Posted on 07/20/2005 5:53:47 PM PDT by Sgt_Schultze
On Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the world's first artificial satellite. In 98 minutes, Sputnik circled the Earth and opened new worlds of science and space technologies.
Less than four years later, President John F. Kennedy accepted the Russian challenge and promised that the U.S. would lead the world in space exploration. Ten years later, the U.S. placed a man on the moon and millions of jobs were created in a new industry based upon space exploration.
Fast forward to 2005. Medical researchers in South Korea recently announced major advancements in stem cell research that clearly puts them in the lead in this new technology.
In the world of biotechnology, South Korea's announcement was the Sputnik of our time.
But, instead of a Kennedy-like response to this challenge, the Bush administration has decided that the U.S. government will significantly limit its involvement in stem cell research. The president's personal religious beliefs and his strong ties to religious conservatives within the Republican Party tell him that additional stem cell research is immoral.
This is an interesting argument coming from an administration that spends billions of research dollars on the development of nuclear, biological and other weapons of mass destruction. But, that's another column.
So, instead of leading the world in stem cell research, the U.S. will sit on the sidelines. Who will discover and hold the patents to these new discoveries? In regards to stem cell research, scientists in South Korea are cleaning our clocks.
For now, the economic development created by stem cell research in the U.S. is limited to California where the state government has committed $300 billion toward stem cell research and technologies.
The best and brightest scientists in the world know that, except for California, the U.S. is not the place to be for groundbreaking research in these new medical technologies. But everyone else in the world, from Canada and China to India and South Korea are welcoming them with open arms.
Don't want Chinese graduate students in the U.S? Fine, come to Ireland, says Ireland's Minister of Education, Mary Hanafin, who plans to double the number of Ph.D. graduates from Ireland schools in science by 2010. As Hanafin recently told Tom Friedman of the New York Times, "Industry will go where the major research goes."
Once a leader in all fields of higher education, 14 nations, including Ireland, now produce more graduates per capita in the natural sciences than the United States.
The separation of religion and public policy has always served America well. That separation has enabled the U.S. to become the world leader in most scientific fields; and industry has followed. But that is changing.
I remember a day when some religious conservatives thought that man shouldn't explore space because they thought space was sacred territory. Lucky for us, religious extremists back then didn't have a strong ally in the White House.
The current issue of stem cell research provides yet another clear example of why it is important to keep religion out of politics and public policy.
Not satisfied that they live in a country where they are free to follow and practice their own religious convictions, some religious conservatives today insist that everyone else in America think and believe as they do. And they are willing to put their religious beliefs into law to force the rest of us to behave according to their beliefs.
I understand that there are numerous ethical issues surrounding stem cell research. But all scientific advances have ethical consideration and challenges. The U.S. can face these challenges and be part of the solution, or let others lead the way.
In his go-to-the-moon speech at Rice University in 1962, Kennedy said, "The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, ... and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind."
Stem cell research will go ahead, whether the U.S. joins in it or not. The question for Americans is whether the U.S. will continue to be a leader of other nations or not.
Tom Zirpoli writes from Westminster. His column appears Wednesdays. E-mail him at:
tzirpoli@mcdaniel.edu
This guy is a "professor" at a private college. Here is his page at the College.
That's completely beside the point. We're also abandoning entire fields of research that have no religious implications at all.
I'd have to say this is true in several respects. Apart from government grants, there is very little genuine R&D going on in the U.S. If anything, Japan has taken the lead on that front. That's why they're the ones coming out with all the cutting-edge gadgetry these days instead of us.
Hell, it's been decades since every high-tech inventor realized that if he needed seed money and a dedicated, long-term sponsor, he'd have to go to Japan and forget trying to bring in American businesses that can't see past 90 days on their ledgers.
You got that right, FRiend.
Bush's fault.
Clinton/Gore gave China their missile and missile guidance technology so they can nuke us all, so it wasn't ALL President Bush's fault at all.
There is a hell of a lot of private research going on in this area in the U.S. The 'government' doesn't have to pay for it. End of story.
This guy is a moron.
I'm not upset that we are "falling behind" in research that involves killing unborn babies. Besides, science can't save your soul.
My guess is spending on research doesn't buy as many votes as spending on other programs. It's a shame because past government spending on research seems to have been an excellent investment.
You are correct. I make my living doing R&D in the private sector and our budgets are increasing.
In the area of stem cell research, if there is potential, private enterprise should and will lead the way. It is often a tremendous waste of money to have the NIH or NSF give out countless millions of dollars to academic researchers who are only trying to get their latest research proposal funded.
I second the motion that the author is a moron.
This is not a judgement on them. I just personally wish companies would export those jobs to places like Harlem and Downtown Detriot. If companies couldn't outsource or bring foreigners in to do these jobs, they would be forced to educate Americans.
And if you think we couldn't educate every child in Harlem to work in high tech, then there is a word for people like you.
BITS
In other words, Abortion = Life.
N=U=T=T=E=R
The Bush administration has not banned research on embryonic stem cells. What has been "banned" is the use of taxpayer money to fund that research.
The US, private and public, spends more on stem cell research, including embryonic than any country in the world. California voted in Nov. 2004 to create a $3 billion state taxpayer-funded institute for stem cell research, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Providing $300 million a year, the institute is claimed to be the world's largest single backer of research in stem cells, and could potentially increase substantially the pace of embryonic stem cell research.
Several states, in some cases wary of a national migration of biotech researchers to California, have shown interest in providing their own funding support of embryonic and adult stem cell research. These states include Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas (*)(*), Illinois, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Washington, and New Hampshire.
Here's some news from Catholic blog thefactis.org: despite complaints to the contrary, U.S. spending on embryonic stem cell research is the highest in the world. The figures come from a 20-page report London's Financial Times published earlier this month. Here's how we fare: our private funding is $200 million, while the federal government provides $24 million. In the U.K., both private and public funding is $100 million, and in South Korea - where scientists recently used a human clone to make a stem cell line - the figure is $60 million. In addition, there are more U.S. stem cell lines to work from - 46 in total, compared to runner-up South Korea with 29.
Just how important is stem cell research from a medical standpoint? Is it going to cure everything? Don't we have other priorities?
I'm not talking about stem cell research. I never mentioned stem cell research. I didn't even allude to stem cell research.
So, if I may be so bold, what the bloody HELL are you talking about?
I've been hearing crap this since I was 12 years old in '57 and Sputnik was launched.
We needed more science teachers and engineers. By the late 60's, when I had a perfectly good paying job as an O1, my friends who'd gone into teaching and engineering were all looking for jobs.
Our system is so competitive and efficient that it can flood any market. Jobs included.
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