I've seen the deeply ignorant. I've seen the aggressively ignorant (they tend to spout creationism on FR). But not often have I seen the viciously ignorant.
I could deconstruct this article line-by-line--almost every sentence is flatly wrong--but my time would be better spent writing up last night's Eagles game, since ESPN has seen fit to write this instead.
Instead, I'll just point out that when I left physics for programming, my salary doubled, and the work was a hell of a lot easier. Physicists make real sacrifices to do physics. This talk about how physics research is mere "featherbedding" is simply intellectual class warfare.
Deconstruct it!
I dare you.
When you have time...LOL!
Physicists might not live a cushy existence, but it might be just the life they desire. Should they be funded on the public dime? Can you make a case that HEP deserves the billions of taxpayer money that it receives, without using the argument that many other unquestionably wasted billions are also spent on other things?