The best government money can buy. Not that I've seen better anywhere
else. At least we turn power over regularly without guns and
executions, even though hardly anyone can find positions they favor
in either party--you have to settle for an overall notion and hold
your nose while "conservatives" pander to the religious right and
want to meddle in everyone's life and "liberals" embrace positions
that ignore the dangerous world around us.
I don't know how serious stuff will ever be decided. My irritation
with what I called the "holier than thou" crowd has nothing to do
with environmental goals being unworthy and everything to do with
ossified opinions and politically correct stances. A scientist/
academician embracing a contrary position at a college is just as
likely to be isolated and economically punished as the NAS.
Incidentally, I doubt anyone who has studied the Kyoto Accord would
really fault the US for not signing it. It's a blatent piece of
economic warfare. It could have been an effective tool to combat
global warming, instead it's a political document and a way to shift
development to europe and asia.
Happy fourth of July.
On Jul 4, 2006, at 6:54 AM, SHANE Ingate wrote:
> Date: Tue, 04 Jul 2006 09:53:59 -0400
> Mime-Version: 1.0
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
>
> Mordy Dunst wrote:
>
>> The email was to enquire why there isn't a position statement from
>> the
>> NAS/NAE
>> regarding the concept of developing a national imperative to become
>> reasonably
>> independant of fossil fuels in one decade.
>>
>> Dr. Wulf aggrees that there should be. Indeed he says that the G8
>> summit in
>> Moscow is going to address this issue in detail. He comments that
>> hopefully a
>> true and durable postition will be announced soon. Problems they
>> encounter
>> are
>> not the scientists but, certain lobbies that have lots of interest
>> against
>> such
>> policies.
>
> Good for you Mordy; thats one way of clearing through all the
> muck. Wulf's
> statement is politically neutral. NAS/NAE cannot make any formal
> statement
> against White House policy because their funding levels are set in the
> President's
> Budget (which must then be subsequently approved by both Houses).
> If the NAS/NAE made an unsolicited statement that opposed
> administration
> thinking
> then *poof*, say goodbye to funding.
>
> The statement on the G8 is a herring. The US has abandoned
> international
> treaties (such as Kyoto) in preference to it's own which it then
> entices a
> "coalition of the willing" to join GEOSS and its go-nowhere, do-
> nothing
> goals (which have nothing to do with global warming) but spend a
> lot of
> money
> for meetings in exotic places.
>
> Sorry to burst your bubble guys, but that is the way funding works
> here in
> DC.
> We have seen this already with many DOE and NSF-funded scientists
> being
> sidelined
> for presenting data that weakens the administration's position.
>
> Federal funding for science and engineering has dropped by an
> average of 4%
> per year
> for the past 4 years, whereas 6 years ago we were promised that it
> would
> expand by
> 50% by 2010.
>
> Nevertheless, despite what you all think of the organized criminals
> running
> this country,
> this is still America and today is a celebration of ideals that are
> the envy
> of the rest
> of the world. So please celbrate those ideals and voice your
> support for
> them, before
> the criminals destroy the Constitution completely.
>
> Happy 4th!
>
> Shane Ingate, knows how the system works in DC, in Maryland
>
>
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