Bush and congress fiddle while the world burns

I agree.  This is an extremely difficult issue to play the morality card on either side.  Yet both sides seem to do it a lot.  I haven't and won't.

 

So your point is what?
The research shouldn't be done because, pragmatically, it hasn't produced anything yet?
I think alley explained why that's a strange argument against research.
Stick with the morality card.

 

My point is, the government's already big enough without betting on long shots. Leave that to the private sector.

 

Jack, I like most of your posts so I don't want to turn this into a conflagration again ...

In the case of health care and research, I don't want to leave anything to the private sector, which is driven by profit. People's lives are at stake. I think every one of us has lost a friend or family member to some illness that COULD possibly be helped or defeated through things discovered in this research. If it means taxpayer money and government involvement to keep people alive or ease their suffering, that's worth it to me.

 

It's not adding to the government.

It's "government sponsored researched" which, theoretically, could be done in conjunction with the private sector. But it still should remain "pure science" (if such a thing exists).

And I second Alley's comments.

 

The Earth will be destroyed by a meteorite before there is peace, stability and democracy in the Middle East.

But we sure have thrown hundreds of billions into that long shot.

 

The GI Bill was a long shot.
The Interstate highway system was a long shot.
The Louisiana Purchase was a long shot.
Hell, the United States of America was a longer shot than stem-cell research is.

 

If the payoff is worth it, then I say take the chance.

If we'd had a very specific plan about how to use Iraq as a springboard to bring real stability to the Middle East ... if that's even possible ... then I'd say a war there would have been a gamble worth taking.

 

Who knew how big the Morality Card was?
http://www.crooksandliars.com/posts/2006/07/20/the-daily-show-on-stem-cell-brownback/

 

...which I'm not too crazy about either.

And FB, I had already seen that Daily Show clip and thought to myself, God almighty, that is not the way to win people over to your side of an argument.

 

..not until they lower the voting age to 10, at least.

 

Once we were committed to the internal-combustion engine (a mixed blessing), the Interstate Highway system was a masterstroke . . .
and probably Ike's greatest achievement.