One of the largest Federal Welfare Programs in Government is Government support of Science. With an annual budget of $27 billion, the NIH and Scientists who receive independent NIH "grant" support, are at the top of the Government's list of welfare recipients. This is but the tip of the iceberg regarding monies provided by the Federal Government in "support" of Science; every Federal Agency is involved; State and Local Government as well. Private/Nonprofit Hospitals; their Scientists; their Labs; their Personnel are virtual dependents on the Federal Government and US taxpayers.
In some cases, Institutions that receive millions of taxpayer dollars in "support" of scientific research are located within highly depressed inner city areas. Yet, these non-profit/public charities, are operated as a business corporation with the main consideration as capital inflow. Thus, like a private-for-profit corporation, there is the kind of "out-sourcing" of jobs via recruitment efforts beyond the Community; mainly in China and other Asian Countries. In some cases, entire Laboratories are staffed by individuals from these areas. To point this out is NOT xenophobic nor an invocation of the notion of Nativism. It is merely to recognize that these Institution's have a responsibility to recruit and train individuals from within their highly depressed Community. In the short term perhaps more costly, but a required and necessary investment in the Community of which they are a part.
How are these monies allocated? Governmental monies are provided through a system of "Peer Review". A Scientist submits a grant (this is free money!!) proposal outlining an experimental plan and it's cost with this solicitation for Governmental monies to support the research. The grant proposal is then reviewed by a panel of the Scientist's "Peers"....a sort of "ole boys network" who are to determine the significance, approach, innovation of the proposed research, as well as the "quality" of the investigator, and the environment in which the proposed research will take place. Their standard for "review" are THEIR own scientific notions confirmed by THEIR own research. Notwithstanding "anonymity of review" everyone knows who, is fact, is doing what.
The "Peer Review" concept is a derivative of our Jury System in Law. However, while members of a Jury are randomly selected from within a community of Peers, members of the "Peer Review" group are preferentially selected by:
Publication record is determined by the number of publication in so-called "Peer Review" Journals. Thus, the same group of individuals that constitute the Grant "Peer Review" Group, "review" publication submissions and hence determine a Scientist's "publication history, professional status and/or record of accomplishments"
The consequence: an interconnecting network of "Scientists" motivated by self-interest that control the awards of Governmental Monies determined, in the main, by longevity and connections in the field; not Scientific merit.
A lot of garbage is pumped out of Labs that receive Government support; these Scientists; their Labs; their Personnel are wards of the State. The justification: It is in the National Interest of the United States to "support" Science.
But this is not enough. Scientists are also "consultants" to private industry, receiving thousands of dollars in "supplementary" money for the "advice" and "guidance" that they provide to these companies. How nice!! This system is not only unethical and wasteful, it stultifies Scientific Enquiry; it is a perversion of the very concept.
Did Archimedes receive Government support for his research? Did Euclid? What of Galileo? Darwin? And Jenner? What fundamental breakthroughs in Science have come out of a Government Laboratory? From Laboratories supported by this "Peer Review" System? Not much at all!!
But the waste continues. After all these welfare recipients are not the inner City Folk within their highly depressed Community, but "respectful" Scientists; their Labs; their Personnel.