USA Today -- Report Urges Separation of Science and State
The "Science for Policy Project," headed by the former House Science Committee chief Sherwood Boehlert, a retired Republican from New York, and Don Kennedy, former editor of 'Science,' suggests conflict over stem cells, climate and other science "has left the U.S. with a system that is plagued by charges that science is being 'politicized.'"
For example, President Bush's decision in 2001 not to sign a climate treaty on economic grounds inflamed charges that science was being ignored. The discovery that a Bush administration lawyer had edited climate science summaries (critics argued he softened the certainty of global warming) in 2005 further alarmed scientists.
Science is one of the most important subjects a student covers in school. It provides a balanced and grounded method to analyze our world and understand how people's actions affect our environment. The study of science improves our ability to reason, a trait that is important in every facet of a person's life. Since science classes are compulsory in all accredited schools, this makes me wonder at what point religious fanatics and global warming nay-sayers stopped paying attention.
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