[ExI] Judging radical possibilities

[Dennis May]

Adrian Tymes wrote:
 
> Public funding is not literally taken at the point of a gun, ..."
 
Refuse to pay and you will see the guns which were always
present.
 
Adrian Tymes wrote:

> almost all long-term science investment (and the majority of 
> investments that can rightfully be called 'science' have a 
> long-term focus; ...only comes from institutions, such as 
> governments, that care about long-term" is, I believe, a 
> factually accurate statement."

Most all major advancements in science have come from
individuals or very small groups of people.  Many of these
scientists did work at universities.  Hisotorically many
universities have been privately founded and funded.
There is no priority in assuming a government role in that
respect.  Less and less private money goes into institutions
of higher learning today because government confiscates 
it first then demands a role in education.

Adrian Tymes wrote:

> Private money demands provable return on investment 
> (and specifically, return to the investor, not just society 
> at large) - which basic science can, inherently, almost 
> never offer.

Wealhy people have a long history of investing in educational
institutions without a provable return on investment.  You
seem to be confusing individual wealth with certain types
of corporate entities.  Corporations often fund specific
research overlapping with longer term needs.  Wealthy
individuals can do whatever they want with their money
left over after confiscation.

I wrote:

> Long term investment was common in freer economic times.

Adrian Tymes wrote:

> Actually, no, it wasn't.  Depending on which times you mean, 

I mean economically freer times - the growth days of Scotland
and the US in the 1800's - 6% to 8% real growth year after
year, decade after decade.  Real economic freedom has not existed
in the US for well over a century and certainly could have
been much better then.

We should not settle for the crumbs we are being left with today.

Dennis May
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