So… NASA and the EPA can maintain essential operations with only 5% of their workforce, evolutionary biologists are nonessential drains on the taxpayers, NOAA meteorologists can’t attend the American Meteorological Society convention on the taxpayers’ dime… Maybe I’m just a bit jaded, but how does the word “vital” fit in here? Can you think of a better example of a nonessential government employee than an evolutionary biologist?See this link. The climate paper most widely covered by the media in 2018 was actually a call for global socialism.
Schelosi in pictures.
Elites only. Meanwhile, in Disneyland. Disneyland raises prices -- by a lot. Least expensive, about $104/day but generally during the summer tickets will be $149/day. Outrageous, some say. Check out the price of ski lift tickets before getting too excited. Best price at Vail might be around $200/day. And for that you get about six rides up the hill. If you've ever been to Disneyland, you might agree that cutting attendance by 25% daily might improve the experience for those who still go to Disneyland. I've been to Disneyland more times than I have fingers but I have never been to Disney World.
What good are evolutionary biologists? The discoveries and solutions in that field work in conjunction with agriculture and medicine. Crop yields, antibiotics, pesticides, gene therapy/editing are a few examples. Cancer cures: also quite good for the economy.
ReplyDeletePersonal anecdote, I was sat with a table of evolutionary biologists last year at a wedding. Three of them working for the federal government working on foundational concepts with worms to develop a cure for aging. I have trouble thinking of a bigger problem than death. Turns out it's an ailment effects everyone. So far. ;)
Agree completely, but I doubt if a temporary speed bump will amount to anything.
DeleteAnd, of course, libertarians would argue that the government doesn't need to be doing this; private enterprise has done most of this: antibiotics, pesticides, etc.
That's right. However, the longer some don't have jobs the more you risk some exiting to greener or other pastures. 4 out of 10 American's don't have $400 in cash on hand to deal with an end of month short fall. I'm confident there are many areas of government where significant cuts could permanently be made with little harm.
ReplyDeleteI'm selectively libertarian in many areas, but more and more see the need for certain problems markets don't do a good job of solving. Namely problems of commons (light houses), problems requiring global cooperation, and problems that are of long term benefit that markets won't solve with quarterly pressures.
Great example: The North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources. The structure they set up strikes a good balance of mutual benefit to participants that the market would never perform on their own. Competing operators become collaborators in some ways to everyone's benefit. - The hardest part, of course, is knowing when to use government and when not. My gut feeling says the free markets are excellent at around 80% of human needs with a mix needed in other endeavors. A guess I wouldn't defend too strongly. ...but it's fun to ponder.
At the end of the day, this problem is easily solved: Congress sends a funding bill to President Trump without funding for the wall; Trump vetoes it; and Congress overrides the veto.
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