Web Features: Future of Top U.S. Particle Physics Lab in Jeopardy

Doing a whole lot of research is completely unnecessary. The answers to all questions are to be found in the holy book of (insert appropriate religion here). Having priests etc. extract the correct answers as needed worked well during the so called "Dark ages" and is again coming back into favor.

The recent replacement of all that confusing biology with "Intelligent design" shows the way of the future. ffeJ

I strongly agree. I mean, what has technology ever given us anyway? Let the Chinese and Europeans develop the science while we read books on how to innovate and think out of the box. If history has proven anything, its that the guys with the head start who devalue their currency and don't advance their understanding of science always prevail and form lasting healthy governments.

Its easy to sit back in our chairs and criticize the government for cutting science budgets, but nobody questions if these cutbacks are warrented. For all we know these scientists are buying $40 wrenches when $20 ones will work just fine, just because they can on the governments nickel. 170 people sounds like a good sized project, but are they all working effectively, or is there substantial "down time" between tasks? Are they meeting milestones set by the government? Are tasks being carried out by PhD level employees that could be carried out by cheaper grad/undergrad students or interns (cheaper both in wages and benefits)? If you have a project with a limited budget, you can find a way to make it happen by bargaining. But even then, lets say these projects happen and become sucessful...what then? Great, our knowledge has improved, but is it really going to help mankind in the day to day issues we have, and if so, when? And what happens to these multi million dollar facillities once these questions have been answered?

Dont get me wrong, as a physicist I'd love to see these projects work, but as a taxpayer, I dont want to see my money going into things that bear little fruit. You have to know a bad, or at least untimely, investment when you see one.

Avery Montembeault

Yeah, you're right guest. We should wait till every scientific institution is 100% efficient before we give them money to do research. In fact, rather than work, I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to convince everyone in the US to give me a dollar, which would give me 300 million.

I'll ignore the fact that such a thing is statistically impossible and use it as my excuse not to work. Surely no reasonable person could argue with my premise therefore my conclusion must be just.

That's why your correct guest. Afterall, nothing is worthwhile if it isn't at 100% efficiency right? The army is always 100% efficient which is why we win all our wars, and I'm sure the Manhatten Project had no bad spending which is why it was so successful. Please allow us to join you in your fairy tale land where if something isn't 100% efficient then it isn't worth doing. It's not like there is a power law curve associated with success and that you can't predict where the best results will come so you have to be patient with the losses so that the gains have a chance to manifest right? That's not how the real world works at all, right? Good god.

I live within a stone's throw of Fermilab, and I visit there every chance I get. It's a fantastic place! The very idea of scaling it back gives me the shudders.

The cutting of funds happened right after our powerful local pol, Denny Hastert, left office. Coincidence? I think not!

I *HATE* it when political infighting trumps national interests.

It does look as if the whole design and development is going to be shipped off to China.

After all, they can do the job far more cheaply than anyone else.

Who cares if there's a few accidents during an experiment, people are replaceable.

Quality Assurance doesn't matter either, it seems.

Then the US can just buy back the cheaply-done research, instead of a lot of rubbishy toys covered in lead paint, and the like.

Kind Regards....