After my last freak out, I decided it was time for some R&R. My sister is visiting next week, and that seemed like a pretty good time to just not come into work. Consequently, I’ll be taking my first vacation since Christmas next week. In the meantime, I’ve had a few topics for the blog floating around in the back of my mind. This will be a nice distraction from my last push to get something meaningful done before next week.
Voting for America’s Future?
Just before Congress went home for its vacation (if Congress gets one, why not me?), they passed a flurry of legislation. In particular, the House pushed through authorization legislature for improving the nation’s investment in the physical sciences. What is authorization? Well, consider the following situation. You want a car. Mom has the checkbook, but you go and talk to dad. “How much can I spend?” you ask. Dad thinks, and replies, “Up to $10,000.” That’s authorization. Then you go to mom. “Mom, I want to spend $10,000 on a car. Can I have the money?” That’s the President’s budget request. “No,” mom says, “but here’s $3000 to spend on a new car. No more”. That’s appropriation.
Just like mom and dad, there are committees in the Congress that authorize monies, typically for “out-years” – the years ahead of the current fiscal year. Authorization sets ceilings, and in many cases is considered “wishful thinking”. If you get slammed in authorization, you’re gonna get screwed in appropriation (unless you hire lobbyists). Then, for the next fiscal year, the appropriations committee will consider the ceilings, consider the needs, and appropriate actual tax dollars.
Before their vacation, Congress passed H.R. 2272. “The America Competes Act” was intended to strengthen long-term investment in agencies like DOE and NSF. It was overwhelmingly voted into law by the House. The interesting roll was the “Noes”. Among them were two Presidential contenders: Kucinich and Tancredo. If you’re keeping score, this one paints them as “questionably” in favor of public support of basic science. Also, Kucinich was the only Democrat opposed, while Tancredo was one of 54 Republicans opposed [1].
