Quote:
Originally posted by Spanky
I don't see it that way. Cancer and other degenerative diseases destroy citizens lives. Even if the source is within the body, it is still an attack on the body. I want the government to stop these cancer cells or other such bad genes from screwing up my body. Something does not have to be caused by a sentient human to threaten the safety and security of the citizens.
And I can't believe Penske really want to leave this to the marketplace. As I said the market place will eventually get to all of this stuff it will just take a lot longer. I don't want to be worm food when the discover the cure for Alzherimers.
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If they were not suffering from Alzheimer's, what would Alzheimer's patients contribute to the national defense?
Let's be real here. If you're concerned health effects about national security, better to focus on prophylactic rather than therapeutic measures. Lose weight, eat right, stop smoking, drive safely, use alcohol and pot in moderation. Stem cell research, at first blush, will principally benefit a very small segment of the US population. Those cancers that kill the highest number of Americans - lung cancer, colon cancer - can be reduced by behavioral modification. Diabetes is rising because of obesity. All of these can be ameliorated by means less expensive than stem cell research, and will provide greater gains in terms of enhancing safety and security of our citizens. Neurodegenerative diseases - can't do much about those, but how many people get them and at what stages of life?
The reason why we should fund SCR, and space exploration and oceanic exploration and brain function research, is simpler than national defense. We are the USA. We are the No. 1 nation and the greatest democracy on the planet. We should fucking act like it. We should fund all the research we can, and we should fund that research
because we can, and because (cue Animal House theme) Knowledge is Good, dammit. There is no knowledge that is bad - it's what people do with it. People around the world should be looking to us to lead the way in every aspect of human endeavor that is good and productive. We should not be fucking debating if intelligent design is an acceptable alternative to evolution, or if faith-based policy should trump rational analysis. The Romans were pandering to the lowest common denominator while the barbarians were climbing over the walls. The Romans forgot they were mature, rational beings.
For the record, I lost a parent to Alzheimers.
