This could be the beginning of something great.
Obama makes a move.
And a body-blow to the religious right, who understood well enough that their "education policy" of putting graduates of their 'special' colleges into key government positions was essential to their long range plans for creating a theocracy in America.

Nice Christmas present for me and my U.S. pen pals!

He may have a litle way to go, if some of the comments in the link are anything to go by

This should please scientists and thinking people everywhere.Over here we've been torn between mockery and despair over the actions, policies and statements of the President and his team [see e.g. New Scientist, passim]

babthrower: Calm down! Obama's statement is one against bigotry crushing accomplishments about the mundane. Before religion is omitted or (the reverse side of the coin) science is uplifted, Obama will have to find the money and put it where his mouth is. Do you really think that the names on Bill Clinton's list of contributors are interested in financing Obama for the uplifting of science, especially with Hillary Clinton's cabinet post of secretary of state? Obama is a lawyer, not a scientist, and so he had better watch out that he not become a windbag.

At least Obama is actually appointing scientists to science posts. That's a start.

quote:

Originally posted by Elexina:
At least Obama is actually appointing scientists to science posts. That's a start.

And he's appointing serious economists to jobs involving economics.Whatever next? Someone in FEMA who has established experience of disaster relief, instead of a crony as first choice ( being good at equestrianism not being the second qualification )? The possibilities are endless (obvious, but endless).

More seriously, New Scientist and other interested people over here have been greatly relieved by this. Nobody's texts being rewritten or edited to favour the government or favoured political line, is another possibility.

Tsaeb sez: "Obama's statement is one against bigotry crushing accomplishments about the mundane."

What on earth could that statement possibly mean?

She continues, a bit more coherently, "Before religion is omitted ... "

Ah, but religion was omitted 250 years ago in your constitution -- it's the American way. It's the religious fanatics who are trying to shoehorn their way into power, and create a theocracy like those Muslim theocracies in the middle east.

"... Obama will have to find the money and put it where his mouth is."

If a science post is open, whether it is filled with some graduate of a religious academy founded by fundamentalists and creationists, or by a reputable scientist, makes no difference.
Either would expect to be paid a salary.

I heard someone on TV (can't remember who) say that there is no shortage of scientists in America, only science jobs. I had already known that many of them go (at lower salaries than to Americans) to foreigners here on visas.

But then again, tsaeb, it's not the first time you've been hearing voices.

quote:

Originally posted by babthrower:
But then again, tsaeb, it's not the first time you've been hearing voices.

Ouch.

But Seriously Babs, it was on the news this past week that large corporations have been saying there is a lack of Americans to fill science based posts in corporations leading to the 'much needed' brain drain of other counties, thus a lot of visa were granted to fill those jobs with foreign people who, with the same qualities and credits as American students, are being paid LESS than what an American who spend years in higher education gets.

The Corporations are creating a lack of interest (here in the USA) for students to pick or choose an education in a science type career since the lack of jobs or lower income would not even cover their student loans.

What is the 'lower pay' in science jobs that these foreigners are accepting ?

Over here, pay in science jobs used to be amazingly low in comparison with jobs in management or the law. People with PhDs must have been two a penny, judging from the pay offered.However, the pay seems to have rocketed up, to good levels, since about 2000.