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Post by Whiskey Jack on Feb 17, 2005 14:18:12 GMT -5
For a while now I have been hearing about the control that non-scientist within the government have on scientific agencies (USFWS, USGS, etc.), and in some regards, the consequences are extremely negative. For example, here is a small clip on the recent USFWS controversy: New Survey Shows Political Meddling in Wildlife Science Decisions "Scientists who work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service say Bush administration political appointees have forced them to change or withhold scientific evidence when making key decisions about wildlife protections, according to a new survey. The survey, which drew responses from 414 biologists despite several official directives that said they weren't supposed to answer it, showed that 44 percent of those responding have been asked by their superiors to avoid making findings that would require greater protections for endangered species. And, 56 percent say agency officials changed official rulings under pressure from industry." So what place should the government have in science, if any at all? Shouldn't science be goverened by science (and public approval)? I find it very disheartening that so much could be taken away from a good scientific project due to the top down hierarchy of the way things work federally. I'd love to hear form anybody working for the federal agencies out there, what do you think?
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