Comments

1
Nice to see the Republican War on Being a Developed Country continues unabated.
4
"...the fastest way to turn this country into a full-bore idiocracy."

Too late. Roger Ailes already did it.
5
We're entering the New Dark Ages, I'm tellin' ya.

--

@3 - Bwah ha ha ha! I'm not sure how or exactly why you keep up the gag, and with a straight face too. Although it's true that you never type out "I'm LOLling right now.." However, the hyperbolic & farcical nature of your character's fictitious position is more apparent in this post than many other I've seen.
6
Seconding @5 (hate doing a "me too," but treacle said it perfectly).
7
I will say it's critically important for scientists getting outside funding (government support + foundation grants) to do public outreach—figure out ways to do speaking engagements for general audiences, open houses at your institution, etc. Presentations have to be understandable, dynamic, and yes, entertaining. You will try a lot of things where nobody shows up or you're faced with a bunch of blank stares. Keep trying; talk to Rotary Clubs, teachers, Cub Scouts, whoever you can think of, in however much time you can possibly afford. Your funding and your job may well depend on it. You can't afford a sneering attitude that "the general public" cannot understand your exalted endeavors. It's really hard because you can't see an immediate payback, and grantwriting is ever more competitive as well as time-consuming on its own.

It's too bad that scientists, by the very nature that led them into their careers, are most often terrible at interpersonal warmth and dynamism in public speaking. But those things CAN be learned if you care enough, and at least they have intelligence on their side.
8
r u referring the movie Idiocracy by mike judge? we're definitely headed towards that nightmare scenario but it's the result of statist, establishment centrist trends that get us there. FACT. Judge is an anarcho-capitalist type, do a little research.
9
So, a misguided or insidious bill is proposed in the House, buy it hasn't passed yet, won't make it through the Senate (no matter its fate in the House), and will never be signed by the President. Is that really "terrible news", Paul?

Worse things happen almost everywhere, every day. A stubbed toe is more 'terrible' than this. Reserve a modicum of perspective when choosing your adjectives, please, lest ridiculous overstatment lead to fatigue, cynicism, or apathy in the face of news deserving of heady descriptors.

Or, to be charitable, perhaps you meant to type, 'This is a terrible idea, but a meaningless effort on the part of some Republicans, except in so far as they get to tell voters they worked to save money on things those voters don't understand,' and accidentally deleted or just forgot the parts which would have made your statement true.
10
@8 FACT: if you put FACT in all caps, it makes it true.

Brawndo has electrolytes! FACT!
11
@3: "we can't do anything about global warming"
YYYOU
DENSE
MOTHERFUCKER
12
@9 Just think of how terrible the news would be if Republicans had control of the Senate.
14
@3 and 13,

Science is still useful to figure out how to mitigate the effects, aside from killing anyone trying to take our resources. But I'm sure you know that, you just like playing a stupid asshole for funsies.
16
When Barack Obama restores the $1 billion per year in funding for hydrogen technology that was being spent during the Bush Administration and stands up to build the entire Hydrogen Highway across all 50 states, then I will believe that "[Democrat] politics doesn't affect science",
17
To be honest, I wouldn't describe the current grant process as "much-cherished", but it is sure as hell better than what the GOP wants. @7, I wish you were right, but the NSF is the only agency to my knowledge that legitimately cares about "broader impacts" and even they don't care all that much. It's a pity; I love doing science outreach, but there's very little monetary incentive.
18
@16: There are five big reasons why that would be a bad idea.
1. HYDROGEN IS NOT A FUEL SUPPLY
2. HIBRODEN IS NOP A FEUL SPPLUY
3. HARGOBLEM LD NIY E VULL ZUBLY
4. MIDROHEM SI WOB DA FEWL ESPLAY
5. GYDROHEM NIZ TON A FWELL PUSPLY

Also, a "Hydrogen Highway across all 50 states"? You DO know that only 48 states are contiguous, right? Unless you wanna eminent-domain a chunk of Canada and build a highway across thousands of miles of ocean, your idea is about as half-baked as a guy whose roommate is hotboxing their apartment. JBITSMFOTP
19
@13 - We won't do anything about the chem-trails issue either. So why bother mentioning any of this on the comment thread of Slog, a po-dunk "free weekly" "news"paper of little to no import nationally? Surely your time is better spent elsewhere, convincing someone on New Republic or KKKToday of something more substantial than mere 'global climate change'.
20
The Republicans want to let private industry regulate itself, but they're fine and dandy with imposing burdensome regulation on the people actually discovering new and interesting things for the American people. Party of smaller government my right ass-cheek.
22
@18: Lol.
23
@12: I respond, without a super majority, the Senate cannot pass into law a bill the President would veto.

You counter, just imagine what this would mean if the president were Republican!

But he isn't, I say, and neither is the majority in the Senate. Is news now about alternate realities?

But the Republicans want these things, you respond, and if they come into power later, they may pass legislation like this.

True, I allow, but that is not new, it isn't yet particularly newsworthy, and it is in no way a denial of anything I said previously. Paul was being hyperbolic and histrionic in an unhelpful fashion.
24
We'll have to see how many of you fucker's heads exploded from the cognitive dissonance over the politicization of global warming... er, climate change... er, Climate Disruption.

"It's not terrible when WE do it." - Every progressive ever.

Please wait...

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