[pvn]

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Yes, private science is crap compared to govt. funded science. Being a neuro type I have direct experience with this. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about here. Privitazation wil kill pure science.

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You observe that government funds flow to a lot of useful research, which is true. Then you assume that because of that, government is the only possible way to solve the problem.

People clearly find value in research. If the government pulls out of funding research, something *will* fill that vaccuum.

I posted about this a couple of months ago. Here's what I wrote then:

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Research is effectively an economic problem. There are finite resources, there are multiple competing uses for those resorces. In fact, many of these resources (people and material) have uses in other aspects of the economy - meaning you can't seperate research from other economic activity. It's all tied together.

Everyone already acknowleges that market action is superior to government dictation in the "regular" economy - why should research be any different?

Just the bureaucratic bungling is enough to make this decision clear. But there are other considerations. The political meddling (witness stem cell research) is, by itself, reason enough to not allow government to screw with research. Then the moral impropriety of using other people's money - again, by itself enough to make this decision easy.

Effectiveness: advantage market
Objectiveness: advantage market
Respectfulness: advantage market

Yes, people have made great discoveries with government funding. Just think of how much more could have been discovered already without government interference weighing the process down.

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Roads? Are you kidding me? Privatization would make driving ridiculously expensive.

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Roads are already "ridiculously" expensive. You just don't see the bill directly. They would be considerably *less* expensive when built by private firms that can't run up unlimited budget overruns and pass them off on hapless taxpayers.

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How are tolls. etc. different from taxation?

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You really can't tell the difference? Can you tell the difference between the price you pay for a gallon of milk and taxation?

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Profit in road building?????!!!!?!?!?

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You don't think there's any demand for roads? Why are we building them, then?