Kissing Science Goodbye
From the New York Times: In just three years, the Trump administration has diminished the role of science in policymaking while disrupting research projects nationwide. Experts say the effects may be felt for years. An examination by our Climate reporters found that political appointees had shut down government studies, had reduced the influence of scientists over regulatory decisions and, in some cases, had pressured researchers not to speak publicly.
“Regulations come and go, but the thinning out of scientific capacity in the government will take a long time to get back,” said a former top climate-policy expert at the Interior Department who quit in 2017 after being reassigned to a job collecting oil and gas royalties.
This is business as usual for the Trump administration, i.e., Trump says and does outrageous things on a daily basis that fire up the base and distract our attention while all elements of the federal government that formerly served and protected the American people and/or impeded big corporations are systematically destroyed.
Assuming we’re able to do it at all, this actually will take a long time to repair once Trump’s gone, via whatever means. The sheer mass of the damage being done to our civilization here is incalculable.
Science is the process by which we separate truth from lies. This is the main reason we should be so concerned about what we’re experiencing right now, i.e., the abandonment of truth, as it’s the only process by which democracies die and are replaced be authoritarian regimes.
Craig,
“Science is the process by which we separate truth from lies”.
Well, if that is true, your version of ‘science’ hasn’t served you well over the last 3 years has it?
But then you don’t really adhere to any scientific principles instead preferring to advocate ideological substitutions and pupped-science instead of objective analysis.
Your obsessive hatred of President Trump has made you unable to evaluate or even recognize advances in Clean technology that don’t suit your political/ideological agenda.
This happens when advocates and even scientists become too invested in passionately “believing” and “crusading” for a particular agenda or dogma.
In the last 3 years more than 2 trillion dollars of advanced IT and IP investment has returned to the US, because of a more friendly tax regime and business environment.
Innovation and manufacture has stopped leaving the US and local production has been steadily rising.
Recently, the NYT argued it was essential that President Trump be impeached as he was secretly preparing to run for a ‘Third Term’ after obtaining a Constitutional amendment to allow a third term.
In the same paragraph the NYT columnist warned of this as a very real possibility despite the president being deeply unpopular!
Just when you think anti-Trump hysteria couldn’t reach a more ludicrous level, CNN or the NYT are sure to raise the bar.
“Climate scientists” an invented term equating to “true believers” are no longer scientists as such but acolytes and high priests of a new religion.
This wouldn’t matter, except as public servants they’re not supposed to be pursuing their ideological/political dogma at the expense of the taxpayer.
Public servants and officials are employed to carry out the policy directions and initiatives of the elected executive.
The fight occurring throughout the first term of the Trump administration is who is in charge of the American Republic.
The US constitution is quite clear. The power to decide policy vest in elected representatives and the elected executive.
What we are seeing currently is a large group of unelected public officials who are convinced that it is they, The “experts’ who should decide policy, not the peoples representatives.
Regrettably, a significant percentage of the media and overly ambitious democrat politicians have sought to side with this “resistance” movement for short term political advantage.
The only evidence produced at the impeachment hearings. were the hurt feelings and whining of public servants, ‘experts’ and officials that they were ignored by the President as he conducted foreign policy.
Even more bizarrely, the Democrats may chose the dubious cause of Joe Biden and his improper behavior as the ” Hill on for which they will fight and die”
The impeachment process has already turned into a peculiar farce. In the latest episode the Democrat Speaker has completely lost the plot and is demanding to control the terms of the Senate trial !
The fact the Constitution grants this power exclusively to the Senate and Chief Justice doesn’t seem to worry Nancy Pelosi or her merry band.
She now claims unless her demands are met, she won’t send the bill of impeachment to the Senate. (Sort of destroys her “urgency’ argument).
Whe you say:
“Trump says and does outrageous things on a daily basis that fire up the base and distract our attention while all elements of the federal government that formerly served and protected the American people and/or impede..”
What you really mean is the President addresses the American people directly and carries out the mandate and policies that he was elected to accomplish.
What you hate is he is removing many of policies of the previous government you supported, but you lost the election.
Democracy, or elected representative government, means accepting the policies of the elected government until the next election.