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United Against the Axe

By milhayser on March 8, 2011.

House Republicans are pushing a bill that would cut funding for the National Institutes of Health by $1.6 billion, over five percent. Isis the Scientist issues a call to action, saying "Whether you are a scientist, a student, or a member of the public interested in the future of science, I join with Dr. Talman in asking you to call your Congressional Representatives and ask them to oppose HR1." DrugMonkey offers a cheat sheet full of facts, figures, and talking points so we can know what we're talking about when we contact our representatives. Orac calls the savings "minimal and symbolic" compared to federal expenditures on defense and entitlements. PZ Myers agrees with Paul Krugman that Republican willingness to gut science spending while refusing "to touch anything that might cause immediate pain to the electorate" amounts to cooking our seed corn and eating the future. And Steinn Sigurðsson lists all the other scientific agencies facing cuts on Dynamics of Cats. So let your congresspeople know that while HR 1 may be fine with creationists, geocentrists, and alembic-succussing sorcerers, those who care about the future of science know that tax dollars should be spent on research.

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NIH
Politics

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