Well Frank, considering that a lot of researchers think it is very unlikely to create any cures from embryonic stem cells, and considering that adult stem cell research and cord (umbilical) stem cell research have gotten results, and considering that corporations (research labs, drug companies) are doing research in these areas and avoiding embryonic stem cell research (since it is thought to be so much less likely to result in anything significant), yes, I think the money would be much much better spent in other areas that show a lot more promise.
This is basically just a money train. Take tax dollars from the public (which not only hurts the economy, but also in a time when we have too much of a deficit), and give it out in the form of grants to those that need/want a job doing research at the taxpayers expense.
I've said this before, but here it is again. If embryonic stem cell research was so promising, corporations would be jumping on the band wagon to do research. It costs over $500,000,000 (on average) to bring just one drug onto the market. Don't you think drug companies would spend some of the money, that they are now spending on developing new drugs, on stem cell research if it was so promising? I certainly do! But then again, I believe in capitalism. I also believe anything the government does, the private sector can do much better at a much lower cost. I also believe that it is not the governments job to collect taxes to try and cure diseases.
Liberals seem to think that money grows on trees. I say why spend 10 times more money to save one life, when you can spend a lot less money and save thousands. If money was unlimited, we could do all these things. Since it is not, why waste it? Stem cell research is in it's infancy, and it will cost so much money to chase a possible cure (that the private sector thinks will never happen), when that money could be spent actually paying for things we know how to cure already. For instance, Bush raised funding for flu vaccine purchases for the CDC. Under Clinton, it was $35,000,000 a year. Bush raised it to $283,000,000. This is a much wiser way to spend tax money when we know that 10s of thousands die every year from the flu and it is easily prevented, and the cost is minimal compared to stem cell research that may not accomplish anything at all. Unfortunately, the trial lawyers forced vaccine manufactures out of the country with all their frivolous law suits, and we all know what happened this year with the contaminated vaccine being manufactured out of the country. How many more lives would be saved, starting today, if a small fraction of that money went into exempting corporations from frivolous law suits, so the corporations here would start manufacturing vaccine here once again?
Rodney
