[stjohnswarts]

Not really since r&d don't provide quarterly returns for years sometimes decades. Government funding science is a good thing and obviously there is some waste but the net positive is far greater. Capitalism is good, but so is working together as a society (aka government) to develop new tech is also good. It's not a zero sum game despite what libertarians would have us all think.

[002445]

Despite what you think about what Libertarians think, the term that is relevant here is opportunity cost. Not zero sum games.