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4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

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Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#771

Post by throwawayq3423 »

msgodel wrote: post #594
throwawayq3423 wrote: post #515

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The current government would take any money you give them and give it back to rich people in the form of tax cuts. So no, I don't want to Venmo cash to somebody who doesn't need it.

That has always effectively been how government programs work, even if they launder it through poor people and immigrants first.

Except for in your example, the poor people and immigrants get to eat and sleep indoors and maybe one day become educated.

I won't make any assumptions about your politics, but I'm assuming that doesn't move the needle for you.

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#772

Post by harimau777 »

nomel wrote: post #708
harimau777 wrote: post #557

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't a lot of that require you to live in Texas?

Geographic hubs for a specialized profession has always been the case. Tech -> California (or Texas these days). Fashion/Finance -> NY. Movies -> Hollywood, etc. It's why most people live where they do: you follow the money. Truly first world problems.

Sure, but Texas is a bit of a special case considering their government is overtly hostile to anyone that doesn't fit into their narrow idea of an exceptable human being.

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#773

Post by candu »

godelski wrote: post #719
candu wrote: post #592

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Government investment in science is...the only way basic science happens, really. I'd recommend reading The Entrepreneurial State [1] here: in essence, basic science pays off too slowly to interest even the most deeply-pocketed capital interests, but it pays off, so wise societies invest in it; Silicon Valley owes its existence to massive formative public investments in underlying technologies. Not to mention that sm…

> a high minimum investment This is the only part I actually disagree with. Science is incredibly cheap. It can have a long time to mature but interestingly that is dependent on the number of "bonds", with quicker returns when there's more "bonds" issued. I'd say there's 4 common classes of misinterpretation: Perception bias: ---------------- Most of science is performed by grad students and academics. Neither of whi…

100% agree that spending on R&D is _very_ efficient in terms of just about anything you could conceivably care about - downstream economic outcomes, quality of life, geopolitical strength / prestige, etc.

For instance, in 2023 the US spent ~$190B in federal funding on R&D [1], compared to a budget of ~$6T [2] - i.e. about 3%. It's really really not a lot when you consider the aggregate impact over decades.

But it is still a lot in an absolute sense. This funding supports an entire ecosystem across both academia and industry that directly creates hundreds of thousands of jobs, many of which require highly specialized skills. I mention this not to create a sense of sticker shock, but to drive home the point that making this investment is a big and complex task - and one that takes a long time to rebuild. I firmly believe that the current chaos in the US will take at least a generation to repair.

[1] https://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/federal-funds-research-develop... [2] https://www.cbo.gov/publication/59727

Re: 4k NASA employees opt to leave agency through deferred resignation program

#774

Post by Shypangz »

Demiurge wrote: post #246
throw123xz wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If many around me warn me about the Nigerian prince scam and I fall for it, then I think I deserve some of the pain. Sure, I'm still a victim, but personally I'd be questioning my intelligence and would try to see where I had failed so it doesn't happen again.

What if half the people you know falls for it and tells you you’re missing out?

It’s tough when everyone around you thinks you’re missing out. I found using MailsAI helped me focus on my own path without getting distracted by others. Made things a lot clearer for me.
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