Why Isn't the US Government Funding Research?

thesandbender writes "The recent post about GM opening its own battery research facility led me to wonder why the US government is pouring billions into buying companies instead of heavily funding useful research. You can give $10 billion to a company to squander or you can invest $10 billion into a battery research and just give the findings to the whole of the US industry for free. From a historical standpoint, the US government has little experience with commercial enterprise ... but has an amazing record for driving innovation. The Manhattan Project and the Apollo moon missions are two of the pinnacles of 20th century scientific achievement, yet it seems to me that this drive died in the '70s and that's when the US started its slow decline. To be true to the 'Ask Slashdot' theme, what practical research do you think the US government should embark upon to get the most return for its citizens and the world?"

Comments

Fixed

[Serilleous]

From a historical standpoint, the US government has little experience with commercial enterprise... but has an amazing record for driving innovation during war-time.

obviously we need to get on the ball and invade china.

Re:Fixed

[Random BedHead Ed]

Zerth's Generalization As any thread grows, it shall approach the output of an infinite amount of monkeys typing randomly. All past and current pet peeves shall come into play, many bad analogies shall occur, and someone will compare the topic to something else of a magnitude that is completely out of proportion.

You know who else typed randomly and had pet peeves? The Nazis.

Answer

[Anonymous Coward]

We ran out of German scientists =/

Re:That's Obvious

[SB5]

Another part of the puzzle is the war must be against another superpower. Fighting non-superpowers has gotten has really nowhere, 'Nam, Iraq, and the South.

Re:That's Obvious

[Ethanol-fueled]

So, extrapolating from those two points, we just need a big, old-fashioned war.

It worked for DS9 and Voyager...

Re:That's Obvious

[Anonymous Coward]

They don't have to kick our ass. They just need to send a few loons over to knock down a couple of buildings and trash a few Boeings. That makes America react like we've just been handed the worst ass-kicking since the days of Genghis Khan.

Re:That's Obvious

[Tenebrousedge]

Then you should be happy! Global warming will turn Nunavut into Nassau eventually. It's doing you a favor!

Myself, I am a proud member of AFGW: Alaskans for Global Warming. We couldn't wait for plate tectonics to bring California up here, so we're bringing the mountain to Muhammed. Drill, baby, drill!

Re:Corporate research doesn't want to compete

[Hognoxious]

Either the experiment worked or it did not, and either way, something was learned. It always pays dividends - if not in new products and methods, in the avoidance of the repetition of failed experiments.

I hope you're right, because it looks like they're doing a big experiment on the economy right now...

Re:What research we should do

[bytesex]

Oestrogen is also a naturally occurring hormone. It helps to stop new pregnancies in women. If women take it, they can't get pregnant and as a result, can drop thong for anybody they like without fear of getting pregnant. They have a nifty little pill for that. Has been popular for decades. Very competitive product. But you're right. It's all a conspiracy.

Re:What research we should do

[binford2k]

Heh. Feel free to continue illustrating my point.

Cheers.