored to its former self, that would make for a great leap, if not forward, then back to the present and out of the medieval Bush ages.

By: Quiet Desperation

Quiet Desperation — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:40:36 +0000

With all the smart people fleeing we will soon be overrun with religious wackos and their offspring.

It *is* more tragic that way, but it is also, however, *funnier*.

By: Help restore science to its rightful place « Bigmikeh1965’s Weblog

Help restore science to its rightful place « Bigmikeh1965’s Weblog — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:27:22 +0000

[...] April 8, 2009 at 17:26 · Filed under Science Help restore science to its rightful place [...]