Funding priorities

Bush's budget for FY 2006 is rather pathetic on the science end of things. The '06 Research and Development budget is only a 1% increase over the '05 one. While the administration likes to claim that they have made large increases in R&D (45% since 2001), most of this has been awarded to homeland security and defense. Plus, some of it came at the behest of a Clinton-era initiative to double the NIH budget over 5 years. Never think for a second that this administration has the public's best interests at heart when it comes to science.

For example, National Institutes of Health budget has been increased less than 1%, the National Science Foundation breaks even with its 2004 appropriations (a 2.6% increase this year that basically does nothing but erase the 2005 decrease, and leave the NSF budget doubling initiative $8 billion behind schedule), and here's the biggest travesty of all: the VA sees yet another funding decrease, of 2.2%. Considering the rate of biomedical research inflation is expected to be 3.2% in '06, this hurts.

That's right. In the middle of a War of Convenience/neverending occupation where 1700 American troops have already died and who knows how many others are casualties, this administration is cutting the budget for the Veteran's Administration. Speaking from a neuroscience perspective, where do they think funding comes from to study issues like post-traumatic stress disorder? This is an insult to those who diligently serve in our armed forces. The message is clear; after being called to walk the pits of Hades for your country, we don't give a damn about your well-being-- psychological or physical-- when we're through with you.

*budget numbers come from: spring 2005 Neuroscience Quarterly, a publication of the Society for Neuroscience