Category Archives: The War on Science

How To Damage U.S. Science With The Tax Code

Posted on November 13, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

If you haven’t heard about this, well, you should, especially if you know any current or prospective graduate students (boldface mine): For some of us, the American dream includes many years of graduate school and extremely frugal living along the … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxes, The War on Science | 2 Comments

The Republican War On Microbiology

Posted on June 12, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Yes, this is from Trump’s proposed budget, not a Congressional proposal. But until Republicans shoot this down–if they do shoot it down–they own this (boldface mine; color original): Welcome to the ARS Culture Collection (NRRL) Please note that the President’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Conservatives, Fucking Morons, Funding, The War on Science | 2 Comments

The Republican War On The Smithsonian

Posted on June 7, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

And until, Republicans oppose this piece of the proposed Trump budget, they own it. From the proposed USGS budget (pdf, p. xxx; boldface mine): Eliminate Curation of Smithsonian Museum Collections (-$1,600,000/-11 FTE): This reduction eliminates active curation of mammal and … Continue reading →

Posted in Museums etc., The War on Science | 1 Comment

Is Fox News Now The Government Approved ‘News’ Station?

Posted on May 14, 2017 by mikethemadbiologist

Well, this isn’t good (boldface mine): The memo above has been puttering around Facebook for a day or so. It describes a top-down, command-and-control approach to cable-news watching at a unit of the Food and Drug Administration. Fox News, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Liberties, Conservatives, Propaganda, The War on Science | Comments Off on Is Fox News Now The Government Approved ‘News’ Station?

Racist Right Breitbart News Literally Called For A War On Science

Posted on December 13, 2016 by mikethemadbiologist

Leaving aside the point Breitbart wanted to make (some peer reviewed articles have reached unfounded conclusions, therefore climate change is FALSE! Or something), that their audience would appreciate a line from a play by a white nationalist Nazi collaborator–”When I … Continue reading →

Posted in Authoritarianism, Propaganda, Resistance Rebellion And Death, The War on Science | 3 Comments

Crapification: The National Geographic Edition

Posted on November 27, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Or, more accurately, here’s the latest cover in the Rupert Murdoch era: Maybe they’ll start running pictures of topless women on page 3?

Posted in Conservatives, The War on Science | 3 Comments

Common Core, Science, and Louisiana

Posted on June 16, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

For the record, here’s my thoughts on the Common Core: …I don’t oppose a national curriculum or annual testing: as I’ve written repeatedly, I do think we should be using Massachusetts’ curriculum and tests (including the importance–not so important–that used* … Continue reading →

Posted in Creationism, Education, The War on Science | 1 Comment

Surprisingly, A GOP Bill Claims One Thing and Then Does the Opposite: The COMPETES Act Edition

Posted on May 20, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Consider the NSF is a government agency, this is pretty harsh language about the COMPETES Act (boldface mine; emphasis original): H.R. 1806 (Section 102) recognizes that “the Foundation has made major contributions for more than 60 years to strengthen and … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, Fucking Morons, Funding, NSF, The War on Science | Comments Off on Surprisingly, A GOP Bill Claims One Thing and Then Does the Opposite: The COMPETES Act Edition

Wyoming’s War on Microbiology

Posted on May 13, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Well, they’re not calling it that, but this Wyoming law is definitely not going to make our water cleaner, or stop the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (boldface mine): …the new law makes it a crime to gather data about … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, E. coli, Public Health, The War on Science | 5 Comments

A Ron Paul Presidency Would Be Awesome For U.S. Science and Public Health

Posted on April 12, 2015 by mikethemadbiologist

Did I write awesome? I meant awful (boldface mine): His FY2012 and FY2013 budgets call for a 20 percent cut for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The center is often mentioned in media reports highlighting their lavish accommodations,” … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservatives, The War on Science | 3 Comments