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Computer Scientists Say Meme Research Doesn't Threaten Free Speech
dcblogs (1096431) writes "In a letter to lawmakers Tuesday (PDF), five of the nation's top computing research organizations defended a research grant to study how information goes viral. The groups were responding to claims that the government-funded effort could help create a 1984-type surveillance state. The controversy arises over a nearly $1 million research grant to researchers at Indiana University to investigate "why some ideas cause viral explosions while others are quickly forgotten," particularly on Twitter. "We do not believe this work represents a threat to free speech or a suppression of any type of speech over the internet," the letter said. "The tools developed in the course of this research are capable of making no political judgments, no prognostications, and no editorial comments, nor do they provide any capability for exerting any control over the Twitter stream they analyze," they wrote. The controversy over Truthy may be just another sign of the ongoing deterioration between the science community and lawmakers over basic research funding as well as the science itself.
That's so blatantly false I don't know where to begin. Let's start with "reckless spending": Obama is the LOWEST spender since Eisenhower. And that's those pinkos over at Forbes who say so. How about "an actual annual budget again": well, perhaps if Mitch McConnell and John Boehner hadn't been holding their breath until they turn blue to block it (and everything else Obama has proposed), we'd have had one approved. And about half a zillion federal appointments they've blocked.
The fact is, the Republican party has been systematically breaking government, ruining the economy and generally running this country into the ground for the last six years out of personal animosity for Barack Obama. I WILL grant you, however, that they have been *phenomenally* successful at blaming their systematic vandalism on him, and he's been too chickenshit to stand up to their bullying. Now that they've won a majority in the Senate as well, we can expect more show trials and hearings about hot-button non-issues like Bengazi.
A few FACTS:
1. We've now had 63 straight months of economic expansion.
2. We are currently enjoying the longest period of private sector job creation in American history.
3. Unemployment has dropped from 10.1% in October of 2009 to 5.9% and projected to reach 5.4% by summer of 2015.
4. The stock market continues to set new records since President Obama has been in office.
5. The Federal budget deficit is shrinking. Itâ(TM)s been reduced by two-thirds since 2009.
6. Under President Obama, spending has increased only 1.4% annually, the lowest rate since Eisenhower was president.
7. For 95% of American taxpayers, income taxes are lower now than just about any time in the previous 50 years.
8. Our dependence on foreign oil has shrunk due to record domestic oil production and improved fuel efficiency standards.
9. At least 7 million more Americans now have health insurance than before.
10. The Affordable Care Act has added years to the life of Medicare.
11. Since passage of the Affordable Care Act, we are seeing the slowest rate of increase in healthcare costs since 1960.
12. We currently have fewer soldiers, sailors and airmen in war zones than any time in over 10 years.
13. There have been zero successful attacks by al Qaeda on US soil since Obama became president.
14. We now successfully catch and deport more illegal immigrants than ever before.
You ARE correct, however, that Duverger's Law pretty much guarantees that a first past the post voting system will inevitably result in a two-party system.