Lawrence Krauss: Congress Is Trying To Defund Scientists At Energy Department

Lasrick writes Physicist Lawrence Krauss blasts Congress for their passage of the 2015 Energy and Water Appropriations bill that cut funding for renewable energy, sustainable transportation, and energy efficiency, and even worse, had amendments that targeted scientists at the Department of Energy: He writes that this action from the US Congress is worse even than the Australian government's move to cancel their carbon tax, because the action of Congress is far more insidious: "Each (amendment) would, in its own way, specifically prohibit scientists at the Energy Department from doing precisely what Congress should mandate them to do—namely perform the best possible scientific research to illuminate, for policymakers, the likelihood and possible consequences of climate change." Although the bill isn't likely to become law, Krauss is fed up with Congress burying its head in the sand: The fact that those amendments "...could pass a house of Congress, should concern everyone interested in the appropriate support of scientific research as a basis for sound public policy."

Comments

Re:Price of using scientists as political pawns

[Karmashock]

Depends on what you mean. If you're talking about evolution versus creationism then of course you're correct. But that isn't why the department of energy is looking to get their budget cut.

For one thing you've got all the "green jobs" "green economy" crap that the democrats pushed and used to justify shutting down existing industry and business... putting big taxes on such businesses... etc... on the theory that it would create a new green economy.

Because the democrats think it is literally impossible to kill the economy.

They think they can't raise taxes high enough or set regulations too high. They think they can do whatever to the system and it will always over come it. Which means they think they have no responsibility to do things efficiently or reasonably. You ask for them to be reasonable and they simply say its a political dispute. Well fine. Then the political games begin.

Game... the fuck... on.

Now you're going to sit there and attempt to be smug by claiming that the scientists are only doing their jobs and only pushing out the facts. This despite the fact that they were used as pawns in political power plays on an international level. Sorry. You're either in the game or your out of the game.

None of this showing up to take pot shots and then scuttling off before counter fire lands. The political powers that be don't work that way. On either side. You enter the game... you take fire.

I am not defending it. I am not saying it should be this way. I am saying it "IS" this way. You're a believer in science and reality?

Correct? This is reality. And its hypocritical to only get upset when one side does it. You want to get mad? Get mad at both sides.

I could go over the dozen people and organizations the democrats went after over the last decade for no greater reason then that they undermined something they were trying to do and thus had to be nuked.

But why bother. Here is the long and the short of it:

The democrats involved the DoE with their green energy push which was used to attack the "evil" "dirty" industry in the US which has been struggling for decades under increasing regulation. Look at US industry... is it thriving? Not really. And democrats thought in the middle of a recession that it was a good idea to attack what little industry we have left.

As usual... the democrats are fucking geniuses. So yeah... the DoE is going to get a shot across their bow if only to make them respect the lines they cross when they get involved in the political projects.

Re:Price of using scientists as political pawns

[Karmashock]

Both sides are diverse political coalitions.

Just because you're a believer in the second amendment for example it does not mean you're a creationist.

In this case, captain strawman, we're talking about the department of energy. Which was not involved in creationism or evolution.

This is reprisals for the "green economy" push from the DoE.

That's what it is. Now you want to lie to yourself or to me about it? Fine... we can play games if you want. But THAT is the straight story.

Now did the DoE have to cooperate with the Green Energy push? Yes and no. They're subject to the whims of the executive but they could have also distanced themselves from the whole thing as well. Offering up their research without taking political sides.

Do you remember Solyndra? Do you remember the many green energy projects that went belly up? That was the fruits of the DoE green economy push. And the price? Aside from the billions if federal funding was the justification of increased taxes and regulation on "dirty" US industry.

The US coal industry is on the brink of collapse. You think its just big evil coal companies that care about that? There are communities that survive on the coal industry. Cut that off and you'll beggar their communities. So they're going to throw their support behind any politician that can save their community.

And then there is the question of where you're going to get energy from now that you've shut down the nuclear power plants and coal plants? Apparently no where? Have fun with that. So far you've just been increasing the cost of energy which just makes life harder for people that have tight budgets.

And then you have other industries that need cheap energy to be competitive... manufacturing for example... the manufacturing of solar panels ironically is not competitive unless you have access to abundant cheap energy.

Shutting down US coal and nuclear plants makes it harder to make solar panels in the US.

You can make them in china of course... they still have coal and nuclear plants.