U.S. could fall behind in global 'brain race'

[sasha031]

A chorus of scientists, politicians and business leaders has long sounded this lament: The USA is about to be deposed as the world's leader in science and technology.


And last week President Bush joined the choir, calling in his State of the Union address for a $136 billion boost in science education and research over the next 10 years. "We cannot afford to be complacent. In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors, like China and India," he said.
While the 20th century had the arms race, the competition in this century will be a brains race, says science policy analyst Michael Lubell of the American Physical Society. "Today's Sputnik? It's a little bigger. It's called China," he says. "The projected growth in high-technology products from there is staggering."
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2006-02-08-usa-science_x.htm?POE=TECISVA

[Skidmore]

1. But...but...but...

Free markets...free trade...trickle down...

[Nomen Tuum]

9. But, were #1 in Bible Experts

Don't you remember President Pruneface Ronnie telling us that all we have to do is read and memorize the Bible and ignore everything else?

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Of course it is. The Repubs broke the education system on purpose to

recreate a feudal state in this country. They expected the ruling elite who can afford better education to continue carrying the torch of our brainpower but obviously they miscalculated on how many of our brilliant people come from below the upper crust.

[CJCRANE]

5. This may seem way out...

but it seems like the neocons are aiming towards a Christian version of Saudi Arabia.

Especially given that the Bush family are close friends and business partners of the Saudi royal family and bin Ladens it wouldn't surpise me if Poppy saw the fear, respect and control they have over their populace and got jealous and decided he wanted his family to have the same kind of power.

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. Not way out at all. Keep in mind what the middle ages were like. Lots

of Christian oppression then and more oppression from the ruling class. I think **co would love to bring back those days.

[warrior1]

3. Well with this goober in charge

[HereSince1628]

4. It's those damned Wal-mart jobs stealing away the flower of US youth.

We'll need to figure out tax incentives to dissuade them from the marvelous opportunities to rise to management of the greeting cards department within 15 years of when they are hired.

[fasttense]

6. Seeing as most of the corporations are putting their R&D in

India, China etc.. Why would any right thinking college kid go study science when there are no jobs to be had in them? Just like IT, they have outsourced most of the IT jobs and smart kids are not taking those classes cause you can't get good job in them anymore.

Medicine, hamburger flipping, Wal-Mart employment, those are the jobs open to middle class kids now a days.

[rodeodance]

8. what 'kind' of science education is being pushed is the important question

as we have seen what this WH does with science!--ignores, disses, ect.