Computing a Winner, Fusion a Loser In US Science Budget

sciencehabit writes "President Barack Obama has released a $3.901 trillion budget request to Congress, including proposals for a host of federal research agencies. Science Magazine has the breakdown, including a big win for advanced computing, a big cut for fusion, and status quo for astronomy. 'In the proposed budget, advanced computing would see its funding soar 13.2% to $541 million. BES, the biggest DOE program, would get a boost of 5.5% to $1.807 billion. BER would get a 3% bump to $628 million, and nuclear physics would enjoy a 4.3% increase to $594 million. In contrast, the fusion program would take a 17.6% cut to $416 million—$88 million less than it's getting this year. Although far from final, the numbers suggest another big dip for a program that has enjoyed a roller coaster ride in recent years. In its proposed 2013 budget, DOE called for slashing spending on domestic fusion research to help pay for the increasing U.S. contribution to the international fusion experiment, ITER, in Cadarache, France.'" The Association of American Universities has issued a letter disapproving of the amount of research funding. The Planetary Society has broken down the proposed NASA budget.

Power brokers hate free energy.

[Zeio]

The world is controlled by two things: Those who create, broker and distribute energy. And those who create, broken and distribute capital (debt instruments known as modern currency).

The last thing the people in charge of the world would like is cheap or free, limitless energy.

Dont kid yourself, the scientists do little jack russel terrier flips and jumps for money, and if the money brokers of the world dont want cheap and free energy, guess who is not getting funding.

Re:Hello, Barack? This is kettle

[interkin3tic]

Another way of looking at it would be "I wasted a lot of political capitol on solar power, and all it got me was a lot of trouble. Lesson learned: Americans do not care about clean energy. Thus, I don't either."

Citizens get the government they earn. I hear more hate about the billions spent on solar power than I do about the trillions wasted on Bush's wars. If Obama were a smarter man, he'd invade Cuba or something, dump the rest of the budget into coal, and get elected a third and fourth term.