More Leftist lunacy

[AdamLein]

Craig, the one thing common among all your points is that, when government spends money on stuff, it does so preferentially and unfairness and imbalances are created. I think the only person I'd expect to be surprised by that is... well, you, who seems support the idea that the solution to this problem is for the government to tip the balance back towards fairness by adding more spending in places that have been "neglected".

Stem cells, for example.... if the government wasn't funding other areas of science, then the fact that Bush decided not to fund this area of science wouldn't have upset anybody much. When you say Obama "opened up" stem cell research, you must recall that all he did was lift the ban on federal funding.

Personally, I'd be fine if the lights around football fields were taken down. Statistically it would mean I would step in less puke while walking around downtown on Sunday nights.

[erps]

But now that we got rid of that dummy, and are opening up stem cell and actually basing our science on "science" - we may have a chance to catch up.

Whohoo! Finally the politics have been removed from the decision to open up the harvest of cells from human brains. Just think of all the neat stuff we could study if we no longer concern ourselves with ethics.

[craigimass]

Problem is, erps, that you would not be able to masturbate any longer, for fear of wasting all those "life" cells.....
(that's a joke)....

But this isn't.

The fool who wrote the article in question (about Woman) is at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank whose current and former members include....

The Newt
Cheneys Wife
Paul Wolfowitz
John Bolton
Alan Keyes
Richard Perle

I mean, WOW, these folks put the CON in Neo-Con.

With tens of thousands of actual reasonable scholars out there, the fact that someone just happens to read and quote these total "cons" is telling......me something.

[erps]

Is allocating positions in the science field a science issue or a social issue?

Wouldn't it make sense to allocate positions by the applicant's interests and apptitude rather than counting skirts and trousers?

Men are under represented in the secretarial field and the nursing field. Should we start expending funds and effort to level all these playing fields?

Aren't boys and girls different?

[craigimass]

Nah, the nursing field is catching up real quickly.......

As to college admissions, I'm afraid that is a subject which is probably too complicated to consider on a sailing BB. There are all kinds of colleges, many of them private, many of them public.

Most colleges give away VAST amounts of "welfare" in the form of helping to pay tuition, giving away job to help the students make money, etc.

I suppose we COULD argue that the rich student should have as much access to the help and to the jobs as the poor student.

In most field of human endeavor, the perfect is the enemy of the good. In a society where for many generations women were clearly told (by society, their parents, and even employers) to stay out of certain occupations, there is certainly nothing wrong with helping them along to achieve their goals.

Personally, I support vast numbers of ADDITIONAL people entering the fields of science and engineering - and am not going to squabble about how each college or university does their admissions.

Funny, Obama is talking about this live at Georgetown (increasing college graduation rates to the highest in the world)......as we speak.

Bottom line is this seems like one more subject where the "right" likes to try and divide people.....the subjects where they do so seem endless.

As to Stem Cell, being as some of the most important advances in medical and science history have come out of the NIH and it's partners, it will be a BIG DEAL to allow for the same federal funding which the other sciences enjoy to be applicable.

These are not moral issues. They are moral imperatives. Now, you might argue that exactly what we do with our knowledge has moral and ethical issues - like:
Guns don't kill people, people do.
Nukes are OK, as long as you don't use them.

Etc. etc.....

Medicine, science and engineering are a VAST part of the future of our economy and world.....in fact, MOST OF IT.

Anyone who supports the USA falling further behind in those matters is, IMHO, not being a champion of our possibilities. If we don't do it, we'll simply be buying the technology from somewhere else.

[erps]

We've had great success mentoring and custom tailoring instruction in female education. An apparent result is that the boys are being left behind.

http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/boy.../01-crisis.pdf

Bottom line is this seems like one more subject where the "right" likes to try and divide people.....

One side can't divide people without another side doing the same thing. I find it amusing that folks on one side of an issue see the other side as being devisive.

As to Stem Cell, being as some of the most important advances in medical and science history have come out of the NIH and it's partners, it will be a BIG DEAL to allow for the same federal funding which the other sciences enjoy to be applicable.

These are not moral issues. They are moral imperatives.

Do you honestly believe there is not two sides to these issues? Obama does not want to allow stem cell research for human cloning. Why not if it's not a moral issue? How about if that octo-mom selling off her eight fetuses for stem cell research? Is there a moral issue there.

Geez Craig. You claim to be the one with an open mind and conservatives are dumb hicks. I'm just a regular Joe and I know what both sides of the issue are, and I know one's position depends on a number of factors including on some decisions that are based on faith, such as fetuses deserve protection or fetuses do not deserve protection. To so lightly dismiss the view point of the other side surprises me from someone who seems to be educated.

[AdamLein]

Originally Posted by craigimass

In a society where for many generations women were clearly told (by society, their parents, and even employers) to stay out of certain occupations, there is certainly nothing wrong with helping them along to achieve their goals.

Nobody's telling you not to help them along... they're telling you not to use somebody else's money to do it. There are thousands of private scholarships that are only available to women or minorities. People actually do contribute, of their own free will, to endowments for such scholarships when they feel it's the right thing to do. Science doesn't need any Title IXs to help it along... people will do it all on their own.

[craigimass]

Remember that old political line "I knew JFK and you're no JFK"......

I can't help but think of a similar line like:
"I know teen boys and I know teen girls, and more of the boys are slackers, drinkers and pot smokers".......

I honestly doubt that we are leaving behind many Einsteins.

When it comes to someone else's money....the same is true of just about everything. If you drive down the highway more times than I do with a slightly heavier car and your steering is more out of balance, then you are "costing" me more money. If you drive in my state while buying your gas in another state, that could be using someone elses money.

NOTHING in the world is fair or just, not even justice! To think it is or should be is starting from the wrong place.......

I'm not down on conservatives or free thinkers. But, c'mon, think of REAL problems and solution, not always some ridiculous points such as a girl kicking your ass academically. You should be proud of that.

Think of all the giant stadiums fronted by taxpayers that have vastly more male players, owners and fans occupying them....at MY expense (I don't attend sporting events). Why not complain about that?

My point is, simply, that we can all sit around like those 150 people in the American Enterprise Institute and think up all these things, or we can get to work and better ourselves.

Personally, I applaud success where ever I see it, and don't begrudge someone who takes advantage of programs and policies which attempt to level the playing fields...even though none is perfectly "fair" or "just".

As to Stem Cell, hey....feel free not to use the miracle cures that will be forthcoming.......by my bet is that you will.

[drynoc]

Craigimass, I don't think you even read the posts you respond to. The original post was about the government dictating female participation in science, no matter that there is evidence that this approach is harmful in other ways. There is no indication there is a problem here, other than the fact that there are more men studying science. You first claim, using your daughter as an example, that women can kick men's ass, then you claim that women have been held back all this time and need the boost. Daughters prove nothing. I have two in college, both played sports, both make excellent grades, and neither could care less about science or engineering. The fact of the matter here is that the liberals are once again willing to use the power of the government to dictate participation, rather than results, and are willing to do so notwithstanding the damage it may do in other areas. Control freaks, one and all.

[erps]

I can't help but think of a similar line like:
"I know teen boys and I know teen girls, and more of the boys are slackers, drinkers and pot smokers".......

did it occur to you that if they had special programs aimed at teaching boys there would be less slackers, drinkers and pot smokers?

I'm not down on conservatives or free thinkers. But, c'mon, think of REAL problems and solution, not always some ridiculous points such as a girl kicking your ass academically.

That's a misrepresentation of what's been said.

Think of all the giant stadiums fronted by taxpayers that have vastly more male players, owners and fans occupying them....at MY expense (I don't attend sporting events). Why not complain about that?

What makes you think we/I haven't complained about that. That would be a separate thread. Ultimately, those types of issues are usually voted on by the citizens in that particular county or city. Majority rules.

Personally, I applaud success where ever I see it, and don't begrudge someone who takes advantage of programs and policies which attempt to level the playing fields...even though none is perfectly "fair" or "just".

At what point do these "leveling policies" start holding down the other group? At what point does that become a problem for you?

As to Stem Cell, hey....feel free not to use the miracle cures that will be forthcoming.......by my bet is that you will.

one of the advances in stem cell research is that it is no longer necessary to harvest stem cells from baby brains. They can get it from adult bone marrow now too. You probably already knew that because you're probably a donor.