Elliott letter: Must fund science

Cutting federal funding for science weakens America. We were the first country to have nuclear capability because Germany drove scientists from the country, cutting funding to people and programs that did not agree with their ideology. These scientists came to America because of our support for basic science. This influx of scientists has continued ever since. The wealth, military might, and medical advances in America, and the reason our air and water do not look like China’s, is because of federal funding for science.

You cannot be business-friendly unless you produce something for businesses to market. Basic science does that. You cannot be pro-military unless you provide our military with the best technology and knowledge. Basic science does that. You cannot be pro-family and fill our air with carcinogens or allow diseases like Zika to take hold here. You cannot be fiscally conservative and cut funding to science programs — this is how wealth gets generated.

When funding is cut and scientists are silenced, the best scientists can quickly find work elsewhere. Where do you want the next Google, the next breakthrough in cybersecurity, the latest energy technology, or the next weapon in the arms race, to be developed?

This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 11:52 PM with the headline "Elliott letter: Must fund science."