An anecdote from a friend of a friend, who happens to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS):
"Over the weekend we attended the NAS AGM, where something amazing happened: Obama unexpectedly addressed the Academy, where of course he was very warmly received. But what was amazing was that he said what Joka has been saying, that the public does not appreciate what science does for it. That might seem to be a simple thing to say, but even most scientists don't say it. Moreover, he backed it up and said that scientific research should get 3% of the GNP. I'm not sure what he meant, but 3% was what Bell Labs got of ATT's gross.
We'll see what happens next. Anyway, it was quite a change from W."
I am self-interestedly very pleased that Obama thinks this. Investing in sceintific research has historically been a good long-term way to boost the US's GDP. (See Friedman's "The World is Flat" for further discussion.) However, the sceptic in me is wondering where the money is going to come from. I don't think the private sector will invest 3% in R&D. And the public sector looks to me like it's gonna be strapped for some time to come.
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