Apparently Astronomy is Un-American

John McCain has a twitter account. Yes, that’s horrifying enough, but then there’s the actual content of what he writes. At least he is using in creative and productive ways! No, he isn’t. Yesterday he announced:

Tmr I am gonna tweet the TOP TEN PORKIEST PROJECTS in theOmnibus Spending bill the Congress is about to pass

Love it when Senators play cool. Love it. So today is the big list, and guess what comes in at number two?

#2. $2 million “for the promotion of astronomy” in Hawaii – because nothing says new jobs for average Americans like investing in astronomy

Sure, earmarks are dumb, and it would be nice to have a rational way to decide how best to prioritize federal spending. But don’t deny the obvious: when Republicans hear “science,” they think “something to be mocked in the service of burnishing our just-folks credentials.” Ask Bobby Jindal. Or, for that matter, John McCain.

37 Comments

37 thoughts on “Apparently Astronomy is Un-American”

  1. Well, if its “for the promotion of astronomy” and not actual astronomy, then I do have to wonder if the taxpayer should be fitting the bill. I mean, aren’t there enough selfish…oops, selfless promoters of astronomy?

  2. I agree with Lean Ham, if this was 2 million for a something at Mauna Kea Observatories or for ‘education’ I would be all for it, but ‘promotion’? A few flyers and a big fat wallet for a printing company is ‘promotion’.

  3. of course, McCain isn’t bitching because it’s promotion, he’s bitching because astronomy isn’t something the ‘average’ American isn’t interested in. Whew, so glad I’m not average. I spent last night staring at Lulin rather than the t.v.

  4. Northeast -58,275
    Midwest -33,473
    South 120,400
    West -28,653

    You have to wonder how the the south has managed to suck $120B a year from the rest of the country

  5. I wrote about this on my blog (see link on my name) and brought up the fact that in John McCain’s own state, one of the premiere planetariums and science centers (Flandrau) is shutting down for good. They may reopen in a few years in a new location (maybe), and were expected to stay open until the new place opened, but due to budget cuts, etc. (foisted on us by GOPers), Flandrau is closing sooner.

    Perhaps Twitter John could take a look at his own state before he starts trumpeting about other places. Arizona also takes in more federal tax money than it pays out in taxes, which means that people in New York and Massachusetts and other places are paying for Arizona and other states who are the recipients of federal largesse. Take all that away, as the GOPs would like to imagine we should do and all the Red states (southern mostly but also some western states) would lose millions and millions. And their loudmouth GOP reps would be singing a whole different tune!

  6. there’s also the fact that those is physical science (maybe not chemistry as much) have made piss poor arguments as to why they deserve money or are worthwhile versus say those in biology

    to the average joe (who doesn’t understand the grad students/equipment/post docs etc that will be purchased with the funding) this seems like an enormous waste of money—especially when they find out the end product is an attempt to research say pulsar radiation, a particular sulfate on the surface of Europa or the CMB—to the average american who will be burdened by debt in the future because of spending (and im not excusing money spent on frivolous wars either) why shouldn’t they be skeptical about spending money on research on seemingly obscure topics when it can instead be spent on something that may cure a disease, or on infrastructure spending which is labor intensive or when it can give a small business a tax credit in a time where we have ballooning unemployment and a recession?

    Now if we’re talking bogus support of creationism then I”m on board, but there’s been an arrogant and ridiculous silence over the fact that we haven’t articulated why our areas are important—its why jindal can rant about ‘volcano research’ or mccain can chastise a ‘projector’ and it largely resonates when it shouldn’t.

    And the original post is a perfect example of the demagoguery and hubris with respect to this issue. McCain’s criticism was that astronomy isn’t worth throwing money at if we’re looking to create ‘jobs for average americans’ (a fairly understandable concern considering our economic situation). The original poster (which says quite a bit about their motives) tried to falsely conflate that with ‘anti-americanism’ when in fact its a fairly valid point. Grad Students, post docs and researchers are probably not viable options in terms of occupations for many of the americans who have lost their jobs or are looking for jobs right now. Even the purchase and operation of equipment doesn’t satisfy the type of labor intensive investments which were encouraged as counter cyclical efforts by Keynes.

    By the way, this is also absolutely pork–the actual appropriation was for the ‘promotion of astronomy’ at the Imiloa Astronomy Center. The term doesn’t really help specify what exactly the money will go to, but I can absolutely see legitimate arguments that those 2 million would be better served directed towards something else. We live in a time when both candidates campaigned on the promise to tighten our belts during a budget. That will happen even if we have a stimulus now–Americans are a different breed from their cousins across the ocean and aren’t as open to significant increases in taxes. If we want to be taken seriously in terms of securing funding we either need to make stronger arguments to the public (regardless of if you think they’re a bunch of slack jawed yokels) or need to re-examine in what context we should be prioritizing certain types of science funding.

  7. a couple things

    ‘promotion of astronomy’ is a fairly amorphous term–it could mean increased education initiatives or a reduction in prices of tickets for school aged children–i don’t think its simply money for marketing

    with respect to the comments ridiculing the average american–their is that arrogance again

    what exactly are we entitled to? The country doesn’t exist simply for the purpose of achieving greater scientific progress. Its primary concern (and rightfully so) should be for its average citizen regardless of whether they waste most their time watching american idol, cmt or bet or whatever. And we should be clamoring for money aimed for general education initiatives in the sciences aimed at the ‘average’. That will in turn lead to a more flexible and educated workforce which handle downturns in a better way and who will also be more open to spending for science because they will understand the merit in its pursuit.

    finally, i imagine southern states get better returns in terms of federal tax dollars because they are poorer–our country (or at least some politicians), again quite rightfully so, tends to try to use federal money to help those who are disadvantaged

  8. I don’t know the details of this astronomy promotion stimulus money, or where I might look to discover any facts about it. But Phil Plait, couldn’t you find out? Past promoters of ignorance, like McCain, shouldn’t have their new claims go unscrutinized.

    There ought to be more promotion and public understanding of astronomy in Hawaii, and the United States, and worldwide. A great many telescope projects have been successful examples of international scientific and diplomatic cooperation. Astronomers make critical contributions not only to profound questions in physics and astronomy, but are often drivers of technical advances in a wide range of fields, such as computing, optics and cold-matter physics. Similar to an education in other sciences, I doubt you could go far wrong in the job world with a masters or PhD in Astronomy: even if you can’t get an astronomy related job, skills in advanced math, physics, computers and critical thinking are much in demand in all kinds of fields. There is every reason to wish that more young people dream of being astronomers!

    The tmt, should it be built, may go in Hawaii (btw: have you blogged about the tmt yet Phil Plait?), or it may go in Chile: how astronomy is perceived outside the realm of professional astronomers could actually play a large part in any final decision.

    Mauna Kea summit is an extremely sacred, irreplaceable native Hawaiian site. And in Hawaii generally, native Hawaiian land and cultural interests have been badly served by the federal government and the legal system. There is a lot of resentment. Outreach and education efforts form a part, I think, of most of the telescope projects on Mauna Kea: but much more needs to be invested federally in Hawaii in the not-strictly-science side of astronomy (restitution, dialog, education and formal procedures of involvement of native Hawaiian and other Hawaiian citizens).

    The more everyone knows about astronomy, the better they can make informed decisions about its future. The next few decades promise to be a golden age for astronomy: there is the possibility of tmt, alma, ska, the elt, and the webb telescopes. It would be a shame if Americans were like McCain and just had a reaction: “pfft, astronomy”, or like Jindal “pfft, volcanology” or like Palin “pfft, fruitfly biology”. {oh, oh — I see a pattern here}

    (I’m just an interested Canadian layman.)

  9. a grad student says, “finally, i imagine southern states get better returns in terms of federal tax dollars because they are poorer–our country (or at least some politicians), again quite rightfully so, tends to try to use federal money to help those who are disadvantaged”

    I wouldn’t be too concerned about helping the poor South if it weren’t for the fact that they seem to be hell-bent on dragging the rest of this country into third-world status.

  10. Don’t know what “promotion of astronomy in Hawaii” is actually an earmark for. There are long simmering conflicts between astronomers and (some of) the indigenous Hawaiian community that basically have to do with (a) power, and (b) outsiders coming in and building large obvious structures on top of Mauna Kea. Both sides have right and wrong in their arguments, but that’s not the issue I wish to address. It is likely that this earmark has something to do with astronomy education and outreach in Hawaii, which has a strong component of attempting to defuse astronomer-Hawaiian conflicts. It’s not at all a stupid, crooked, or selfish thing to spend money on.

  11. Pingback: John McCain still really hates science | Bad Astronomy | Discover Magazine

  12. Count me as one who needs more evidence that “promotion of astronomy in Hawaii” will help stimulate the economy. Also count me as one who needs more evidence that a two million dollar expenditure in a gazillions spending bill is worthy of a press release by one of America’s leading Senators.

  13. I dunno if this is real, guys. Sounds like an awful lot of big words for someone who said he didn’t know how to use the Internet during his campaign.

  14. Pingback: John McCain still really hates science - The Michael Jackson Internet Fan Club

  15. The twitter account looks legit to me. If some of the entries seem a little flippant, I think you need to keep in mind that McCain almost certainly isn’t writing these things himself.

    So, which is more likely:
    (1) John McCain thinks this $2 million item for “promotion of astronomy in Hawaii” is pork because he hates astronomy and astronomers, thinks physics post-Aristotle is evil and sinful, and wants Americans everywhere to believe in good, old-fashioned, flat-earthed geocentrism like they do in the Old Testament.

    (2) John McCain saw a line item for “promotion of astronomy in Hawaii” in the bill with no other explanation and assumed that this was for tour buses and television commercials like half the people commenting here.

  16. Un-American? Please! You americans have made a lot of scientific discoveries in the past and now it’s apparently un-american?

  17. It is unfortunate that there are too many who grew up not being able to learn astronomy correctly. Classes today spend a very short period to teach only the very basic. The big question is how the money will be used. If the money is used correctly and not just for administration costs than a lot can be learned through education. It is very hard to understand that what we learn today will have value in the future.But all things do have value at a time and place.

    To fairly judge the bill John McCain feels is pork, need to know how the money will be used.

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