Prometheus » Blog Archive » Funding Sources and Political Advocacy by Scientists

There is an interesting dispute over the role of scientists in politics that has been simmering for a while up in Alaska that was chronicled this week by Inside HigherEd. The controversy involves Rick Steiner of the University of Alaska and the National Sea Grant Program, run by the federal government. Steiner openly advocates certain political positions, at times in opposition to his employer.

It is not his advocacy that is at issue, however. Steiner openly admits to being an advocate and his university supports his advocacy as a matter of academic freedom. The issue is his advocacy work in the context of being financially supported by the Sea Grant program, which stipulates that its funding should not be used to support advocacy.

Flushin’ Dollars « the Air Vent

I found a spot where Obama can take a teaspoon out of the 5 gallon bucket of sewage that is our 2010 US budget. Despite the completely obvious scientific evidence to the contrary, Chairman Chu (the US energy secretary) is backing Obama’s new program for renewable fuels spending two billion dollars on expansion of a wasted industry. Like all socialist governments the programs are touted to help the poor and create jobs while in the end all they do is give additional cost hurting the least wealthy while giving additional government control. I say control because now the lobbyists are required to work with congress to get the subsidies they need to support the non-profitable business they are creating. I wish the public would learn to think about incentives every time govt. makes a law but that’s as much a waste of time as wishing to be younger.

CNBC Contributor Howard Dean: 'I Think We Had Quite Enough Capitalism' | NewsBusters.org

"I think we had quite enough capitalism in the last eight years and I think we need some regulation now," Dean said.

Aside from attacking what went on during the Bush administration, as his colleague CNBC colleague Keith Boykin did before him, Dean also praised President Barack Obama's paltry $17 billion in cuts from his $3.6 trillion budget. But, he also said more cuts and revenues would be needed and admitted supporting a carbon tax.

"It's a good start," Dean said. "It's not a lot of money by federal budget standards. It's a great deal of money by most of our standards. It's a decent start and oddly enough, it's almost exactly what George Bush tried to cut and was turned down by his own Republican Congress. Getting Congress to cut stuff is tough. And let's not full around here. You've got to make bigger cuts. You're also going to have to have some revenue increases to pay for all this stuff. There's no question about that. And my favorite is a carbon tax."

Democrats Try to Haggle Together a Cap and Trade Bill - TIME - [Can't we just structure a deal where EVERYBODY ends up pocketing billions of dollars in extra cash?]

Representatives of energy-intensive industries that have global competition — steel, aluminum, concrete, chemical and pulp and paper — are seeking credits if they produce less carbon dioxide per ton of output than the international average for each industry.
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The task for Waxman is to grant the concessions he needs to form a majority for a bill without diluting its environmental benefits. His current focus, he said, is to assure that no part of the country bears a disproportionate share of costs. But, regardless of concessions, he added, the emissions cap will guarantee that "environmental integrity" is preserved.