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Putting the Science back into Political Science

It seems that the Right and the Left have found something to agree on - now that's newsworthy...

Their point of agreement? Our political leadership has a serious gap when it comes to being informed on matters of science and technology. We don't want to be led by the blind. At least, some of us don't. A new group has been formed to bring focus to this issue and ensure that we don't go down the same path again when we choose our next president - a glimmer of hope!

Almost all of the major challenges we will face as a nation in this new century, from the environment, national security and economic competitiveness to energy strategies, have a scientific or technological basis. Can a president who is not comfortable thinking about science hope to lead instead of follow? Earlier Republican debates underscored this problem. In May, when candidates were asked if they believed in the theory of evolution, three candidates said no. In the next debate Mike Huckabee explained that he was running for president of the U.S., not writing the curriculum for an eighth-grade science book, and therefore the issue was unimportant. [I found this position on evolution amazing, and scary...]

Apparently many Americans agreed with him, according to polls taken shortly after the debate. But lack of interest in the scientific literacy of our next president does not mean that the issue is irrelevant. Popular ambivalence may rather reflect the fact that most Americans are scientifically illiterate. A 2006 National Science Foundation survey found that 25% of Americans did not know the earth goes around the sun.

Our president will thus have to act in part as an "educator in chief" as well as commander in chief. Someone who is not scientifically literate will find it difficult to fill this role.

This summer in Aspen, Colo., a group of scientists, journalists and business people convened at a "science summit" to discuss ways to build a growing awareness of the importance of scientific issues in government. A working group was convened to explore ways that the scientific and business communities might work together to ensure that science becomes an issue in the 2008 campaign. Science and the Candidates - Wall St. Journal Op-Ed

We the People depend on the applications that flow from science for our health, safety, prosperity, livelihood, and future well-being. Thus, we have a right, indeed a duty, to know where prospective lawmakers and policy makers stand on a wide array of scientific issues, and more importantly, their rationale for that position. What should our scientific priorities be in regard to energy, space travel, biotechnology, defense, academic and educational just to name a few, and what kind of resources should be devoted to those items? Science Debate 08 - Daily Kos

When opinion pieces in the Wall St. Journal and Daily Kos have a point of significant agreement, it certainly gets my attention!

So, where do the candidates stand on broadband infrastructure?

Well, according to this quick overview of policy positions in a follow up article on Daily Kos (A Presidential Science Debate), there is hope, at least on the Democratic side.

From Obama: Technology and Innovation Plan

Barack Obama's comprehensive technology and innovation plan will:

* Ensure the full and free exchange of information among Americans through an open Internet and diverse media outlets.
* Create a transparent and connected democracy.
* Encourage the deployment of a modern communications infrastructure.
* Employ technology and innovation to solve our nation's most pressing problems, including reducing the costs of health care, encouraging the development of new clean energy sources, and improving public safety.
* Improve America's competitiveness.

From Edwards: An Agenda to Promote Innovation

1. Supporting American Ingenuity: The most important factor for America's future prosperity is investment in education, science, technology and innovation. As president, Edwards will make the Research and Experimentation tax credit permanent. The credit has expired or nearly expired 11 times in the last 25 years, discouraging companies from making long-term commitments to research. Ideological debates at NIH about things like stem cell technology have drained resources from promising research. Edwards will increase spending on basic research at the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health and lift stifling research restrictions. He will also modernize our patent laws - which haven't been updated in 50 years - to provide incentives for research.
2. Building the New Energy Economy and 1 Million New Jobs
3. Restoring America's Leadership in Science and Math Education
* Improving Our Schools
* Expanding College Opportunity
4. Building a Universal, Affordable Internet
5. Guaranteeing True Universal Health Care
6. Respecting Science: John Edwards believes that policy should be science driven, and that science shouldn't be politics driven. He will make sure that government professionals charged with the collection and analysis of scientific data - from medical research to mercury emissions - are insulated from political influence. As president, he will:
* Eliminate political litmus tests for government scientists.
* Protect the integrity of government science by prohibiting political appointees from overriding agencies' scientific findings unless the chief White House science advisor concludes they are erroneous.
* Reverse the demotion of the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and restore the office to a central role as an assistant to the president, a rank held in previous administrations.

From Clinton: Innovation Agenda

1. Establish a $50-billion Strategic Energy Fund.
2. Increase the basic research budgets 50% over 10 years at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and the Defense Department.
* Increase research focus on the physical sciences and engineering.
* Require that federal research agencies set aside at least 8% of their research budgets for discretionary funding of high-risk research.
* Ensure that e-science initiatives are adequately funded.
* Boost support for multidisciplinary research
3. Increase the NIH budget by 50% over 5 years and aim to double it over 10 years.
* Increase investment in the non-health applications of biotechnology
4. Direct the federal agencies to award prizes in order to accomplish specific innovation goals.
5. Triple the number of NSF fellowships and increase the size of each award by 33 percent.
6. Support initiatives to bring more women and minorities into the math, science, and engineering professions.
7. Support initiatives to establish leadership in broadband.
8. Overhaul the R&E tax credit to make the U.S. a more attractive location for high-paying jobs.
9. Restore integrity to science policy.

If anyone can track down the Republican positions on broadband infrastructure before I can get to it, please let me know...

Posted on December 12, 2007 at 05:24 AM

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