Energy and science in America are in big, big trouble

pokerfan

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Nov-10-10 03:53 PM
Original message

Energy and science in America are in big, big trouble

From Bad Astronomy...

With the elections last week, the Republicans took over the House once again. The list of things this means is long and troubling, but the most troubling to me come in the forms of two Texas far-right Republicans: Congressmen Ralph Hall and Joe Barton.

The former, you may remember, tried to scuttle a science innovation and education bill by adding a rider to it making it illegal to pay the salaries of government employees who watch porn on work computers. When the bill finally passed, he then made incredibly hypocritical statements about the Democrats in order to scapegoat them.

Yeah, so that guy? He�s set to take over the House Committee on Science and Technology. Terrific.

The latter, Joe Barton, is quite simply an embarrassment. He is most famous for apologizing to then BP President Tony Hayward for the government being mean to the oil company, after BP dumped millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The havoc that leak unleashed is only just now coming to light. Congressman Barton also is a climate change denier, and went so far as to write a very misleading editorial in the Washington Post about it.

So yeah, of course he�s angling to be head of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Did I mention that Representative Barton has also received more money from the oil and gas industry than any other member of Congress? I�m sure that won�t interfere at all with any decisions he�ll have to make about the industry. It�s not like he would ever have to apologize again now is it?

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/11/10/energy-and-science-in-america-are-in-big-big-trouble

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

CaliforniaPeggy

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Nov-10-10 04:00 PM
Response to Original message

1. These two are scary beyond belief........

And now they want to write policy on subjects that they know nothing about, except lies?

We. Are. Fucked.

Recommended.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

originalpckelly

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Nov-10-10 04:35 PM
Response to Reply #1

2. It's not every day that we see We. Are. Fucked. from you now is it?

:P

We are really are fucked.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

CaliforniaPeggy

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Nov-10-10 04:57 PM
Response to Reply #2

3. Nope, you won't see it too often!

Just when we truly are...:P

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

RKP5637

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Wed Nov-10-10 05:43 PM
Response to Reply #1

4. For educated individuals wanting a future it might well be worth considering

emigration. I did years ago, but sadly did not take up the offer. Now, I wish I had. If this place goes totally R in 2012, IMO, the US as we knew it will be pretty well decimated if they get an 8 year run.

Additionally, other countries such as India, China, etc. will be so far beyond the US we will not be able to play catchup. We had a good run of it after WWII with little competition, but it's a far different world now. These individuals can't even be considered lightweights. The US will become an illiterate third tier nation.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

txlibdem

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu Nov-11-10 12:06 AM
Response to Original message

5. Speaking now totally for myself, I would like to apologize

"I'm ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday," Barton said. "I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown"

"I apologize," Barton told Hayward. "I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure that is -- again, in my words, amounts to a shakedown. So I apologize."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008020-503544.html

Yup. I'm glad we're about to have that guy in charge of our energy policy!
:sarcasm:

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Thu Nov-11-10 10:59 AM
Response to Original message

6. Its kinda always been that way though, no matter who is in charge

In 2006 I had a semi-brief stop as an employee at NIH...and one of the things they talked about was the fact that NIH as a scientific government arm was usually last on the list to get funding...no matter which party was in charge...Democrats are a little bit more inclined to fund the sciences, yes, but its pretty much the norm, that if you are a govt scientific agency you have to fight hard for that funding. Just a sad fact today that for all the public respect given to the sciences, when it comes right down to it, few politician or public figure of either party is particularly helpful to the sciences.

Printer Friendly | Permalink | | Top

DU AdBot (1000+ posts)

Fri May 03rd 2024, 07:42 AM
Response to Original message

Advertisements [?]

Top

Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.1 Copyright 1997-2002 DCScripts.com
Software has been extensively modified by the DU administrators

Important Notices: By participating on this discussion board, visitors agree to abide by the rules outlined on our Rules page. Messages posted on the Democratic Underground Discussion Forums are the opinions of the individuals who post them, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Democratic Underground, LLC.