[lnwlebjel]

> it doesn't mean that reality will agree with you, it means you have become a better politician

This is true, and we're reliant on the reviewers being in touch with reality, which I gather is not always the case, though in my (limited) experience it has been. Writing proposals does feel different than writing papers and I do worry about getting too divorced from reality. I endeavor to stick to nonfiction!

The slowing of the feedback loop is only necessary if you wish to fund your work from sources that require it. Self funding through other means would have advantages.

[throwawaymaths]

I once dealt with a DOE project manager that was excited to be funding biology because he had minored in biology in college. At one of our meetings he asked, "I'm sorry can you explain what a promoter is"?