Please call your Senator...

I got an email from Shawn Otto of ScienceDebate 2008 informing me that as the economic stimulus bill gets reviewed, the following science and tech related funding is at risk:

• NASA exploration $750,000,000 = 50%
• NSF $1,402,000,000 = 100%
• NOAA $427,000,000 = 34.94%
• NIST $218,000,000 = 37.91%
• DOE energy efficiency & renewable energy $1,000,000,000 = 38%
• DOE office of science $100,000,000 = 100%

I agree with his recommendation – please call or email the offices of the 2 US Senators from your State (you can find them at this site), tell them it’s about the science related funding in the Senate American Reinvestment and Recovery Act and use the following talking points he recommends:

A) Science & technology have produced half of the economic growth of the United States since WWII.

B) Spending on basic research is the single greatest economic engine this country has ever known.

C) Funding to federal granting agencies is about as "shovel-ready" a stimulus as you can get. If the granting agencies lower their score thresholds for awards across the board the money will be flowing within months, leading to rapid hiring and increased purchasing from technical service and supply companies that are largely American, and creating thousands of the kinds of high-quality jobs the country needs.