the government is caught in a bind with basic science.  Let&#x27;s say it puts its money into science with no concrete outcome.  How can we be sure that taxpayer money hasn&#x27;t gone to some &#x27;scientist&#x27; that just happened to have political connections instead of scientific qualifications?  Or maybe the scientist was an eminent and qualified scientist who frittered away the money on a lark.  There&#x27;s no accountability in basic science, and a lack of accountability is anathema to good governance.<p>Hell, that even happens in non-basic science.  How do we expect basic science to be any better?<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=RWbkvCMuU5A" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=RWbkvCMuU5A</a>