The NIH May Be Hazardous to Your Health

I like to keep up with the news from the biomedical research community (old habits, and all that other stuff). So I guess that I shouldn't have been surprised to find the following news release in my e-mail this morning.

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National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 11, 2009

NIH ANNOUNCES AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

$1 Billion Available for Extramural Core Facilities and Other Construction, Renovation or Repair Awards

The National Institutes of Health announced today some of the new funding opportunities made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). One billion dollars of the $10.4 billion provided to NIH under ARRA has been allocated for federal awards to institutions seeking to construct, renovate or repair biomedical or behavioral research facilities. The National Center for Research Resources, a part of NIH, will administer these categories of grants.

Signed into law by President Obama on Feb. 17, 2009, ARRA provides funds intended to stimulate the economy. Consistent with this legislative purpose, NIH is pleased to use ARRA-supported funding opportunities to help create or maintain American jobs, while advancing research.

"We are pleased to launch one of our agency's first efforts through grants that have exceptional potential to create new jobs and improve the economy while leading the way toward important medical discoveries that can benefit the health of Americans nationwide," said NIH Acting Director Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D. "NIH is well-positioned to fund the best science in pursuit of improving the length and the quality of the lives of American citizens, while at the same time stimulating the economy."

... The deadline for applications is Sept. 17, 2009. Budgets between $1 million and $10 million may be requested..."

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For those not familiar with the dialect known as bureaucratic-academic bulls**t, allow me to translate the last two paragraphs:

"We are multi-orgasmic with joy to get our hands on $1 billion in money that was extorted at gunpoint from honest citizens. We intend put this money where it will do the most good, which is bankrolling the pet projects of our wives, in-laws, boyfriends, girlfriends, and anyone else that can boost our careers, while at the same time picking up a few bucks for our own pockets. We don't really give a damn about what effect this wad of wasted cash will have on the economy, which is none whatsoever, but it's now Christmas and the NIH gets to be Santa Claus! Thank you, 'President' Barak Odumba, for doing all you can to assure the re-election of Harry Reid, Robert Byrd, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, and the other 531 social parasites that the taxpayers are stupid enough to keep returning to Congress!

"Oh, and forget about all that 'priority will be given to projects that are ready to begin within 6 months' crap that you've been hearing from Moe, Larry, and Curly (Tim Geithner, Barak Obama, and Ben Bernanke). We won't even begin to process the grant applications until September 17^th, so take your time!"

By the way, Dr. Kington, if your side of the pork barrel is getting $10.4 billion and only $1 billion is supposedly getting spent, what happens to the other $9.4 billion?

In the words of W.C. Fields, it's time to take the bull by the tail and face the situation.

Practically all the money that is supposed to "stimulate the economy" by "creating jobs" will not be going to "job creation" but to the "job protection" of people who are already employed by large corporations which will be reaping the benefits of timely, and generous, campaign contributions to those members of the Congress that are telling our so-called President Barak Obama what to do and say.

It was bad enough that we had no say in the Bush Administration's decision to spend over half a trillion dollars to protect the nation from the fraud, abuse, and sheer greed of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, and only God knows who else, and an economic catastrophe that would resulted from the collapse of a major portion of the financial sector. The incompetence of the Bush Administration was inexcusable, but that is not a reason to allow the Obama Administration to perpetuate such incompetence by bankrupting the Republic.

If you're still looking for that "Change that we can believe in," try looking in your pocket. Based on the idiotic spending policies on the regime currently in control of Washington, the small change that you might find in your pocket is about all that you can hope for.