Science is an investment in the future, our future. The idea that we can't afford to double funding at NASA and the NSF is ridiculous. We must insure that we maintain our competitiveness on a scientific level, because if we don't we'll eventually be left behind. Let us not forget that our modern world is built upon such scientific understandings. Our technological world for example is entirely a result of our past understanding of quantum physics. The space program has also had many benefits to our economy and culturally.

Foremost, its one thing to say you're for science and keeping America competitive, its another to put your money where your mouth is. If elected, these candidate must do more than pass the buck to the next President/Congress. We saw this with the Constellation program, Bush pushed Constellation but left the funding up to a Future Congress/President. Obama has done the same with the current plan at NASA.

We wont have another US manned spacecraft at least until 2017 says the current NASA chief, and we're not going anywhere beyond low earth orbit until 2020. Long after the issue of funding need have any consequence on Obama's political career as President.

Prescription medicines are very expensive, and advertising on TV and radio increases that cost. Most people are not knowledgeable about the biochemical effects and results from those medicines, yet the pharmaceutical industry is targeting the patient as a consumer, not the doctor as a specifically educated dispenser of medicine. The advertising dollars are huge, but they add to the consumer cost, encouraging people to ask for patent medicines that may not help them, and indeed, may harm them. Remember the phen-phen debacle, and the ongoing Amadourin, Vioxx, Trasylol, Amiodarone, Plavex, Celebrex lawsuits, and the increasing numbers joining the lawsuits against statin drugs? These were heavily advertised on television. medicines are not supposed to be popular items for consumption, they are each specifics for a small number of people's problems. TV and Radio advertising presents them like grocery items for consumption.

According to the World Health Organization, "the current tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest health threats the world has ever faced" (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/index.html). Tobacco caused 100 million deaths in the 20th century. If current trends continue, it will cause up to one billion deaths in the 21st century. Most of these deaths will be in the developing world where multi-national tobacco companies have targeted women, children, and the poor for addiction to their deadly products. Big Tobacco, which has spent decades undermining medical science in the West, is now spreading doubt regarding the scientifically-known health risks of tobacco in those nations least able to respond effectively to the onslaught of Big Tobacco's anti-science tactics. The world needs a strong leader to stand up to Big Tobacco and fight for the lives of people everywhere.