Comment · Wed, April 10, 2013 · Ceretropic
Why Spend a Billion Dollars to Map the Human Brain? - Dana Smith
What they were answering
soapjackal · 1 points
Before I reply I would really like to reiterate the smallness of these programs compared to the massive spending of other wasteful programs, like the war on drugs. This project is only $100 million, which even though I think that ethically and economically I don't think that the tax payers should foot the bill, it's not that terrible of a place for tax paper money to go.
I think you are trying to make it sound like I'm saying:
Government can NEVER be useful
I think it's morally bankrupt, but it can be useful. What I'm saying is:
Private Industry can do the exact same thing.
Sure the human genome project was finished by the NIH early but there were organizations who were trying the exact same thing at the same time, whom the NIH borrowed ideas from.
The US is in a heavily socialized economy so of course government is going to get some stuff right, but that does not mean that private industry could not do the exact same thing.
I really have no desire for more /r/economics on /r/nootropics, but I don't think you're going to be able to prove "government only" when it comes to this research.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
I am not trying to. However, I can agree with the proposed funding the President has put forward. I agree that the private sector can do the same thing, but will it? That's my argument. I think the funding proposed is going to be beneficial to private sector growth in neurochemistry.
For now we can agree to disagree on this subject.