Are You Listening, America?

New Scientist | US Election 2004

I may seem like a raging conservative this year, but those who've known me long enough, know that the Republicans and I disagree more often than it appears lately. One area in which we do not see eye to eye is scientific matters. This very good article examines the politics of science in the U.S. I'm about as fond of the UCS as I am of GWB's science policy though, which essentially translates to the fact that I wish scientists would stay out of politics as much as I wish politicians would stay out of science. That being said, I do like the rare animal that lives in both worlds successfully. Neither politician or scientist... but a strange hybrid.

While the ucs scientists whine about GWB's policies and the GOP's influence in scientific matters, I think that per usual, the Left's influence has just skated under the radar. Most scientists work in the acedemic sphere, which is rife with far-left ideology masquerading as intellectualism. The scientific community has just soaked up too much of that and it's influenced their work from the inside rather than from the outside as the current administration seems to do. I think the article does a good job of putting all the cards on the table, even if it is more sympathetic (subliminally) to the anti-Bush viewpoint, which is fine as long as everyone gets a fair shake. :)