Where is your money?
Brandon Godwin
September 8 2016
ENG-120
Abstract
The federal government of the United Stated of America spends millions, billions, and even trillions of dollars each year on research. Funding is provided through grants to various organizations to study topics from the curing of cancer to the mating habits of ants in tropical climates. The problem with this system is that there is no management of the funds, no oversight, and no requirement for any results factual or otherwise once the project is funded. Research has proven that the government spends or rather gives these finances away too frivolously. The funds that the government disperses have to come from somewhere and that place is each and every tax paying
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Citizens do their work, pay their taxes and do the best they can. Some people pay a small amount of taxes and others pay more, this provides a constant stream of revenue for the country to operate on. Unfortunately, the government spends the public’s money on research, with little oversight and no public approval. This is a problem, even with the revenue from taxes the government is constantly in more and more debt and there is no end in sight. Ending pointless non approved research is the solution. The government funds pointless research, has little to no oversight, there is no public approval of the research, and many Americans do not agree with what is being …show more content…
And unfortunately when it comes to what topics to research, it is the people doing the research who choose what to look into not the tax payers who are funding it. Therefore, the amount of research being done the extent of it and even the results can be skewed. If an organization wants funding and receives it, they have essentially received a check from the U.S. tax payer to do whatever they want and at the end the recipient can state all or none of their findings. These federally funded projects provide organizations with free money and no accountability. Recently, The University of California at Berkeley has focused on federally funded research and the possibility of unfairness of funded projects and biases on research funded by those the research affects (Who pays, 2007). The public has no say in where their tax dollars go in the subject of research funding, however any tax payer can apply for research funding and may be approved. If approved there is no obligation to pay the money back or to publish any findings for the research. Theoretically federal funding could be used as someone’s private bank account and with no oversight this can go on un noticed for as long as the funding
Society seems to be divided between the idea if science is more harmful than helpful. We live in a world where humans depend on science and technology to improve important aspects of society, such as medical machinery, which supports the fact that science is more of a friend than a foe. Science is advancing every day. The United States has come a long way with its ongoing developments, giving individuals a chance to improve society as a whole. Not only does the United States benefit from such growth, but every modernized country does so as well. Through science and technology, individuals learn from past endeavors and apply it to present and future projects, paving the way for new discoveries and efficient enhancements
The pharmaceutical and biotech industries must be free to develop and research life saving medicines and other advancements that will benefit society. If this cannot be done, progress would never be made. People would still be contracting polio a...
“Federal Funds Should Not Be Used for Research That Destroys Embryos.” Stem Cells. Jacqueline Langwith. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints.
...ects of their study before presenting it to an IBR to be certain it does protect the particpants' rights of respect, beneficience, and justice. Research is an important component of medical advancement; but only if it is performed in an ethical way following all requirements and regulations.
"It Is Possible for the United States to Achieve Universal Health Care While Protecting Scientific Innovation." Universal Health Care. Ed. Susan C. Hunnicutt. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2011.
The United States has long been a leader in scientific research, but it will take industry, academia, and government working together for our country to stay there. Since the implementation of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, which gave universities greater control over intellectual property, research universities have teamed up with partners during early-stage development to further their resources. The new task of universities was not to conduct research with the intent to make money, but to present their findings to the public domain for the sake of knowledge and the public good. In 2004, David Sinclair and Christopher Westphal, two innovative scientists following their intuition, founded Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. The founding idea arose from Sinclair’s
...vate sponsor as a partner in order to receive equal funds from government. This has set a trend of ‘public-private partnerships’ which put objectivity and research integrity at risk (Whistleblowers: Defending Academic Freedom, 2013). The duty of universities, to seek truth, is entirely different from duty of pharmaceutical companies; which is to make money for their shareholders (Lewis et al., 2001, pg. 783). The dynamic pursuit of self- interest by private economic entities has become one of the greatest causes of moral problems in the public sphere (Willbern, 1984, pg.104). Research institutions being reliant on private funds feel hopeless while tailoring the research results according to corporate wishes (Whistleblowers: Defending Academic Freedom, 2013).
EFFECTS OF MEDICAL RESEARCH ON HEALTH CARE AND THE ECONOMY, By: Herbert Pardes, Kenneth G. Manton, Eric S. Lander, H. Dennis Tolley, Arthur D. Ullian, Hans Palmer, 01-01-99, Academic Search Premier
An example of science and scientists being subjected to societal influences is the legality of stem cell research. Stem cell research is a controversial science that is often defined by whoever is in power. In 2001, President Bush restricted federal funding for stem cell research due to his belief that embryos (where the stem cells are extracted from) are humans. Thus, the research would entail the destruction of human lives. Conversely, in 2009, President Obama allowed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research because he believed that embryos were not humans.
Animal experimentation spends 5 billion dollars of tax payer dollars per year. The amount of results seen from animal experimentation does not compare with the amount of money and lives of animals spent on research. Animal experimentation has not shown any huge or relevant results, as is widely thought. Dr. Charles Mayo, of the Mayo Clinic states "I abhor vivisection. It should at least be curbed. Better, it should be abolished. I know of no achievement through vivisection, no scientific discovery, that could not have been obtained without such barbarism and cruelty. The whole thing is evil."(PETA 1). The reason for this is that all animals, from humans to rats, vary and react differently to different things.
According to Best College Reviews, an authoritative and editorially independent college review journal, schools like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California in Los Angles, and Johns Hopkins University are the top three universities that contribute the most to scientific research. UCLA alone has “over 350 research labs, centers, and institutes, 290 of which are medical centers, and over 1,800 inventions have come from this research powerhouse.” These schools, along with others, are helping to find cures for huge issues like cancer, and the more donations they receive, the closer these schools come to finding a cure. Colleges live from donations, especially the science departments, which is a department that every university has; contrary to the common belief, money is not the only thing that can be donated to universities to help them prosper. Universities are limited to testing their research on animals. Although the anatomy of certain animals is similar to that of a human’s, animal organs are not as great as human organs when it comes to testing certain cures for certain diseases, and it is also a very controversial topic on its own. Additionally, animal testing is very costly. The animals need to be fed, which requires purchasing food, they need to be kept in an
Government acts as parents of their citizens. There should be no one over the rules. I know the scientific research have vital role for a nation however, it should be done with direct supervision of the government. A government needs to know the recourses that they are using for their research. I know all scientists have put all of their whole life into their study and achieve their goal but everyone may not have same feeling, thought towards the country. There is now guaranty that everything they do will benefit the country the money government spends for research will be worth. Therefore, scientific research should be done under the government
Scientific and technological advancements over the past few centuries have had mixed influence over our society. On the one hand, it has raised the standards of living, increased average life-span through superior medical facilities, connected the world together through faster means of transportation and communication. On the other hand, it has given the human kind its deadliest of weapons and arsenals which are capable of destroying the world itself and hence created a sense of insecurity and fear. Considering that a vast majority of scientific researches are carried out under the funding of the government, it becomes germane to ask whether the government should fund a research the consequences of which are unclear and may as well provide a deadlier weapon in the hands of the terrorists.
The first observation that Hoonlor, Szymanski, and Mohammed make is that generally, whenever new keywords appear in grants, the same keywords subsequently receive a “burst” or increase in publications. The authors gathered data from the datasets ACM, IEEE, and NSF from 1990-2010 on proposals for grants and on Computer Science publications. They analyzed the relationship between awarded grants and research topics. The authors found that if a keyword in a publication had a high frequency, funding usually increased. For this, the authors used a data mining technique that used the...
Many people fail to realize the significance of citizen science, we as a society tend to ignore