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]

You're right, republicans have reduced federal funding hugely.

US federal funding on a per capita basis is only a fraction of what it was in the 19... anything. Oh wait... federal spending is at record levels and has on a steady trend upward for generations.

You're a fool.

Re:Someone has an agenda to push

[sumdumass]

Evidently, people who are willing to log in and put their reputation on it are buying into that. You on the other hand, well..

Carbon taxes are bad ideas in the first place. They are simply convoluted and will not achieve anything substantial. There are better ways if results is what we are really after.

Re:Price of using scientists as political pawns

[Karmashock]

I didn't say they didn't build a working factory.

I said they failed.

How many people does solyndra employ today? Where are the green jobs?

This is the recurring problem with the left. They promise everyone a world of rainbows and unicorn cheeseburgers. But when push comes to shove... you fail. You don't deliver. All your promises don't come out... the reality checks bounce... and then what happens? People like me are stuck in some disintegrating city eating gruel and standing in line to get government rations.

Fuck that.

Is free enterprise perfect? Hell no. its full of exploitation, waste, perversion, and stupidity just like anything else. BUT... you have a CHANCE to make a better life for yourself. Total state domination means there is only ONE chance for things to work out and it all rests on the government doing everything correctly... which they never have.

I'm sorry. My family didn't cross the ocean to this country to live under a new nobility preaching a new state religion... utterly intolerant of any other ideology or faith.

People like you are why people left other places to come to the US.

There... you got me to rant at you. Happy now?

We don't need to be enemies. Our parents weren't and our grand parents weren't. You need to live and let live and we can live in peace. I'll watch your back and you can watch mine. But if you keep trying to control me through the state and coming up with various justifications to do so then we can't be allies. I won't let you put chains on me.

Re:Price of using scientists as political pawns

[Karmashock]

We can't cut spending. You've worked very hard to make that impossible. Your whole political position is based on the idea of giving people stuff. You give people free healthcare, free food, free housing, free education, free transport, free cell phones, free anything and everything.

Except none of it is free.

You say you care about helping the poor and the needy. And i think for many of you that is true. But the reality is that many in your faction only give away these things as a means to power. That is they don't seek power to help the poor. They help the poor to get power.

Now helping the poor is great. I'm all for it. But when helping the poor is your means to power it is not in your interest for there to be fewer poor people any more then it is in McDonald's interest for there to be more health conscious people. Your ideology thrives on poverty. The poorer and more desperate people are the stronger you become. And whatever you believe, your politicians know this and exploit it on an ongoing basis.

Part of this desire for illegal immigrants from south of the border is because the democrats know it serves their interests to have as many poor ignorant people as possible on the government dole.

That is how your politicians get into power and keep it.

So I have very little patience for you claims to moral or ethical virtue on this issue. Your political party would be very much at home in the old Roman Senate. They played the same games. Gave free food to the masses. Grain ships arrived from Egypt daily providing the people of Rome with free food. The masses. The mob. And it worked out great for the empire and the senators until it rotted the heart out of the empire.

The specifics of the issue are likely beyond you and your likely tiny attention span. But the point is that I am deeply unimpressed with your silly notion that the republicans are MORE responsible for the sorry state of our budget because they want to cut taxes. You can't just raise taxes infinitely... and that is apparently what the democrats want.

They've never said how much is too much. They've never said what is fair. They always say they want more. And when they get that they want more again.

No. If the US government needs to go bankrupt to short circuit your parasitic political games then so be it.

You are buying elections. That is what you've been trying to do since the New Deal. Nothing more or less.

Re:Price of using scientists as political pawns

[Karmashock]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

I can't help you if you're willfully ignorant.

Re:Price of using scientists as political pawns

[geekoid]

"Even our grasp of science is much the same despite your probable assumptions on that issue."
If you don't believe AGW, then you do NOT understand science at all. SPORT.

No, it in no WAY UNDERMINES THE COUNTRY. science has NEVER UNDERMINED THE COUNTRY. IT allows us to make change BEFORE THE COUNTRY IS

and yeah, I am a hell of a lot smart then you. You know what? it doesn't matter becasue the scientific facts are the fact, regardless of how smart I am, or how mind numbingly stupid you are.
DESTROYED, SPORT.

The facts of AGW aren't even hard facts. Any college could build test that falsify it, hell and decent 8th grade lab could test it. You even notice the deniers NEVER GO AFTER THE FACTS? Always making things up, always ad homs, always cherry picking but never address the scientific fact.
Simple basic scientific facts.
You people need to be rounded up and taught basic science and critical thinking, you are LITERALLY hurting the country.

They are for EVERYONE. it not there fault of greedy psychopaths refuse to believe facts.

Finally, someone stands up for the little guy

[illumined]

Let's stop pretending that renewable energy is anything other than a massive malthusian scheme to strangle our civilization. Defunding research into nonsense that's never been able to replace fossil fuels for electricity production is somehow going to have grievous consequences for the climate? Seriously? While Germany, China and the third world continue to build NEW coal fired power plants? While the Chinese throw their bicylces aside for fossil fuel burning cars by the hundreds of thousands every year? "Sound public policy"? These policies are economically devastating to the poor by artificially driving up prices of even basic things like electricity and depriving them of opportunity. If you don't believe me take your electricity bill and multiply it by 5, now imagine how someone with more modest means feels when he or she sees this. There's consequences for going back to the early 1900's, back when cars and electricity were toys for rich people, but you won't find this in the utopian visions of the sustainability movement. It will end like every other utopian experiment, a fiscal and/or humanitarian disaster with the poor paying a huge price. I think it's time for Krauss and the rest of the bourgeoisie elite to get their heads out of the sand and realize that renewable energy and "sustainable transport" are giant leaps backwards. This is class warfare being fed by their narcissistic do gooder fantasies, and I'm glad at least someone is putting a stop to it. Good for you Australia for turning away from this malthusian suicide pact.

Re:Rick Perry finally thought pf the third one?

[cayenne8]

WTF is the Dept of Energy supposed to be investigating fucking climate change?!?!

The Energy Dept, should be only working on current and NEW forms of energy.

Of course funding should be cut for things that should not be part of their mandate.

This makes about as much sense as instructing NASA to make more efforts to placate muslims er oh wait.

Didn't you Know?

[sycodon]

These scientist need to understand that the people writing the checks get to make the priorities. If they don't like it, get elected and change it or find someone with money that agrees with them. Being a "Scientist" does not mean you have some moral superiority over others concerning what tax dollars are spent on.