There is a plan to move into the 22nd century - where is the will?

[jtuck004]

Build ’Em and They’ll Come By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: October 12, 2010

<snip>

...I am telling him about what I consider to be the most exciting, moon-shot-quality, high-aspiration initiative proposed by President Obama that no one has heard of. It’s a plan to set up eight innovation hubs to solve the eight biggest energy problems in the world. But I explain that the program has not been fully funded yet because Congress, concerned about every dime we spend these days, is reluctant to appropriate the full $25 million for each center, let alone for all eight at once, so only three are moving ahead. But Kishore interrupts me midsentence. “You mean billion,” he asks? “No,” I say. “We’re talking about $25 million.” “Billion,” he repeats. “No. Million,” I insist.

The Singaporean is aghast. He simply can’t believe that at a time when his little city-state has invested more than a billion dollars to make Singapore a biomedical science hub and attract the world’s best talent, America is debating about spending mere millions on game-changing energy research.

Welcome to Tea Party America. Think small and carry a big ego.

<snip>

“We don’t want incremental improvements,” said Chu. “We want real leaps — game-changing” breakthroughs — like a 75 percent reduction in energy used in a commercial building through affordable design and software improvements. “America has shown we can do this,” concluded Chu. “The scientists and engineers see the problem; they see the opportunity; they see what is at stake, and they want to help.” That is why we should fully fund all eight now.

<snip>

...We still have all the right stuff. The president’s instinct to push out the boundaries of energy science is spot on, but Congress has to think big, too, and help unlock and scale everything that America knows. Please, please: Stop lavishing money on repaving old roads and pinching pennies when it comes to pioneering new frontiers.

The rest is here...

[wysimdnwyg]

1. The 22nd Century?

I'd be happy to get to a 21st Century economy first. We're stuck in the 1980s, "greed is good" economy right now.

[Kat45]

2. "Welcome to Tea Party America. Think small and carry a big ego. "

I love that quote from the article.

[Crazy Dave]

3. And don't you know in 2012 the democratic party will try something...

...that will copycat the tea party. Not democratic citizens, incumbent democratic politicians and new democratic candidates. All the progressive democrats will be few and ridiculed (professional left?) and have to run as third party/independents after that.