Re: Moon landing Hoax (spinoffs)

[Jim Green <JMGreen@SISNA.COM>]

At 10:58 22 02 2001 , Tim wrote:
> > Fundamental scientific research doesn't need to have
> > practical spinoffs to make it worthwhile.
> >
> True, but doesn't that usually happen.
> I don't do much "pure" research,
> but it seems to me that on "big"
> projects there have been a lot of spin-offs
> that benefit a lot of people.

Yes, Tim, this is true and it is important to do fundamental research w/o
much of a practical goal.  My position is that those who want to do
research in some area should _voluntarily_ get together and do the research
or collectively pay or it.  Ok, for the sake of the country, lets coerce
some money out of the tax payers and give it to NSF or the like.  This to
build a "reservoir" of knowledge so that further technological advancement
can benefit the entire nation or even the globe -- Yes it would be very
helpful to research a cure for the devastating AIDS problem -- especially
in Africa eg.

BUT to assert that the nation should take on projects the size of the SSC,
or a Moon trip, or the Hubble based on the idea that some scientific
knowledge will eventually spin off into a data reservoir and thereby
technology might eventually be enhanced this seems to me to be over
reaching -- projects of this size should be debated publicly and weighed
against other expensive projects and my favorite, pay down the damn federal
debt.

There _will_ be scientific gains -- yes there will, but the taxpayer should
have a vote as to whether s/he thinks those gains outweigh the value of
other uses for _his/her_ money.  I resent it that the Congress seems to
think that the money it _theirs_ to spend as they wish.  For one, Bush sees
that if the money is in Washington the money _will_ be spent -- despite the
rhetoric -- and likely spent in the state/county of the congressman with
the most influence -- a la the SSC!

And don't rebut with the idea of a surplus -- ie money the congress has
robbed from my wallet without asking -- there _is_ no surplus!!  The nation
is in debt!!!


Jim Green
mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen