Bush signs off on billions for science, tech

President Bush on Thursday signed into law the America Competes Act, which authorizes $33.6 billion from federal coffers for government-sponsored research, education and teacher-training programs in the science and tech arena over the next few years.

The move promptly drew an avalanche of accolades from high-tech companies, who cheered the action as a way of helping the United States stay competitive in science, technology and engineering. But it may not be time to pop the corks yet.

After all, it's still up to the respective congressional appropriations committees to go through the formal process of doling out funding, which the president must ultimately approve. Some Republican critics have already voted against the bill on account of its hefty price tag, and even as he signed the bill, the president indicated he shares those concerns.

"The bill creates over 30 new programs that are mostly duplicative or counterproductive--including a new Department of Energy agency to fund late-stage technology development more appropriately left to the private sector--and also provides excessive authorization for existing programs," the White House said in a statement after the bill signing Thursday. "Accordingly, the President will request funding in his 2009 budget for those authorizations that support the focused priorities of the ACI (American Competitiveness Initiative), but will not propose excessive or duplicative funding based on authorizations in the bill."

Bush did, however, applaud Congress for proposing funding for next year at the levels he stipulated for the National Science Foundation, the Energy Department's Office of Science and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The bill, which overwhelmingly cleared both chambers of Congress just before they departed for their August recess, is aimed at boosting investment in key areas where critics say the United States is lagging behind other countries. It would do things like create new grants and programs for teacher training; bankroll semiannual school events aimed at stimulating interest in science, technology, math and engineering; and, yes, create that Department of Energy research arm dedicated to investigating "long-term and high-risk" alternative energy technologies, which the president apparently finds "counterproductive."

[beubanks7507]

Typical Biased Article

"yes, create that Department of Energy research arm dedicated
to investigating "long-term and high-risk" alternative energy
technologies, which the president apparently finds
"counterproductive.""

This is the typical biased article that C-Net puts out. Everything
was alright until this last statement. There was no need for it.
What ever the President's personal opinion, he approved the bill
and the money is coming. And, just because it is a "green
energy development arm" does not mean it can't be counter-
productive. Government duplication of other departments and
of research already being done in the private sector is one of the
largest money pits in the gov't today.

I find that statement to be lacking in journalistic ethics.

[dondarko]

I'm just wondering...

what's the catch with this bill? given the track records of hidden catch 22s in bills passed...

[toomchstout]

This isn't an artical its a blog

While it is bias, I agree, but this isn't a new artical it's a blog. Blog's are 90% personal opinion and 1% journalism.

[The_Decider]

Irony

Bush is the poster child for better education in the US.

It is hilarious how Bush is all of a sudden concerned about pork, when he spend the past 6 years playing server boy at the trough.

Shouldn't he be more concerned with fixing all the damage that he and his inept crew have caused in the US and around the world?

[Fireweaver]

Presidential Worries

You hit the nail on the head there.

I think that the biggest concerns isn't just about the potential for the feeding of Pork, but that he can't figure out how to to dish it out to any of his friends in the Energy field or how to hand out an uncontested contract to the boys at Halliburton to "clean up" our educational system.

[Dalkorian]

of course not!

The_Decider posted:

"Shouldn't he be more concerned with fixing all the damage that
he and his inept crew have caused in the US and around the
world?"

Of course not. That was done by republicans, who have a clear
mandate from god himself to do whatever they please to
whomever they want.

But now we have those evil, child raping, satan worshiping
democrats in congress. It's all their fault. Even 9-11.

(Hoping you all hear the sarcasm in my comments ... if not, then
pay close attention when fuhrer bush chides congress about
"fiscal responsibility" after racking up hundreds of billions of
dollars in deficit spending over the last 6 years.)

[bdonohue1]

Watch out for those signing statements

We'll need that news.com eagle in Washington, Mr. McCullagh, to keep an eye on that bill, to raise the red in case Dub decides to squirt one of those signing statements onto this. Fortunately, he's probably too obsessed with getting to Crawford and enjoying another month-long, brush-clearing vacation to worry about the law. What if we gave him an island someplace with years worth of brush clearing to be done and lots of mountain bike trails? Would you pay an additional tax to get him out of office this way? I would.

[passandr]

Billions for Science Tech

If American technology does not catch up with other nations now, it likely never will catch up. Every empire has to fall. Hopefully, it's not our turn yet.

Take a look at my living textbook: http://www.pass-ed.com/Living-Textbook.html