Why destroy science and education

[Tybee]

What are you thoughts on why the current administration is hellbent on destroying scientific research and education?

I just got an email from a charity I support for native American colleges and if the Department of Education closes, the colleges they support will be closing, too.

I want to know why they are shutting down scientific research?

My DIL works for a non-profit that has lost millions of dollars in contracts in the last month. Research they have been doing for years is being halted and lost. They are firing administration and researchers.

NASA and HHS are seeing research halted and "vanished."

What do you think is their end goal here?

[iris lilies]

What are you thoughts on why the current administration is hellbent on destroying scientific research and education?

I just got an email from a charity I support for native American colleges and if the Department of Education closes, the colleges they support will be closing, too.

I want to know why they are shutting down scientific research?

My DIL works for a non-profit that has lost millions of dollars in contracts in the last month. Research they have been doing for years is being halted and lost. They are firing administration and researchers.

NASA and HHS are seeing research halted and "vanished."

What do you think is their end goal here?

This is a really good question.

I would separate science from “education. “ The United States Department of Education is the newest one created. What did this country do before it had it? Did it not educate anyone?

Like any government program, we can all take our tiny view of the big whole and complain about it. So yeah, the department of education – all of the school loan programs that people moan and bitch about owing. And loan programs that I firmly am convinced inflate the cost of a college education,

Just yesterday I was listening to Dave Ramsey’s show and one of the Ramsey people Cautioned a young lady to get her student loans paid off and to not count on any government program saving her. They reiterated that they had always counseled their callers to “pay off your student loan, the government can yank Any payback program like the SAVE you’ve got at any time” and then “for instance, look at what the current administration is proposing.”

This is consistent with what I know of government programs, they come and they go. There are winners and there are losers.

And then John Delony said something brilliant, and it speaks to his background in academia: he cautioned another young lady who was planning to go to school studying juvenile corrections counseling that she will be lobbied to continue on in their masters degree program because her teachers will say they see something special in her. He didn’t go so far as to say “ they’re recruiting you for their program because they need students“ but that advice is shrewd. In plain language he was giving her advice she would never hear from anyone else and that is, lady you’re a consumer who will be lobbied to consume by your education factory.

[KayLR]

Because it rubs against their old white men agenda.

[Rogar]

The term science covers a lot of territory, but I could think the current administration would like to form their own politicized "facts", which often contradict scientific knowledge. I also think there is some sort of conspiracy theory culture that casts distrust in the scientific community.

[iris lilies]

The term science covers a lot of territory, but I could think the current administration would like to form their own politicized "facts", which often contradict scientific knowledge. I also think there is some sort of conspiracy theory culture that casts distrust in the scientific community.

For me, it’s not “science” that I distrust because frankly, I don’t know enough to be able to discount most all “science.” What I sometimes distrust is the politicization of science and the high priests of science mouthing those politicized statements while refusing to admit or even see their bias.

Trans gender medical is clearly one arena of politicized science.

We would all do well to remember that the science of the moment is very much of the moment. It is the facts as we know them right now. Setting aside politicized science, we all know of so many of the health science facts that have changed over the years. For instance, hormone replacement therapy for women. It was in during my mother’s time. And then it was out and not generally advised during my 40’s-50’s. . And now it’s back in, and in a different form.

remember eggs? Good. Then bad. Now, apparently not so bad.

And etc.

[frugal-one]

This is a really good question.

I would separate science from “education. “ The United States Department of Education is the newest one created. What did this country do before it had it? Did it not educate anyone?

Like any government program, we can all take our tiny view of the big whole and complain about it. So yeah, the department of education – all of the school loan programs that people moan and bitch about owing. And loan programs that I firmly am convinced inflate the cost of a college education,

Just yesterday I was listening to Dave Ramsey’s show and one of the Ramsey people Cautioned a young lady to get her student loans paid off and to not count on any government program saving her. They reiterated that they had always counseled their callers to “pay off your student loan, the government can yank Any payback program like the SAVE you’ve got at any time” and then “for instance, look at what the current administration is proposing.”

This is consistent with what I know of government programs, they come and they go. There are winners and there are losers.

And then John Delony said something brilliant, and it speaks to his background in academia: he cautioned another young lady who was planning to go to school studying juvenile corrections counseling that she will be lobbied to continue on in their masters degree program because her teachers will say they see something special in her. He didn’t go so far as to say “ they’re recruiting you for their program because they need students“ but that advice is shrewd. In plain language he was giving her advice she would never hear from anyone else and that is, lady you’re a consumer who will be lobbied to consume by your education factory.

Kids were not required to attend school prior to the 20s. Currently, children are required to be in school. That probably will change because of this idiotic regime. The dumbing down of America IMO.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compul..._United_States

[sweetana3]

For me, it’s not “science” that I distrust because frankly, I don’t know enough to be able to discount most all “science.” What I sometimes distrust is the politicization of science and the high priests of science mouthing those politicized statements while,redusing to admit or even see their bias.

Trans gender medical is clearly one arena of politicized science.

We would all do well to remember that the science of the moment is very much of the moment. It is the facts as we know them right now. Setting aside politicized science, we all know of so many of the health science facts that have changed over the years. For instance, hormone replacement therapy for women. It was in during my mother’s time. And then it was out and not generally advised during my 40’s-50’s. . And now it’s back in, and in a different form.

remember eggs? Good. Then bad. Now, apparently not so bad.

And etc.

But is that science or journalism?Are the talking heads just spouting sound bites or curated information? As we found during Covid, a lot of what was called "science" was anecdotal, untested, imagined, or down right snake oil arguments. As you said, science is not fixed in time but builds on the knowledge gained from further information gleaned from study and testing.

My bias is clearly for a true science model. High demand religions and evangelicals would like us to use their faith based ideas as the basis for all fact. Science be damned. During the the Covid epidemic, I was listening to virologists around the world who were constantly gathering the latest information and basing decisions on facts as they were known that day or that hour. The "knowledge" I gleaned took a lot of fear away. The world of news just whipsawed the latest gossip.

As for many medicines promoted for large groups of patients (HRT, statins, etc.), the doctor/patient should be using their own needs and history to make determinations rather than what is the spouted as the latest and greatest for ALL.

[catherine]

For me it comes down to the metaphor that's been used constantly since 1/20/2025--that is, eliminating federal bloat should be done with a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.

I think the DoE's programs should be evaluated one at a time. I'm not completely enamored of that institution--from what I hear from teachers, it forces them to teach to the test. I haven't seen any evidence that this has worked in terms of math and reading outcomes.

I also think iris lilies has a good point about the federally-funded student loans. In my experience, they are extortionary. And they probably do encourage people to take on more debt than they should and inflate the cost of education.

But I am for the protections they have created and championed for special education and other civil rights.

[iris lilies]

Kids were not required to attend school prior to the 20s. Currently, children are required to be in school. That probably will change because of this idiotic regime. The dumbing down of America IMO.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compul..._United_States

Compulsary education laws are set by the states, not the Feds.

[Tybee]

This is one of the emails I received that prompted me to start this thread:
At times like these, Native students need your support and advocacy more than ever. Right now, two of our nation’s oldest and only federally chartered Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) are in grave jeopardy due to the implementation of Executive Order 14210 and the White House hiring freeze memo. Without immediate action to exempt them or rescind the policy, students and staff are suffering.
Nearly a quarter of the instructors and staff at Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute have been fired - and, with the hiring freeze, there isn't anyone coming to lead classrooms of Native students in their coursework, which is already halfway through the semester. Imagine the heartbreak and panic these students are feeling right now - for many, these classes are the ones they need to complete to graduate!