Name a White House sci-tech advisor: groups
p2pnet news view | Politics:- If Barack Obama becomes the next president of the United States, he should appoint a White House science adviser. And he should do so by January 20 — inauguration day — also giving the appointee cabinet rank.
The same applies to John McCain, say nearly 180 organizations representing the business, education and scientific communities, says the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
In letters to both candidates, the AAAS says it joins other organizations to emphasise addressing domestic and international challenges such as healthcare, energy costs, US economic competitiveness, and global climate change demand scientific and technological ingenuity.
“The organizations urge the next president to give the science adviser the title of Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and assign the position cabinet rank, the same status currently given to the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Trade Representative,”says the AAAS.
The letter to Obama and McCain was signed by Deborah L. Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness; Alan I. Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Robert M. Berdahl, president of the Association of American Universities; David M. Abshire, president of the Center for the Study of the Presidency; Richard Meserve, president of the Carnegie Institution for Science; and, former US Rep. John E. Porter, chair of a committee of the National Academies on ensuring the best science and technology appointments in the new administration.
Say the letters to Obama and McCain »»»
The next President of the United States will face a wide range of domestic and international challenges, from financial and regulatory reform to healthcare and rising energy costs, from global climate change to ensuring U.S. economic competitiveness and national security.
These challenges share one thing in common: long-term solutions that will be impossible without groundbreaking scientific and technological advances. It is therefore critical that the next President seek out and rely upon sound scientific and technological advice early and often in the new Administration.
Your responses to the Science Debate 2008 questions reflect your acknowledgment of the important role that science will play in a new Administration. With this in mind, it is essential to quickly appoint a science advisor who is a nationally respected leader with the appropriate scientific, management and policy skills necessary for this critically important role.
For these reasons, the undersigned organizations representing the business, education and scientific communities urge you, if you are elected President, to appoint your White House Science Advisor by January 20, so this individual can participate immediately in coordinating relevant policy and personnel decisions relating to science and technology.
We further urge that the next President give the science advisor the title of Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and assign the position a cabinet rank, the same status currently given to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Trade Representative.
The next President must lead our country in addressing the national issues of concern to us all. To do so effectively, science and technology must be part of the solution. Putting a science advisor in place early, and providing this individual with adequate stature andauthority within the White House, will help the new President effectively address the challenges we face.
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details.
