Friedman & Investing in Science

I just read a great little OpEd by Thomas Friedman in the NY Times. Basically it is boils down to the fact that the US has a grand opportunity to invest in innovative science and new technology, but we are half-assing it. We are spending trillions of dollars on endless and unnecessary wars yet we are unwilling (not unable - unwilling) to spend $1 billion to fund five years of totally necessary, and ground-breaking, research at eight hubs around the US, attracting the best and the brightest from around the world. Where are our priorities?

As Friedman states, "Welcome to Tea Party America. Think small and carry a big ego." What a perfectly accurate and succinct description of Tea party America.

Friedman also pointed out that although this issue may seem small - just like climate change seems small, and ocean pollution seems small, and the depleting and polluting of our groundwater seems small, and giant oil spills seem small - it is the small things that matter:

Nations thrive or languish usually not because of one big bad decision, but because of thousands of small bad ones — decisions where priorities get lost and resources misallocated so that the nation’s full potential can’t be nurtured and it ends up being less than the sum of its parts. That is my worry for America.

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