The problem with denying federal funding is that many buildings are paid for with it-- so in order to use state money, scientists have to build new facilities, buy new equipment, keep all of it separate from existing money... and that's difficult. Denying federal funding also restricts federal oversight and could cause some patent issues-- I don't trust a pharmaceutical company to use the knowledge as well as the squabbling scientific community as a whole. And if the research is done privately, the knowledge may not be spread around as much for fear of being scooped and losing a lucrative patent.
Most of these views come from an old bio professor, who is, I will admit, curmudgeonly and All-Knowing. But I'm a big fan of public funding for science, not least because that's paying my rent.
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Date: 2006-10-27 01:45 am (UTC)Most of these views come from an old bio professor, who is, I will admit, curmudgeonly and All-Knowing. But I'm a big fan of public funding for science, not least because that's paying my rent.