Prognostication’s Not Pork!
It’s a relief that the House of Representatives passed Superstorm Sandy relief in a 228-192 squeaker. In truly asinine fashion, though, the GOP congresscritters wanted to cut $13 million from the National Weather Service. Leave it to Republicans to want to cut funding from the National Weather Service in the wake of a huge weather-related catastrophe… I am reminded of Bobby Jindal’s scornful remarks about “volcano monitoring”, delivered while Alaska’s Mt. Redoubt was being monitored due to an eruption threat. It’s also reminiscent of their 2011 decision to cut funding for NOAA’s hurricane tracking satellite system.
In the case of Sandy, continual monitoring was crucial, because the path of the storm was atypical, a once-every-700-years event. The European tracking models more accurately predicted the path of the storm than the American ones… thankfully, those socialistic scientists like to share data. If there hadn’t been accurate models, the toll of death and destruction would have been unthinkable.
Once again, the Republicans have shown a willingness to continue their war on science... hell, they have Creationists sitting on the House Science Committee. In the case of their attitude toward the monitoring of natural phenomena that can result in mass death, their hostile attitude toward science can result in real harm.
Prognostication ain’t pork, people.
Cross-posted at my eponymous blog.
Posted by Big Bad Bald Bastard on 01/17/13 at 07:05 AM • Permalink
