You may not agree that science funding is the solution to our economic woes, but I think it is pretty clear that he's fairly moderate/apolitical WRT most topics....his primary concern is science and the funds for it.
Funding science keeps the US innovative. I think eventually, the space program will be more privately funded with more private enterprise involved in both exploration and exploitation of resources, and we need science minded people to do it.
As far as talking down, the science and math that forms the basis of many of the popular scientific theories regarding space, time and matter are so complex I don't know how you effectively discuss them with the idly curious without cartoons.
Imagine walking someone through the most difficult mechanical procedure you've ever done to someone else, over the phone, who speaks english as a second language and only has a set of wrenches and a screwdriver.
I'm an amazed spectator of physics. Amazed and a little envious. I like how Kaku says the idea that the universe spontaneously appeared is as likely as a tornado hitting a junkyard and building a Cadillac.
Mitchell wrote:
don't think that privatizing processes initiated by the government is an overtly liberal mindset.
This is exactly what the company I work for does. we do the initial r&d (government AND industry financed, we are an arms length Alberta Government company), produce the initial "product" for the initial company who helped fund the expirement, and then lease/sell the rights to a vendor/manufacturer.
of course, getting somebody to take our complex products on is a lot harder tha you'd think... which is why I've been on 8 planes in the past 30 days supporting the installation, commissioning, and maintenance of our products. We're talking money to be made and nobody wants it... which is probably why in another 5 years I'll start my own company and arrange a deal to take the products off their hands.
regardless of my own perception of his political slant, Neil has made it a point to note to others about the problem of Washington being overly represented by lawyers, and under represented by nearly all other professional fields.
i'm all for funding the sciences at a higher level- NASA is probably the best thing that the federal government has ever done.. i agree with him on that... but he gets pretty damn left wing when the discussion turns to things like health care and gun control. i've also seen him say some pretty far left things about welfare.. not that i can provide any links right now- but i've mostly seen him on the Daily Show and some clips from Real Time if someone feels the need to see what he has to say on various subjects..
yeah, he's an intelligent guy.. but intelligences doesn't always coincide with common sense and once he gets out of his areas of expertise he veers too far to the left for my tastes..
