And although there have been occasional noises in the press about earmarks, they are, in Savage's view, so much spitting into the wind. Efforts have been made to reduce the incentive to seek earmarks by appropriating funds specifically for those states that receive little federal research money. Although the goal of the program is commendable, I am aware of no evidence that it has discouraged earmarking. He offers sympathetic interpretations of actions where it might have been easy to simply hammer away, especially at the more greedy players. Although in 1994 Republicans pledged to cut wasteful spending, it's clear that they're more interested in larding up the budget than pursuing cutting-edge research.
Science needs a boost.
So it goes. Norman Metzger is special advisor to the National Research Council.