President Obama announced his budget and it includes a lot of funding for new scientific research. From a New York Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/science/02nih.html?hpw):
the budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services was $81.3 billion, up from $79.6 billion a year ago. And the National Institutes of Health saw its budget request rise by $1 billion, to $32 billion, more than was requested last year.
In other science-related budget requests, the National Science Foundation would get $7.4 billion, a nearly 8 percent increase from the budget last year.
The article goes on to say that scientists had feared that the increased spending on fixing the economy would have negatively impacted the spending on scientific research.
I think putting more funding into scientific research is a good move by Obama. Funding scientific research can have a great impact on the economy. I see this as somewhat of a trickle down effect. The money spent on research will trickle down to other labs for independent testing, and then, if the independent testing went well, trickle down to the respectable field the research has meant to aid. Maybe this money will help find a cure to cancer or another disease. A
ReplyDeleteI feel that it's wonderful that government is at least spending some of its money on long term investment rather than short-term stimulus. By investing more in science funding, government is making the U.S that much more innovative, along with making the U.S more attractive to scientists and researchers around the world. President Obama should consider putting even more money into long-term investments. Current government spending to repair America's crumbling infrastructure is inadequate, and should be expanded. Moreover, education is perhaps the area most needing in government investment (along with substantial reform), as a better-educated workforce is widely accepted to make a country's economy far more competitive internationally.
ReplyDeleteIts about time that someone started recognizing the importance of funding scientific research. Under Bush scientific experimentation really suffered specifically in regards to stem cell research, which I considered to be a really dumb move by the Bush administration.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Obama's funding is put to good use and the scientific community is able to make a lot of progress.
I agree with those who have commented before me that this is a good move by Obama. There is no doubt that more funding to scientific research could produce wonderful results. A
ReplyDeleteI plan on starting a career in a science field. I sure hope more spending money is put toward scientific research in the near future. More funding only means better findings that could possibly benefit the world as a whole. The only concern i have is if we are funding more money in one category, then we are probably cutting money in another. (A)
ReplyDeleteWhile it makes me happy to see that scientific research is going to remain well funded, I wonder if that money could be used better to help create jobs.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the Space Race when the government was investing large amounts of money to science in hopes taht U.S. scientists would beat other countries in sending someone to space. This time the government is again realizing that without technology, we are not living up to our potential, we are not being as efficient as we could be. Technology and new knowledge, usually products of science, are what shift the curve outward on a PPF graph and make us more profitable, stable, and well-off.
ReplyDeleteScience is a large part of the world due to the many disease and sickness that human kind faces each year. In my opinion I would say that investing in scientific research is as important has investing on fixing the economy because science will help us prevent many disease that can come up. The research that scientist have plan to do with the budget that President Obama just fund will give hope to those people who are looking for a cure and might even help save many lives .
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a common thing that happens. I know personally in the Indian community, that parents want their kids to have jobs in the science field specifically for this reason; there will always be more jobs than most other fields. Is it a good move? I say yes, because without science, we have nothing.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that Obama has chosen to fund more scientific research. You always hear about how America needs to improve the quality of math and science programs in public schools, but rarely do you hear about the government actually putting their money where there mouth is when it comes time to support this much needed initiative. To remain a world power, America needs to make advancements in scientific fields. While the cultivation of these advancements starts by teaching kids to love math and science at a young age, this monetary incentive acknowledges that government is taking an investment in the future seriously.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the comments made earlier. Science and technology are the building blocks of today's society. It makes a lot of sense, if Pres. Obama plans to reform health care, the wisest thing to do is start at the foundation of the health sector; scientific research. With this increased investment in scienctif research, citizens of the US will not only have the current medicines but the possibility exits that new ones will be discovered to increase their life expectancy.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else that more spending on scientific research is a great idea. It may cost a little bit of extra money for the government but research could lead to the creation of products and industries which could give a boost to our economy. Investing in scientific discoveries and innovation is almost always beneficial. You never know what might be discovered through new research.
ReplyDeletePreston, it is precisely because of your last statement that I don't think that scientific research is a good idea: you never know what might be discovered through new research. One of those possibilities: nothing. We can't risk billions when the effects of the recession are still present.
ReplyDeleteRich, the chances of absolutely no progress being made with all of that funding is marginal. Moreover, spending on things like research, infrastructure, and education can both help the economy now and make it more competitive in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree that spending more money on scientific research is the way to go. I believe that spending money on research will benefit the economy, because not only could the extra money being spent lead to cures, it may also develop new products and industries, which will thus lead to more job creation. It may not seem like a good idea to some right now because of the hole we are in, but what we do now, including spending more money on scientific research, will play a big role in getting us out of this mess down the road. (A)
ReplyDeleteone of the reasons people can't expand their ppf is due to not enough technology or not advanced enough. So having money invested is still reating jobs with that xtra billion a year plus with the findings of a new product, it will allow for more jobs to be made to make that product and then we can trade and so on.
ReplyDeleteIt's worth the money to do researches in sceince, I believe it is as important as developing the economy. A country can hardly make progree without creation.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge is power, and I feel Obama understands that. It is important to still continue vital programs and funding like this because it is essential to continue to innovate and produce things for the sciences. Education is also exponential therefore it makes it ever so important to continue to learn.
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