Encouraging children to take up science probably strikes most people as a good idea and doing it without spending any money sounds even better. Unfortunately, common sense flies out the window when you’re talking politics.
A bill scheduled for fast approval would have allowed the President to create up to three Science Laureates at a time. These unpaid, honorary positions would involve the laureates, who’d all have been vetted by the National Academic of Science, traveling around the country with the aim of inspiring children to consider a career in science.
So far, so sensible. The idea has, however, been roadblocked by paranoid climate change deniers in Congress, who are scared the laureates might follow the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change. To be fair, since the laureates would be scientists, not talk show hosts, this is probably correct.
It is also an utterly ridiculous reason for scrapping such an eminently sensible plan. The idea was to inspire children, not act like them.
Tell Congress to grow up and get the Science Laureate initiative back on course.
We the undersigned are dismayed that the plan to create Science Laureates, which had the aim of inspiring children to take up science, has been scrapped, despite attracting bipartisan support.
The reason provided, that the laureates might go with the scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change, is feeble in the extreme. America needs more scientists. It also needs a higher level of scientific literacy in the general population.
Opposing sensible plans that might address this shortfall is not what we elected you to do.
We are tired of childish, anti-science antics from politicians and ask that you immediately get the Science Laureate initiative back on course.
Thank you for your attention.
