Wohooo!!!! I just fired...... Myself!!!!!!!

[wacki]

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is putting heat on Congress to repeal $1 billion worth of special grants it approved last year, including a large part of the $3.1 million destined for a bioinformatics center at the University at Buffalo.

http://www.bufflink.org/NewsText/374354698263889.html


I had a dream job lined up which was to start this summer. No more!!!!! My future/past employer in Massachusetts normally grows by 1,000% during the summer months. They are growing 0% this summer. Wohoo!

Time to start job hunting. I feel wonderful.

[BCPVP]

If you're not working for the gov't, why should they be giving you special grants? I'm a little confused... [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[lastchance]

Because this leads to the development of Polio vaccines? Just a guess.

[BCPVP]

Which wouldn't develop without gov't help?

[MelchyBeau]

no, it probably wouldn't.

The gov't forces companies to do research into new medicines. Alot of tech research is funded by the gov't. this fuels our economy.

Melch

[BCPVP]

[ QUOTE ]
The gov't forces companies to do research into new medicines. Alot of tech research is funded by the gov't. this fuels our economy.

[/ QUOTE ]
Since when? I didn't know our gov't could make decisions for private businesses...

And how does robbing Peter to pay Paul fuel anything? Wouldn't the taxes that payed for the funding have fueled the economy as well?

[MelchyBeau]

[ QUOTE ]

Since when? I didn't know our gov't could make decisions for private businesses...


[/ QUOTE ]

This is the reason our medicine is more expensive to buy than in other countries. the companies have to spend x amount on research.

now as for other methods that the government controls private businesses. Ready? Here it goes.

Minimum Wage
False Advertising
OSHA
Monopolies
ENRON, Worldcom
Chemical disposal.
Food services
FCC

Melch

[BCPVP]

I'd say that those things are made by the businesses under threat. But the government isn't taking control of the business and forcing it to spend money.

[ QUOTE ]
This is the reason our medicine is more expensive to buy than in other countries. the companies have to spend x amount on research.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ok...but this doesn't explain why (or if) the gov't is giving money out for research. I was under the impression that medicine was more expensive here because the pharm companies charge more to recoup their losses on the research costs. Why would they need to do that if the gov't was paying for the research? I could be wrong though.

[wacki]

For the vaccine comment, private industry is concerned about money. Vaccines typically are not very profitable. For a pharmaceutical company to risk venture capital, there has to be a 1 billion dollars in guaranteed sales for only a few million in research costs. (I forget what the actual ratio is, but it's not much). If the R&D costs are too high, they won't take the risk. Vaccines are almost always made by grant money. If you want innovation/technology you need grant money. You think Intel invented that computer you're using? No, NASA invented it. In fact the vast majority of novel innovations/discoveries in the medical field are from grant money.

[BCPVP]

Good to know Wacki.

If it makes you feel better, I think there are better places to be trimming fat then jobs like yours. Kinda makes you sick that people like Robert Byrd get ~$240 million in pork for a dinky state like WV... [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]