Public Policy: Federal Funding of Research and Development Issues

http://www.asme.org/about-asme/advocacy-government-relations/programs,-public-policy,---society-policies/federal-funding-of-research-and-development-issues

Tomorrow in class, we will be discussing ideas for our argumentation paper on public policy. I researched public policy issues and one of the policies that actually seemed important was the Federal Funding of Research and Development Issues. This policy basically covers Obama's 2013 Fiscal Budget request to increase funding for research and development enterprise on science, technology, engineering, and math. The increase would be over two billion dollars higher than the spending on these matters in 2012.

I wanted to touch on this policy and its importance in my opinion. I think funding for developmental programs and businesses would not only create jobs for those who have a degree in these fields with no job, but also prospective students seeking a future job with a concentration in these fields. I feel there is a high demand in science, technology, engineering, and math based careers. Furthermore, if the overall goal is to repair the economy, funding in these areas would do the job. It is known that jobs in these fields pay significantly higher than those with Liberal Art Degrees. If our society can generate people who major in these fields, they can graduate college and make a higher salary which might help in re-establishing a middle class again. Additionally, our world today is advancing in medicine, in the degree of difficulty in math, the instruments and new discoveries in science, and most importantly technology. I believe in order to succeed in this world, our generation must know as much as possible in these fields and be willing to apply that knowledge in the workforce.

Although it is a ton of money on just this one policy, I think it will be a great investment long-term wise. Maybe short term issues may arise but if it works out well in the end, why will it matter. Or does it?