U.S. Lawmaker Proposes New Criteria for Choosing NSF Grants

->GOVERNMENT HAS UNCONTROLLABLE SPENDING
->tries to limit spending on stuff that is ridiculous
-> BUT THAT RESEARCH ON IF PIZZA CAN SURVIVE IN SPACE IS IMPORTANT TO A VERY VERY SMALL GROUP.

Sure there are better places to cut, but sh`it like this is a good place to start.

But he's not saying to cut the NSF's budget. He just wants to change who benefits from it.

Perhaps the NSF needs to update its list of peer reviewers, if they're okaying "frivolous" research. Either that or what appears frivolous to you and me actually tests important principles, and the peer reviewers are able to appreciate that.

As for duplicate research: Maybe if it's worth funding once, it's worth funding twice? There's an old Jewish saying, "The rivalry of scholars increases wisdom." Having two groups racing to get useful results from similar researches might be beneficial.