In an age where basic scientific facts are being openly questioned, it is even more critical that we increase the funding for basic scientific research across our country.
Right now, NSF is only able to fund about 20% of the proposals given to it on an annual basis by researchers at colleges and universities across our country. That is wrong. And the ones that do get funding often get bare bones funding.
Being the world leaders in science and technological breakthroughs is going to be one of the cornerstones of keeping us as the world’s only Superpower for decades to come. There will always be the occasional research project that sounds questionable and maybe in hindsight didn’t deserve to be funded, but I would much rather risk the occasional slip up like that than to let dozens if not hundreds or thousands of other good ideas never get funding.
NSF is one of the coolest things we do as a federal government, because it is the venture capitalist of last resort when ideas for pure research cannot get private sector funding.
Perry Waag 