We should be attracting and retaining the world’s top researchers, not driving them away with dysfunction and xenophobia.
In the past it’d be hard for Chinese labs to retain researchers. Now the upside to the US isn’t there.
what I see is a chronically corrupt set of Bay Area companies who stole open source software, pretended there was an AI god around the corner, and wanted to be regulated so the federal government could backstop their failed gambit.
In other words, Tuesday in San Francisco.
The places I worked were essentially white collar welfare.
One could do nothing and collect a paycheck.
Not saying all federally finded places are like this but this system is ripe for abuse and I dont know how you elimiate the abuse while still giving the deserving scientists the funding they need.
> One could do nothing and collect a paycheck.
Outside of startups this accurately describes almost the entirety of private entities I've seen, at least this past decade (from my impression it's getting a lot worse). Bullshit jobs upon bullshit jobs.
This is not a public-sector-only problem; in fact from personal impression I'd say private entities are slightly worse in that respect.
it's one at the top like 'maybe you guys shouldn't have built a network to launder chuds huh' followed by like 50 chuds defending the funding cuts because of DEI keywords in the grants
It's the science-ish equivalent of saying: my Uncle got a vaccination, then walked outside and was hit by a car; thus...
And of course, go look up one of the authors: https://nicolashulscher.com/. I hate to do the _ad hominem_ thing, but in this case it is warranted - he is a dangerous MAHA idiot.
Damage is done, we'll forever be behind, this isn't the place to go to research anymore.
ck2•14h ago
Russell Vought
everyone knows who Stephen Miller is but Russell Vought is the real monster
for perspective, he got rid of the very programs that developed a drug to keep his child alive from a rare genetically inherited disease
now you get what we are dealing with
and here's the thing, Vance is the handpicked successor by Heritage Foundation so even if Trump goes away someday, the nightmare will continue if not get even worse
might take a century to recover, I don't see how this is overcome in a mere decade
softwaredoug•14h ago
That said Congress can and does sometimes make the funding less discretionary. They can mandate expenditures. And make withholding legal funds personally painful for OMB. They also haven’t don’t this yet.
sseagull•14h ago
See https://www.science.org/content/article/exclusive-nsf-slashe...
(Long story short, the administration is slashing the budgets of various NSF divisions to make room X-Labs, despite the Congressional budget stating that is not allowed)
CuriouslyC•14h ago
mikeyouse•14h ago
ck2•13h ago
that would seem logical but it has nothing to do with logic
this happened because 50% of latinos (natural born, naturalized) voted for the Orange Infant because THEY DONT CARE about anything else except they thought it would give them an economic edge and pull up the ladder behind them
they aren't going to go vote Democratic this election, at best they might stay home because they don't want ICE disappearing them for weeks while they pointlessly argue they are citizens
if the Democrats don't get the Senate, country is done, and I don't think they can get the Senate even if gas was $5
elections are now won by 1% or 2% and people staying home is not enough to change things, they'd have to vote Democrat which they are too spiteful to do
just imagine the damage by 2029 if the Democrats don't get the Senate
remember even with full impeachment, Vance becomes President and that would be a NIGHTMARE even worse than what we have now, they will double-down in spite
winning the House is just going to be a puppet-show for two years
mcphage•11h ago
Vance has no popularity or support. Right now Trump is able to destroy the country because congress is doing nothing, and they're doing nothing because they're afraid of Trump. I don't think they'll be afraid of Vance.