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A billion a year is chump change. We have to dismantle the entitlement state and seriously fund R & D in this country. The total Federal budget including defense research (basic and applied) is only around $136 billion a year. There is probably that much wasted in Welfare and Medicaid fraud alone. During the Cold War entitlements and general government spending made up about 35% of the Budget while Defense and Research made up roughly 65%. Those figures are now reversed. We cannot affords nearly 300 billion in Highway Bill pork or nearly a 100 billion in farm support (which voes not mainly even go to small farmer anymore anyway.)

The only way that we can possible compete in this world is to be far in advance in science and technology of any other nation or block of nations. We must radically rethink our whole approach to this issue and build a nation consensus.

We did this 45 years ago and this gave us the leadership we have now. We can do it again if we have the will. The major stumbling block is the Democrat party and the Left. 45 years ago they were not a problem - the problem was not internal, it was with the soviets. We could build up projects and programs and not have them taken apart when a new administration came to power.

If we do not act soon we will end up like a country such as Brazil or Argentina. The Euros understand what must be done and are making plans. So are the Chinese and the Indians. We are not facing reality. A billion a year? we ought to spent that buch on computing facilities for fusion research.

I would agree with that. At the same time the opponents are not just Leftists. There is a lot of resistance on the Right. Even here on FR. They say things like 'where in the Constitution does it say the Government should be spending tax money this way.'

But the country is losing its leadership role in science, and that is the one advantage we have these days.