Costs have to be attached to any gov funded research because we spend taxpayers' money to conduct the research for the benefit of the taxpayer. Ask any Congressman.
As a consumer, I like to know that every dime I spend in a grocery store buys me the product I want at a price I think is reasonable. As a taxpayer, I want the same for the dollars I pay into the government tax system. If we cannot succinctly justify the burden we place on the taxpayer, for whatever product, then the taxpayer will justifiably be suspicious of what we do. Contempt for the taxpayer is not going to win any arguments. It will just gain kudos from the echo chamber. Your target audience for justification of spending tax dollars for research is not academia. It is the NASCAR audience. That's who Congressmen talk to when they run for election. ---chris Jason L Kindall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent by: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news" <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> 10/29/2008 08:25 AM Please respond to Jason L Kindall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU cc Subject Re: [ECOLOG-L] Palin laughs at fruit fly research Why chain ourselves to economic importance of a species as a barometer on whether we should conserve it? Granted, economic importance is a good boost for conservation of some species. However, it sure isn't the only reason to conserve something. Jason Paul Cherubini wrote: > Jason L Kindall wrote: > >> Viewed alone, it might be pretty hard to justify >> research on fruit flies to the average Joe (plumber >> or six-pack). Connect it with autism or human health >> and then it becomes more palatable to the public. > > Perhaps Sarah Palin and the average Joe's are refering > to the big research grants that are awarded for seemingly > frivolous projects like the one below dealing with the health > of an economically unimportant, but charasmatic insect: > > http://tinyurl.com/2d6r9f > $679,492 Grant to assist professor's study of butterflies > > Altizer received the National Science Foundation Faculty > Early Development Career award to study migration and > infectious disease patterns in Monarch butterflies. > > Altizer hopes her research will help with conservation. She > wants to know how migration keeps Monarchs healthy. > "People tend to love Monarchs to death," Altizer said. > Keeping humans from disrupting the butterflies' migration > will help keep them healthy. > > Paul Cherubini > El Dorado, Calif. -- Jason L. Kindall Education & Research Director Ozark Natural Science Center 1905 Madison 1305 Huntsville, AR 72740 Ph: 479-789-2754 Fax: 479-789-2728 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.onsc.us
