The notion that people's feelings about the government determine the "fullness" of a nation's democratic system is ridiculous. People being so disillusioned that they choose not to vote doesn't make America any less of a democracy; it makes those people apathetic idiots who refuse to participate in the system.
Yeah. What a stupid waste of taxpayer's money! In totally unconnected news: China reminds Trump that supercomputing is a race Scientists will just have to get better at doing "GoFundMe" pages, like everybody else!
Boy, all those federal agencies are just ASKING for trouble: http://www.houstonpress.com/news/na...as-trump-still-claims-it-doesnt-exist-9135052
It may or may not be a waste of taxpayer money. We know for sure they're at least somewhat motivated by their grants.
Motivated in the sense that they can't do research without them. No receiver of federal grants gets rich themselves from the grants, believe me. We need government funded research for all sorts of things that the free market does not consider valuable. For one vital example: Drug companies are not in the least interested in antibiotic research because it's not a money-maker, and as a result we're running out of antibiotics that work.
People who live off the government dole are obviously biased toward receiving money from the government dole. It's one thing to apply for a grant, another to march on D.C. demanding same. Can't do research without them? In what universe? Our universities are donor funded, and corporations hire scientists and spend fortunes on research. I prefer not $.01 spent by the government on research grants. Or at most only for the really big projects like the space program used to be, that only something the government could do. Or nuclear weapons, which we obviously want a few of and don't want the private sector making them. Even then, the private sector is taking on much of what the space program used to do, as it should be. And it seems they're ultimately going to do it much better, too. You're ignorant of all the people who've turned government research positions into spring boards for commercial startups? Beyond personal enrichment is power that over subordinates and having the government pay for cool toys.
Steve Bannon Is Registered to Vote in Two States (Update: So Is Tiffany Trump) http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/pages/ciyd1t8md005sojy69w6c5jmu.html
“There is nothing illegal about that,” said Fred Voigt, the deputy election commissioner for Philadelphia. “The illegality only occurs if one votes in two places, not if you’re registered in both.” Tiffany Trump lived in Philadelphia while attending the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in May. Voigt said it was “very common for college students to be registered both where they live and where they go to school.” According to public records, Tiffany Trump cast her vote in November in New York City and did not vote in Pennsylvania. The spokeswoman for the New York City Board of Elections also confirmed that there was no legal problem with Tiffany Trump registering as a voter in both states. :MARIS61: https://heatst.com/politics/exclusive-tiffany-trump-is-currently-registered-to-vote-in-two-states/
