the president mused about redirecting $3 billion in research grant funding that his administration has frozen or withdrawn

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    If this dopey motherfucker actually did this, I’d support it. Harvard can survive on less, and trade schools should be cheaper to encourage people learning trades.

    But that’s not what’s happening, not even a little bit. The money isn’t being redirected to where it will do more good. It’s being withheld for corrupt personal reasons, and the “thought” of using it for so me thing productive is half-formed horseshit that is never going to materialize.

    This is a technique Trump uses to deflect criticism, although I think it’s too stupid to have a name. Let’s call it the Ball Gargle. It’s an idea that, in retrospect, sounds like it might be a good idea, but it’s probably impossible and definitely never going to happen. So Trump does something obviously corrupt and deeply unpopular among people who aren’t total fucksticks. When the people who aren’t total fucksticks complain, Trump suggests ball gargling, and the fucksticks go “Yeah, see, that sounds good!” But Trump isn’t going to gargle any balls, and even if he tries it wouldn’t be any form of anything anyone anywhere wants.

    • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      If this dopey motherfucker actually did this, I’d support it. Harvard can survive on less, and trade schools should be cheaper to encourage people learning trades.

      You think we should take money for cancer research and spend it making trade school cheaper?

            • Maeve@kbin.earth
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              2 months ago

              I’m fairly sure that’s what the transportation and logistics industry employees were saying a few years ago. I’m also fairly sure Thiel and zuck aren’t planning to spend their precious money on ubi. They may on Soylent Green, though.

              • Yermaw@lemm.ee
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                2 months ago

                It bugs me a little bit how little belief people have in machines potential. The machines have done what “only humans can do and a machine will never” so many times.

                They would never beat a human at chess, until they did.

                They would never pass the Turing test, until they did.

                They would never create art, until they did.

                They would never create music, until they did.

                They would never be able to actually drive a car, until they did.

                Why do we draw the line at skilled work?

                • Maeve@kbin.earth
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                  2 months ago

                  NGL, it bothers me a bit, as well. I hope if they become sentient, they evolve to a more egalitarian state than we humans have managed, and help us to become our best selves, one day, rather than the horror dystopian beings their financiers imagine. Not the sci-fi authors, I think they based their imaginings on the greedy financiers.