~C4Chaos

I missed the controversial Obama-Clinton debate on ABC. Not much substance
anyway. I don’t care about their personal issues. I care more about
concrete issues like the economy, Iraq war, health care, and the debate that didn’t happen. Needless to say, I sympathize with the sentiment of this WSJ op-ed: We need a Science White House.

"We need a president who moves science back into the
White House. Today we do not have a presidential science adviser and
there is no office of science in the White House.

"Our government needs to treat science honestly. When
the world’s scientists flag global warming as a threat to our way of
life, it is a warning that should be taken seriously. Stewardship of
the planet is our responsibility. No one else is going to do it for us.

"We need to fund ACI and double the National Science
Foundation’s budget for basic research. The government should fund
science at a level that will ensure that the U.S. stays in a leadership
position in areas like biotechnology, military preparedness,
electronics and communication. We need to pay special attention to
health research.

"We also need to encourage young people to become
educated about scientific issues, regardless of whether they become
scientists.

"This would all be a start. But a complete overhaul of
national science policy is needed to prepare the U.S. for a future
rapidly overtaking us. Our presidential hopefuls should be telling us
their positions on critical science issues, but they have not done so
yet. We hope they become more responsive in the months ahead." [read more]

The ABC presidential debate was a waste of friggin’ air time. The
moderators could’ve done a better job. Who cares about Obama’s lapel
pin?

That said, the candidates too have a responsibility in choosing the
debates and forums that they would participate in. It’s good to see
them professing their faith on Compassion Forum (see videos here), but I’m disheartened by their continued lack of participation in more crucial and relevant scientific issues of our time.