I know people like you love Click-bait, and Trollish Headlines (every Trump post), but reality is...
Most of these efforts to shame science are baseless. (Case in point: That 85% figure comes from an
opinion piece where the authors
pulled the number out of thin air.) When trusted public figures use bad faith arguments to denigrate research it
decreases trust in science, making it
more difficult to improve public health outcomes and implement solutions to ongoing crises.
Sen. Paul and his compatriots also seem to forget that scientific research and development creates jobs and provides a net gain to the economy. For example, every dollar spent on research at the University of Kentucky
generates $1.85 -a pretty good return on investment. While the Festivus Report (unsurprisingly) doesn’t include any research studies based in Kentucky, the types of studies he describes as “wasteful” are similar to research conducted in the commonwealth that Sen. Paul is supposed to represent.
What the report gets wrong
The Festivus Report annotates scientific studies with snarky commentary instead of the necessary context to understand the research. It’s difficult to tell how much of the misinformation littering the report is a cynical ploy to score political points and how much of it is a result of science illiteracy.
Either way, it’s pretty hypocritical that a report about wasting taxpayer money was produced-using taxpayer money-without due diligence to ensure that the information is accurate.
note: I was busy elsewhere, with shit that was more meaningful than your shit
