Why are Trump and his MAGA base so opposed to science? Science has almost become a pejorative word like ‘woke.’ Continuation down this path will not make America great nor will it make America healthy. Exactly the opposite will happen. Cutting edge research in medicine, artificial intelligence, sociology, aerospace, and virtually every other field of study, will be adversely affected in America, leaving other countries such as China and the EU to pull ahead. Innovation will become a novelty as opposed to a major strength of this country.
Trump has promised to ‘drill, drill, drill’ and re-invigorate the coal industry which will only exacerbate the acceleration of climate change (another pejorative word in Trump world). There is overwhelming scientific evidence the continued warming of the earth is contributing to the occurrence of more extreme weather events like hurricanes. That is a scientific fact. Trump’s policies will result in more extreme weather events.
However, at the same time Trump is wanting to drill more for fossil fuels and start up coal fired power plants, FEMA is looking to substantially slash the availability of Federal funding for disaster relief efforts. How does this make any sense whatsoever? They implement policies that will create more weather disasters and simultaneously enact policies to restrict funding to help states respond to those disasters. It’s like they are telling everyone to drive their cars faster and then passing legislation to make it illegal for people to get brake jobs. What could go wrong?
So many things people take for granted today are the direct result of scientific research that was either trying to solve a specific problem or was a happy accident that was then turned into something useful. The modern microwave oven is a classic example. No one set out to invent a microwave oven, it was the result of an accident during an experiment with microwave technology for radars. A gentleman by the name of Percy Spencer, who worked for Raytheon Company at the time (full disclosure, I used to work at Raytheon), was an electrical engineer conducting experiments with microwave technology and noticed that a chocolate candy bar he had in his pocket melted at one point. The technology was patented and eventually led to the microwave ovens almost everyone has today.
America has long been a leader in innovation because of the government’s investments in research at universities and various laboratories around the country. Slashing those investments will lead to less innovation in technologies that can save lives or make life easier for everyone. It will also lead to a brain drain because other countries will actively recruit scientists from America to work at their universities and in their labs. Scientists want to do science. They will go wherever they can to do that and, if too many restrictions or budget cuts restrict their ability to do that in the United States, many will choose to go elsewhere. They will be welcomed with open arms at universities and government research labs around the world.
Just think what would have happened if some of the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project had been recruited (or kidnapped) to work for Germany during World War II. Scientific research and the scientists who conduct that research are one of America’s most valuable natural resources. They should be treated as such rather than being maligned by Trump and many of his Republicans minions.
Trump may end up with a bunch of new oil wells or a few new coal-fired power plants, but the wiser investment would be in scientific research and scientists. If he really were interested in Making America Great Again, he would invest heavily in promoting STEM education in schools the way China is rather than slashing funds for and ultimately eliminating the Department of Education. That would be a far better return on investment. But just like he bankrupted his casinos and tanked the American economy, his policies will bankrupt the brain bank that America has relied on throughout our history and always put us on the cutting edge of innovation. More coal miners – fewer scientists! The insanity is mindboggling!
