A look at today’s science and health policy news:
Poll: US taxpayers want more funding for scientific research
ArsTechnica- SEA has released a new poll showing that American voters favored candidates that would support stronger science education and research.
14 Science Questions the Next President Should Answer
Wired- 14 questions by SEA, Science Debate 2008, and many other science organizations for the 2008 presidential candidates.
Bush Makes Final Push for Global Climate Deal
Washington Post- In his final months in office, President Bush is mounting a last-ditch effort to forge a new global deal to limit greenhouse-gas emissions but finds himself once again at odds with much of the rest of the world on how to address climate change
Bush urges Americans to get Congress to allow drilling
The Hill- President Bush said Wednesday that Americans should contact Congress and tell their elected representatives to open up a part of the Alaskan wilderness and the area off the country’s coast to oil exploration.
Partisan fixes for health care will not heal the problems
Seattle P.I.- Health care reform has been dominated for 80 years by two equal and opposing forces: single payer vs. marketplace, but we know the public will support neither of those two polarized alternatives.
Aviation Week Explores McCain’s and Obama’s Aerospace and Aviation Plans
redOrbit- This week’s Aviation Week explores the aerospace policies of McCain and Obama.
McCain + Obama = a valid energy plan
USA Today- If you roll McCain’s and Obama’s proposals together, though, they add up to a credible energy plan.
Stop requiring ethanol production
L.A. Times- With the price of corn soaring, it’s clear that the ethanol mandate is bad economic policy and bad energy policy.
O.C. congressman takes a stand against threatening asteroids
L.A. Times- Rep. Dana Rohrbacher issues a statement on near-Earth objects on the 100th anniversary of the Tunguska event.
Congress may hit dry hole over oil speculators
Reuters- U.S. lawmakers have introduced a spate of bills to rein in market speculators blamed for pushing up crude oil prices, but time is running out and the White House is far apart from Congress on the issue.
Civil Rights Groups Sue Over Government’s Cell-Phone Tracking
Information Week- The groups also want to know the number of times the government has sought cell-phone location information without court permission and how many times it has obtained the information.
Technology changes our relationship with both business, government
Seattle Times- Not so long ago, employers had no easy way to tell their workforce about bills or proposed policy changes that could dramatically impact their company or industry. Nor were employees much interested in hearing such messages. Times have changed.
Extinction risks vastly underestimated: study
AFP- Some endangered species may face an extinction risk that is up to a hundred times greater than previously thought, according to a study released Wednesday.
Former state science director sues over intelligent design e-mail
Dallas Morning News- A former state science curriculum director filed suit against the Texas Education Agency and Education Commissioner Robert Scott, alleging she was illegally fired for forwarding an e-mail about a lecture that was critical of the teaching of intelligent design in science classes.
U.N. report: Clean energy booming globally
CNet- Global investment in sustainable energy amounted to $148 billion in 2007, a 60 percent gain over 2006, according to a UN Report Tuesday.
Energy Star for servers may be ready by year-end, EPA says
ITWorld- The EPA says it will be ready to release the first Energy Star rating for servers by the end of the year.
