Green Junction: Time to Stay Informed and Fight for Democracy
Another one of our powers as citizens is our communications with elected officials. It certainly feels like these fall on deaf ears when the communications are to those in the R party. None seem willing to stand up for democracy and I make that comment when I write or call – to please be true to your oath of office. If you can find time, continue contacting your elected officials.
The legal world is fighting back now and let’s hope that this is at least in part a successful means to stop some of the most egregious actions by the leader of Mean And Greedy Again. The assault on science is inhibiting the number of students who can pursue higher degrees. I am feeling sad for our students who are ready to move into graduate programs. Cuts in support for grants (NSF, NIH) will be disastrous for science and our leadership in science innovation and education. This is a good summary by Joyce Vance:
“Fiscal Year 2023, NIH spent over $35 billion on almost 50,000 competitive grants to more than 300,000 researchers.” By limiting indirect costs that the federal government will cover, they are killing the research. The complaint continues, “Indirect costs are vital to conducting research that advances American stature in international technological advancement, medical research, and life-saving technologies. They support the fundamental expense of simply providing a location and staff to facilitate the research that would otherwise not be funded through direct costs … For example, a university which is funded to conduct cancer therapy research also must fund the physical maintenance of a laboratory and pay for the staff who manage the laboratory and lab equipment, such as operational staff who are not themselves researchers.” This may be Elon Musk’s idea of waste, but scientists, other researchers, and academics say their work will be gutted, with one researcher explaining, “Laboratories would literally go dark.” Just in time for the bird flu, or whatever the next national health emergency might be!”
New term from the language nerds: “Agnorant – people who are extremely ignorant, yet are simultaneously extremely arrogant. Example: people who think they know more about science than scientists.”
“I don’t trust anyone who’s not visibly stressed out right now.”
However, make time always for joy, for exercise, for fresh air, for prayer, for smiles/laughter.
Stay informed and in the fight for our democracy.
