Peoria Pundit

Are you sick of politicians making decisions based on their irrational beliefs and not on science. Well, so are scientists. A group of ‘em recently took a crash course on electoral politics. The goal? Running for office.

Science has become a part of every major issue of modern life, said neurologist Alan Leshner, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

“At the same time that’s happening, there’s increased tensions between science and society,” he said.

Scientists cite the debate over global warming as an example of having their insights and warnings cast aside. They have also complained the Bush administration has censored some of their research on warming and endangered species.

Scientists are also pushing hard for a presidential debate this year focusing on climate change and other science issues. So far, they have not persuaded the presidential candidates to agree to the forum.

Rep. Bill Foster, a physicist elected to the House in March as a Democrat from the Illinois district once held by then-Speaker Dennis Hastert, said the push for a larger role for science in politics is important.

“Politicians have thought they could get away with saying things that are quantitatively false,” Foster said in an interview Friday.

Ummm … when I think of politicians basing their decisions on dogma instead of science, I think of issues like abortion, AIDS, stem cell research, sex education, and censorship of video games and music. Global warming is probably not what I would pick as an example of politicians ignoring the science. I’m thinking that when it comes to mad-made global warming, it’s the scientists who are acquiescing to public opinion.

Conversely, conservatives are sick of former college radicals teaching their personal political beliefs as fact, and for trying to stifle conservative and libertarian points of view. In other words, there’s a lot of BS being spread.

I’m not the first person to note the trend toward disregarding science and facts when the conflict with how one feels, or when its contrary to the religion or political persuasion one finds more comfortable. These things seem to run in cycles. It wasn’t all that long ago, we looked toward science to improve our lives. Now that it has, we take it for granted.

There’s no guarantee that scientists who become politicians won’t start playing the same game. I’m certainly in favor of smarter and better-educated politicians. But the cure is a better educated electorate, and not necessarily politicians with degrees in science.