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Published online 19 February 2008 | Nature 451, 875- (2008) | doi:10.1038/451875a
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Scientists urged to plan for the next US president
Policy experts tell researchers to lobby now for the next science adviser.
Quit whining and get proactive. That’s the message that policy experts gave scientists at the weekend.
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The Union of Concerned Scientists calls for "scientific freedom and the public good," but their freedom seems to include unfettered access to my pocketbook. My understanding of freedom as guaranteed by the Consitution is that your freedom stops when it infringes upon mine. It has always seemed ironic to me that scientists want to "have their cake and eat it, too." They want the government to fund their activities but decry any oversight by that same government. While this country is quickly marching toward socialism, the last time I checked, we were supposed to be a representative republic.
I disagree with the comment above from Ms. Allspaw. The advancement of science and technology enabled most of us to live without worrying about where our next meal will come from, or how we could survive the next snow storm. Our economy is based almost entirely upon scientific innovations. Simply put, we don't know how to live without our knowledge. The only people who are able to make these innovations are scientists, mathematicians and engineers, and much of their work is funded entirely from the government because many projects are extraordinarily expensive. But it is worth it, because their results fuel our economy. Furthermore, innovations can only be made when people work without restriction, when scientists and engineers are free to imagine without government oversight. For government to limit the progress of science by massively limiting spending and/or by prohibiting certain lines of research is to destroy innovation, which in turn, destroys ourselves and our futures.
While this article brings up some important issues, it doesn't address what I think is THE most important issue facing anyone considering a career in the sciences these days, and that is the fact that science is an extremely punishing career path full of economic risk for the individual and many years of "paying your dues" before you are actually considered to be a working professional. Anyone who thinks that we have a shortage of scientists and engineers in this country should read the reports “Into the Eye of the Storm� by Lowell and Salzman, “Do We Need More Scientists?� by Teitelbaum, and “Is There Shortage of Scientists and Engineers? How Would We Know?� by Butz et al. We do not have a shortage; we have an oversupply problem, which is the direct (and completely predictable) consequence of our government’s skilled-labor immigration policies since 1990. This has resulted in poor pay and low social status for scientists in this country, especially for young scientists (grad students & postdocs) who are trying to enter their fields. This is destroying science as a rewarding career for Americans to participate in.
Interesting caption for the article: "Don’t wait: scientists told to start lobbying presidential candidates such as Barack Obama (left) and Hillary Clinton." Where is McCain? Is he anti-science? He's stated evolution is supported by science, made the suicidal maneuver of telling the truth about corn ethanol in 2000 and took the Bush admin head on with global warming. Even Science's own Constance Holden has stated "he trusts the experts". Freudian slip or not, it would appear somebody prefers democrats.
Bravo to David Baltimore - after eight years of deliberate ignorance by the Bush Administration the first thing we should do is dance in the street Tom |Crowley