The White House Now Has Zero Science Advisors (cbsnews.com)

DogDude shares an article from CBS News: The science division of the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy was unstaffed as of Friday as the three remaining employees departed this week, sources tell CBS News... On Friday afternoon, Eleanor Celeste, the assistant director for biomedical and forensic sciences at the OSTP, tweeted, "Science division out. Mic drop" before leaving the office for the last time...

Under Mr. Obama, the science division was staffed with nine employees who led the charge on policy issues such as STEM education, biotechnology and crisis response. It's possible that the White House will handle these issues through staff in other divisions within the OSTP.

Comments

The New Formula

[MightyMartian]

A government of the idiots, by the idiots and for the idiots.

Re:The New Formula

[Archtech]

A government of the idiots, by the idiots and for the idiots.

More accurately: a government of the people, by the employees of the super-rich, for the super-rich.

In one word, a plutocracy.

Re: The New Formula

[gtall]

There is no clear line between serving and leading. An example is EPA and the Superfund cleanups. If we were to wait until the "people" figured out what to do, we'd still be waiting. You forget private institutions have their own biases. Care to call the tobacco industry fair minded and interested in the public weal?

Re:Kind, compassionate idiots

[serviscope_minor]

We helped Europe deal with Nazi Germany

I'm not quite sure how fighting the Axis after being attacked by it counts as generous.

But anyway, the US has done many good, generous things, many neutral things and many rather awful, self-interested things.

Re:How many in NASA under Obama?

[mean pun]

And he's still easily as good as or not better than anyone Obama had.

Obama was a crappy president running on feel-good SJW bull. His singular accomplishment was ruining the US healthcare system, something we're still trying to recover from. Ben Carson is easily better than literally anyone Obama had working for him.

This is where any dialog simply breaks down. You either believe this, and you're just bonkers; you're trolling, and I am sorry you don't have anything interesting to do in your life; or you're shilling, and I can only hope you reincarnate as something highly educational.

Why do you think I got OUT of public service?

[buss_error]

For more than a decade, I tried to serve the public good by working in the public sector. I finally got fed up with the shit pay, the shit I got when people found out I worked in the government (called a pig at the trough, incompetent, stupid, lazy, a drone, had my car vandalized multiple times, threaten with death on a weekly basis, and assaulted) and got a job in the private sector that pays one hell of a lot better.

The key here is that there is now a majority of people that think science and engineering are "just someone's opinion." That is true to a limited extent that it is indeed an opinion - but it's an opinion formed from training, intense study, experience, and perseverance. These opinions are not something someone pulls out of their ass.

The current administration was elected by the sorts of people that deny scientific opinion because it conflicts with their world view. The sorts of folks that think welfare is for the lazy the drug addicted, and cheats. Of course the white house science department has no employees. The people that elected this administration do not value science, compassion, empathy, or Christian Values, despite many of them calling themselves Christians. They are not Christians. At best they mistake their fear and anger for piety, their selfishness, lack of compassion and imagination as "being strong". These attitudes serve no one but the top 1%. The key here is that if you read this, you will never be one of the top 1%.

"The world isn't fair" is an excuse I hear a lot, which is true, life frequently isn't fair. Evil prospers when good men do nothing. There's nothing like doing nothing to ensure that life will remain unfair, and uncaring.