The opening breakdown reminds me of Paul Krugman's observation that "loosely speaking, the post-cold-war federal government is a big pension fund that also happens to have an army." As The Economist's View documented, this later turned into "the US government is 'an insurance company with an army.'" If Adam Cole and Joss Fong had included Medicare and Medicaid in this video, that would have been even more apparent. That's not really their point. That science research spending more than pays for itself, with $1.50 in spending generating $3.15 in economic output and lifting GDP by 4%, but is being cut, is.
The Big Brutal Bill cuts overall science spending by 25% and the National Science Foundation by 57%. The prediction is that it would cause GDP to fall by 3.81%, more than during the Great Recession. That Project 2025 would do this doesn't surprise me; its authors understand power, not economics, and science threatens their power. Meanwhile, the rest of us will suffer.
I'm wrapping up on this depressing note. Stay tuned to see if I continue my Emmy Awards coverage tomorrow.
Thanks to Infidel753 for linking to this post, which already had 99 page views, and 'I Visited a Mosquito Factory' from 'Human Footprint' on PBS for World Mosquito Day, which already had 343 page views, at Link round-up for 23 August 2025 and welcome to all of you who came here following Infidel753's link. Also, welcome to all my readers from Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the rest of the planet. Looks like you're checking in on the mood here in the U.S. May my blog be the right place for you!
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