GOP Potshots in The D

I was browsing through articles on the Daily D website when I came across “A Call for Intellectuals,” an op-ed piece calling for academics and scientists to convey the intellectual importance of their research to the general public.

The article, while a bit on the idealistic side, advocated a worthy purpose: the education of the American public. However, it took a turn for the worse when I saw this thrown in quite haphazardly:

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Republicans in the House of Representatives have presented a plan that would cut spending by 16 percent from the department responsible for the National Science Foundation and NASA, 10 percent from the Energy Department and 4 percent from the department that includes the National Institute of Health.

In an article exclusively discussing academics, the author took the opportunity to produce this potshot at House Republicans, all the while championing the cause of the American public. This was the lone mention of any political agenda in the entire piece, after which it returns to the completely apolitical discussion of scientific advancements.

I’m left wondering: when did the Republican party become the enemy of the American public? Moreover, why did cutting the fat from government programs cause it?

— Adam I. W. Schwartzman