Trump administration to fire thousands at health agencies • Hacker News Board

Re: Trump administration to fire thousands at health agencies

#51

Post by insane_dreamer » Sat, Feb 15, 2025, 4:50 PM UTC

dubcanada wrote: post #21

greenhearth wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is this a "partisan" article? Looks like a regular news piece to me.

I mean it's kind of hard to not call it partisan when it starts with "Trump administration". But I may just be tired of going on reddit, X, hackernews, and seeing the exact same news articles. We are losing a lot of half way decent technology articles, because people are more interested in what Musk or Trump is up to. Which is fair.

Well, what Musk is doing is very impactful and out of the ordinary, and DOGE is (supposed to be) a technology-focused agency (efficiency, blah blah), so it enters the HN domain.

If you're upset that tech and politics have merged, blame Musk.

Re: Trump administration to fire thousands at health agencies

#52

Post by insane_dreamer » Sat, Feb 15, 2025, 4:53 PM UTC

We're damaging our future, for what?

> One high-level researcher who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the NIH has effectively shut down a highly competitive intramural research program for undergraduate degree holders before they start graduate or medical school. It’s responsible for the next generation of leaders in biomedical sciences, the researcher said: “These are the best and the brightest to get their training and become world class scientists to compete with China.” The program had about 1,600 people in it last year; more than 1,000 positions will not be filled, the person said.

Re: Trump administration to fire thousands at health agencies

#53

Post by insane_dreamer » Sat, Feb 15, 2025, 4:56 PM UTC

Most people aren't aware of ARPA-H but the research it funds is important and potentially highly impactful. It takes a DARPA approach of funding "moonshot" type research in the domain of medicine/health. These are projects that are normally very hard to fund because they are trying to solve hard problems rather than result in some immediate commercial application. But a necessary part of the hard science that lays the foundation for future technological breakthroughs. Very sad to see this laid to wasted by some idiots.

> Head of ARPA-H and Biden appointee Renee Wegrzyn told staff Friday morning that she was fired, a source told STAT. The agency, established in 2022 by Biden to work with the private sector on breakthrough medical technology, employs less than 200 workers. Because of the agency’s newness, most employees are considered probationary and could be targeted for layoffs.

Re: Trump administration to fire thousands at health agencies

#54

Post by hagbard_c » Sat, Feb 15, 2025, 11:06 PM UTC

throw16180339 wrote: post #50

stcroixx wrote: post #22

Well, we're pretty unhealthy. These agencies don't seem to have been very successful at making us healthy. Probably time to try another approach.

This is cutting off your head to cure a migraine.

It is more like getting rid of the quacks to look for other cures. While success is not guaranteed it has been proven by now that the current approach does not lead to desirable results.

By the way, it is quite remarkable how much resistance there is to change in the supposedly 'progressive' opposition to Trump. Those who want to keep things the way they are tend to be called 'conservative' while those who want to shake up things - to make them better or just to change them for change's sake - are called 'progressive'. It looks like the 'progressives' of old have turned into 'conservatives' while the 'conservatives' have taken on more 'progressive' characteristics. This goes to show that party labels and affiliations only go so far when it comes to finding out who stands where and that the silly 'left' vs 'right' dichotomy is decidedly useless to separate 'good' from 'bad', no matter where you consider yourself to stand in this division.