Member-only story
My Letter to Elon Musk: Here’s What Scientists have been Working on Last Week
Musk demanded a letter from federal employees describing what they’ve achieved. Read it and weep.
Dear Mr. Musk,
Here’s what has been keeping us scientists busy above and beyond our standard obligations at work.
During the time we should be recharging so that we can develop new cures and advance fundamental knowledge, we’ve been calling and writing our representatives to stand against the catastrophic damage the Trump administration is inflicting upon our nation’s scientific enterprises. These sudden and savage funding cuts have thrown sand into the gears of our nation’s prized biomedical research machine.
Research is instrumental to accelerating knowledge and developing new treatments for millions of Americans suffering from all kinds of diseases and disorders. If the humanity of this mission isn’t enough, you should be aware that these endeavors also greatly benefit our nation’s economy. In other words, the cuts are not only delaying life-saving medical research, but they are also jeopardizing national prosperity.
We are struggling to understand how you are qualified to judge the complexities of these systems and how the random firing of such highly trained employees is going to make America great. Our federal…