Some suggestions for the 110th

Now that the dust has settled a bit, maybe we ought to look at what scientists and science-minded folk might reasonably expect out of the 110th Congress. Here's a few things I'd like to see:

1.) Science funding. Bring the NIH, and all funding agencies for that matter, back to where they would have been by now without the 0% cuts we've been experiencing.

2.) Committee chairs. Pombo is out [thank god!], so we'll need someone to chair the resources committee who respects the advice of scientists when it comes to endangered species protections. Unfortunately, Inhofe is still around in the Senate, but with some reshuffling, he and his pigheaded stupidity might finally vacate the Senate Environment and Public works committee for someone much more deserving of that post.

3.) A sane drug policy. Methamphetamine addiction is devastating communities across the country and yet we have a DEA that prosecutes medical marijuana and assisted suicide providers (in OR). If the meth problem has taught us anything, we need to be more forward-looking when it comes to fighting addiction rather than hyping fear of the weed.

4.) Children's universal health care. We have a stellar government-run health care system in the veterans administration. We can use what we learn from that to introduce universal healthcare for all children from the day they were born to age 12. Universal coverage for all will probably never be a reality in this country because of the deeply engrained irrational fear of teh Socialism™. What childrens-only universal health care would offer is an enormous effect on overall health and financial well-being while maintaining pharma and med-tech profit margins. It might turn out to be just about the most pro-life action we as a society have taken.

5.) Global warming. Why is this last, you might ask? Because as long as Democrats are elected in Michigan, there will never be any meaningful legislation on climate change. What we can do, however, is improve some market-friendly mechanisms. For instance putting teeth into the President's Methane-to-Markets program in order to convert more waste methane into energy worldwide, thus buying us some time to tackle the carbon issue. Other programs to increase our annual energy efficiency increases from 1% to 2 or 3% should be fully funded by now. These will eventually help our economy since Kyoto signatory states will once again want to buy our products.