The Caucus: Push for a Science Debate
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A group of scientists is making an unusual foray into presidential politics.
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New Year's resolutions and wishes listed by Democratic presidential hopefuls during Thursday's debate in Johnston, Iowa:
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Points of trivia that might arise at dinner or over drinks used to lead to a brain-racking long debate. now, hand-held devices help settle disputes. (Look it up!)
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The move effectively pushed the debate surrounding the research into the 2008 presidential campaign.
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(InfoWorld) - A group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation that aims to improve how U.S. workers and industries compete against the rest of the world by pumping more money into math and science programs. The bill, introduced Monday by Sen. John Ensign, a Nevada Republican, combines the efforts of several Senate committees working to address U.S. competitiveness. The bill would double the $5.6 billion annual funding for the U.S. NSF (National Science Foundation), a major backer of scientific research in the United States, and it would create a grant programs to help students struggling with mathematics. Many U.S. tech firms have called on Congress to address U.S. competitiveness by pumping more money into math and science programs. Some tech vendors, including Microsoft, have also called on Congress to increase the annual cap on foreign skilled worker visas, although tech worker groups have opposed such a move. "When it comes to innovation, America's entrepreneurs have led the way," Ensign said in a statement. "To keep our competitive edge, we need to embrace technology and ensure that our children receive a stronger education in the core subjects of mathematics and science." The legislation, with cosponsors including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, comes as two congressional committees host hearings on U.S. competitiveness. On Wednesday, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates will testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on U.S. competitiveness, and on the same day, leaders of six tech trade groups will testify before the House Small Business Committee. The bill, called the American Competes Act, would:  -- Increase the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science budget from $3.6 billion in the U.S. government's 2006 fiscal year to $5.2 billion in 2011. -- Create the Innovation Acceleration Research Program, directing federal agencies that fund research in science and technology to set goals of spending about 8 percent of their research and development budgets on high-risk research. -- Establish training programs for math and science teachers at the NSF. -- Expand math and science programs at the NSF and other agencies. Electronic Industries Alliance, a trade group, applauded the bill. The legislation "clearly offers the tech industry a great deal to cheer about," Charlie Robinson, the group's interim president and CEO, said in a statement. If Congress passes the bill, "American companies and workers will be more competitive and prosperous for years to come," he added.
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There is another election this week. The issues are not war, taxes, morals or international credibility. They are microbes, diseases, data and international credibility.
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The debate is so politically loaded that it's tough to tell who's being straight about the real areas of progress and how breakthroughs can be achieved. TIME sorts it out
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Our position is: Tough questions, sharp exchanges and opposing views on Iraq highlighted vice presidential debate. Voters again heard two distinct views of how to win the war in Iraq and confront terrorism during Tuesday night&#39;s vice presidential debate.
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Members of the public will pose questions to candidates via homemade video in a new kind of debate tomorrow night.
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By The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.  Feb. 12--Maybe we ought to be thankful. Usually when legislators want to carelessly overrule one of the state's scientific commissions, they simply introduce a bill to get their way.
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Like most of us, politicians don&#39;t know much about isotopes. But because they know something about money and jobs, lawmakers from Illinois and Michigan are locked in a battle
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Some critics question proposed federal spending hikes for nuclear research.
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The battle for the US presidency enters new territory today with both candidates turning to scientific journals to set out their election promises.
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A longtime combatant in political science wars says a presidential debate on science is a bad idea.
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Democratic presidential hopefuls launch a new form of political debate - taking questions from YouTube.
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At a time when much of our public discussion is riddled with disagreement, there is an emerging bipartisan consensus in one vitally important area: that the challenges facing
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(InfoWorld) - A U.S. senator plans to introduce a bill that seeks to increase funding for research and science education in an effort to kick start efforts to pass legislation to improve U.S. competitiveness. Senator John Ensign, a Nevada Republican, said he would introduce the National Competitiveness Investment Act Tuesday. The bill, with both Republican and Democratic co-sponsors, would increase funding for research and for math, science and technology education by about US$20 billion through 2011, an Ensign spokesman said. The bill would establish new research programs in the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology and it would set a goal of 8 percent of the budgets of U.S. agencies that conduct research be directed toward a new Innovation Acceleration Research Program. The bill, which combines competitiveness ideas from several congressional committees, pumps up education programs in several agencies and authorizes a math improvement program for elementary and middle-school students endorsed by U.S. President George Bush. Parts of the bill come from Ensignâs American Innovation and Competitiveness Act, which the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved in May. "America has always been on the cutting edge of technology and innovation, but we are starting to fall behind," Ensign said in a statement. "It is critical that we embrace technology and ensure that our children receive a stronger education in the core subjects of mathematics and science. This legislation is a great step forward in securing our place as a global leader in innovation." Ensign's legislation, co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, comes after technology trade groups the Technology CEO Council and TechNet have called on Congress to move ahead with competitiveness legislation. Earlier this month, TechNet applauded an early draft of the Ensign bill, while the Technology CEO Council sent a letter to congressional leaders, asking them to follow through on promises to pass competitiveness legislation this year. Both parties have pushed "innovation" agendas since late 2005 or early this year, but Congress has failed to pass a comprehensive competitiveness package. "It was important to have it in 2004, when we called for it," Technology CEO Council Executive Director Bruce Mehlman said of a competitiveness package. "It seems inconceivable the action will elude us yet again." Mehlman called on Congress to extend a research and development tax credit for U.S. companies and to increase the cap for foreign worker visas under the controversial H-1B program. Ensign's new bill doesn't address either of those issues, but it does increase funding for research, another concern of the trade group. "The time to act is now," Mehlman said earlier this month. "There's no good reason it can't happen ... since there's so much agreement on the merits and the substance."