Even though I spent most of my school years trying to avoid science classes as much as possible, I have to acknowledge the importance of science in the lives of people. We need science to help us understand the world around us and how things function and relate to one another.
That's why the thought of political involvement in scientific research scares me. In the ideal world, there would be no connection between the research and politics. But we all know we don't live in an ideal world, and very often science and politics are connected. In addition, the last 8 years have been less then ideal as far as government support of the science research is concerned.
The problem is big. Within last few years, there were major budget cuts at the federal agencies dealing with issues such as environment, public health and consumer safety. Many Bush administration policies have jeopardized research on those issues.