PJ: Sadly, the GOP, who once touted scientific research, has become the party who mocks it. In 2008 Sarah Palin famously scoffed at research involving fruit flies--research that was destined to play an important role in a cause that she claimed to support. Today the party chides and ridicules science as if its a part of their platform.
CARE2 make a difference
Why Sarah Palin should be thankful for fruit flies
By Kristina Chew
The consensus of many Republicans about basic science research is that it is more evidence for “government waste.” In 2010, YouCut Citizen Review, a crowdsourcing tool for identifying unnecessary government spending, put the National Science Foundation at the top of its list for budget cuts, says Wired.
However, that hasn’t stopped the government from promoting scientific
endeavors. A bipartisan group of six Congressmen have, along with
organizations including the National Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), joined forces to create the Golden Goose Awards.
These awards are intended to honor those whose basic research has had
humane or economic benefits, including life-saving medicines and
technological advances that can lead to advances in national security,
energy, the environment, communications and public health.
Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN) came up with the idea and named the
awards as a deliberate play on the “Golden Fleece Awards” that Senator
William Proxmire (D-WI) issued between 1975 and 1988 to mock
federally-funded research which, seeming to have no practical
applications, was dubbed a symbol of the government throwing away
citizens’ tax dollars.
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