I wasn't sure where to put this as the impact of this person's potential next move is quite broad.

A draft bill obtained by Science Magazine‘s blog ScienceInsider, sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), would strip the peer-review requirement from the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant process, inserting a new set of funding criteria that is significantly less transparent and not inclusive of the opinions of independent experts.

Smith, sponsor of the highly controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that threatened to fundamentally change how the Internet works, has long been a critic of the NSF grant process. In furtherance of those views, Smith recently conducted a hearing supposedly meant to consider how the grant approval process might be improved, an early indication that such a bill was forthcoming.

There's more here.

Another Republican who doesn't like scientific research governed by reality. Quelle surprise.

Another move in the endless fundie chessgame aimed at pushing mythology, perchance?

For fuck's sake.

Peer review doesn't get one into heaven; it gets one into reputable journals. This is just embarrassing.

Skate wrote:Peer review doesn't get one into heaven; it gets one into reputable journals. This is just embarrassing.

Well, it certainly is if you're a Republican, and as far as the world is concerned, if you're an American.

Texas, the bane of America, and the asshole of the nation, where all the shit comes out!

It is hard to say just how awful this would be. Based on the reporting it sounds pretty awful:

"“in the interests of the United States to advance the national health, prosperity, or welfare, and to secure the national defense by promoting the progress of science"

Doesn't sound too bad, though it qualifies it in the following criteria:

"the finest quality, is groundbreaking, and answers questions or solves problems that are of utmost importance to society at large"

This doesn't exactly define any of this and is inherently of questionable quality if it doesn't require peer review. This also highly depends on who is deciding what is of importance (TX lawmakers is my guess here).

and my favorite:

"and not duplicative of other research projects being funded by the Foundation or other Federal science agencies"

This is probably the kicker. This means that without peer review, any nonsense study funded by religious groups could essentially lock out other research, pharmaceutical companies could further build up their product base on the public dollar, and all while shutting down competition and preventing distribution of any knowledge gained through public funds.

This suggestion is nuts.

Kerolm wrote:It is hard to say just how awful this would be. Based on the reporting it sounds pretty awful:

"“in the interests of the United States to advance the national health, prosperity, or welfare, and to secure the national defense by promoting the progress of science"

Doesn't sound too bad, though it qualifies it in the following criteria:

"the finest quality, is groundbreaking, and answers questions or solves problems that are of utmost importance to society at large"

This doesn't exactly define any of this and is inherently of questionable quality if it doesn't require peer review. This also highly depends on who is deciding what is of importance (TX lawmakers is my guess here).

and my favorite:

"and not duplicative of other research projects being funded by the Foundation or other Federal science agencies"

This is probably the kicker. This means that without peer review, any nonsense study funded by religious groups could essentially lock out other research, pharmaceutical companies could further build up their product base on the public dollar, and all while shutting down competition and preventing distribution of any knowledge gained through public funds.

This suggestion is nuts.

And because it is in fact nuts, the chances of it becoming law are about nil.

Not that the Congress can't or hasn't enacted some pretty stupid laws, its done that in abundance, but, expect a Progressive Dem to hold hearings on this and get the scientific community to testify. They'll shred this idiot Lamare and his whackjob ideas. The media will have a field day with the story, and that will be that, the Bill won't even come to the floor. It'll die in committee.

Hope you're right, FACT-MAN-2...

stijndeloose wrote:Hope you're right, FACT-MAN-2...

Some things just get what they deserve.