The assault on reason

[L Gilbert]

Oops. Wrong! A large portion of Europe thought "Mr. Hitler" was just the thing to stop those horrible communists and their ridiculous notions that someone who works should not starve to death. It wasn't until Hitler started threatening their fortunes and control that they "dogpiled" him.

Wrong? Odd reply. Either a large portion of the planet did dogpile on him or they didn't. Why the planet dogpiled on him is irrelevant to the point.

And as I said, I was teasing anyways.

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

And some more.

Science Cuts: Ottawa Views Pure Science As 'Cash Cow,' Critics Say

But an analysis of more than 140,000 NSERC grants going back to before the Tories took office in 2006 reveals in stark terms how remaining federal research dollars have been increasingly funneled into business-focused research and away from environmental sciences. Critics see a politically motivated attempt to change the science agenda in Canada; the government has consistently defended its changes, saying it wants to fund projects that offer a more immediate return on investment.

Indeed, the change in grant priorities is a result of NSERC’s focus on new “target areas” mandated by the government’s 2007 science and technology strategy, which states that "Canada's federal government will focus strategically on research in areas that are in the national interest from a social and economic perspective."

The 2008 federal budget further delineated where NSERC, which is supposed to operate at arm’s length from the federal government, would spend money, identifying four important sectors: fisheries, forestry, automotive and manufacturing.

 

[L Gilbert]

National Research Council: Harper Tories Tell Agency To Focus On Industry, Not Raw Science

This is just brilliant, why don't we go back to living in a theocracy where the church tells us everything we need to know...oh wait we're heading there now.

lol You really think so? And what is the evidence that we're heading for a theocracy? More of your imbalanced opinion?

Scientists take aim at Harper cuts with ‘death of evidence’ protest on Parliament Hill - The Globe and Mail

When hundreds of usually apolitical scientist show up to protest it's usually an indication that a government isn't supporting the sciences.

People protest when their jobs are threatened by budget cuts. It ain't rocket science.

You have any rational arguments or is this just more I-hate-Harpy propaganda?

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

So even world class programs are being axed because they don't fit in the conservatives neat little box.

The cuts to Bamfield – which has received funds from NSERC each year since 1970 – were especially surprising because the federal agency had increased its allocation by 40 per cent just a year before, the last time the centre was awarded a grant. (NSERC grants can last up to three years and have rolling deadlines). The increase was due largely to Bamfield’s success with new projects and attracting world class researchers, Anholt said.

“The experts who had looked at us and had looked at all the applications that were out, they were saying we were doing an amazing job and we deserved more money,” he said. “And a year afterwards, it’s just yanked. With nothing.”

Some of the most important advances in science have come unexpectedly and as the result of "pure" scientific research, it's unsupportable to try and divide science into economic and pure areas.

 

[taxslave]

National Research Council: Harper Tories Tell Agency To Focus On Industry, Not Raw Science

This is just brilliant, why don't we go back to living in a theocracy where the church tells us everything we need to know...oh wait we're heading there now.



Scientists take aim at Harper cuts with ‘death of evidence’ protest on Parliament Hill - The Globe and Mail

When hundreds of usually apolitical scientist show up to protest it's usually an indication that a government isn't supporting the sciences.

Or not supporting the things certain scientists want us to pay for them to look at. Big difference. We expect them to study things that are relevant to making the economy grow or a better way to prevent pollution. Also there is no point in reinventing the wheel. If scientists in 2 or 3 countries are already looking at something why would we want to spend money looking at the same thing? A prime example of wasted money on scientists was about 10 years or so ago: Big headline and pics in the paper declaring that wolves fish. Until some moron with a degree and a grant took the pics the citiots thought this was a myth. We OTH have always known this and could have told the experts for free had they but asked.
You should think a little while people think you a fool instead of opening your mouth and remove any lingering doubt.

 

[Trex]

National Research Council: Harper Tories Tell Agency To Focus On Industry, Not Raw Science

This is just brilliant, why don't we go back to living in a theocracy where the church tells us everything we need to know...oh wait we're heading there now.



Scientists take aim at Harper cuts with ‘death of evidence’ protest on Parliament Hill - The Globe and Mail

When hundreds of usually apolitical scientist show up to protest it's usually an indication that a government isn't supporting the sciences.

When you are a full blown ideologue you tend to be completely blinded by everything that does not fit into your narrow and distorted viewpoint.
Endlessly cut'n'pasting left wing media editorials as factual reality seems to fall into that catagory.

The National Research Council of Canada was founded to "to advise the government on matters of science and industrial research".
It's very mandate is to "to advise the government on matters of science and industrial research".
A recent review had reported to the Government of the Day that the scientists and researchers over at the NRC had wandered quite far from their mandate.
The Conservative Government of Canada lead by Stephen Harper has actually increased overall funding for research in Canada.
It's worth repeating, the Prime Minister of Canada and his Conservative Government have actually increased funding to research in Canada.

Obviously individual scientists would love to be completely unfettered and unmonitored and thus able spend tax payers money however they see fit.
Whatever their pet project, whatever they happen to want to publish on or whatever stands the greatest chance of increasing their personal net worth or academic standing.
And thus they had been starting to use NRC of Canada funding and laboratories as their own personal sandbox.

A review recommended steering the NRC of Canada back to it's original mandate.
And that is exactly what the Goverment announced they were going to do.
What a shocker.

BTW the Government of Canada also funds pretty much all the research done at all of Canadas universities as well.
Private sector money is welcomed but the tax payer funds the majority.

 

[JLM]

Yes, we desperately need another frickin thread for you to tell how much you hate the Conservatives and Harper. I believe there may be a few in the back of the room who didn't hear it the over whelming amount of times you've spewed it already.

Just another installment in the Cobalt Kid show I suppose.

And you just ain't whistling Dixie, young lady! -

I think this is such an important issue it deserves its own thread, I know it'll be competing with the nonsense threads being created to try and drown out reality apparently. You don't have to wonder how bizarre conservative behaviour is around accurate information, you just have to look at how conservatives behave here.

Allan Gregg Speech To Alberta Federation Of Labour Slams Harper Government (VIDEO)

"1984 in 2013: The Assault on Reason" - Allan Gregg - YouTube

It's an excellent video, long but very clear in what and why Harper is acting the way he is. For instance Canada is the only nation on the planet that isn't taking part in the UN effort to combat desertification, an issue that threatens the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

And you are the poster boy on matters pertaining to reason?? -

 

[hunboldt]

Whoa! this is edgy stuff! An Alberta Liberal (one of the dozen or so that are there) slammed Harper at an organized labour event! I am amazed!

Despite a rather fractured campaign , the last By - election , in Calgary Centre, saw the Liberal candidate, Harvey Locke, come within 800 votes of winning the riding....

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

Allan Gregg isn't a Liberal, he's a traditional conservative, not from the bizarre reactionary party we now have in power.

It's this endless redefining over reality that Harper and his sycophants are constantly engaged in that is at the root of this attack on reason, it's equivalent to brainwashing on a national level. The comparisons to Orwell's 1984 are bang on, Harper is trying to redefine some of the basic characteristics that have have defined this country for decades.

 

[Cobalt_Kid]

The is government by fiat, so much for democracy living in "Harper" Canada.

Tories turning House Finance Committee hearings on budget bill into a ‘sham,’ says NDP | hilltimes.com

NDP MP Peggy Nash (Parkdale-High Park, Ont.) told The Hill Times after Thursday’s committee meeting that opposition MPs were unable to probe bureaucrats on the entire bill, and because of the time limitation did not even get to the final section containing the Crown corporation measures that have sparked an uproar, generating an online petition protest with more than 130,000 signatures that was printed and delivered to the front doors of Mr. Harper’s Langevin Block office building near Parliament Hill.


“It’s a complete sham,” Ms. Nash told The Hill Times. “We’re supposed to have meetings, the first one is with officials. We didn’t even get to ask half the questions that we had, and the last meeting is the clause by clause [final committee passage], so there are really only three meetings,” she said. “We don’t know whether all those witnesses will accept and whether they can be booked for the dates that they’re being invited for.”


The committee deadlines imposed by the government, along with even shorter time frames for five other committees that will separately conduct hearings on different aspects of the legislation and then report back to the Finance Committee, is the same process the government used to rush a much larger budget omnibus bill through the House last year, but with even less time for scrutiny.