American Chemical Society Political Policy

I recently received a form letter from Kathryn Verona, American Chemical Society Office of Public Affairs. She urged that I write to my federal legislators urging them not to make significant cuts to federal agencies that support basic research and science education when considering the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution that is now pending before Congress.

I replied to Kathryn as follows:

"I routinely contact my federal legislators, but I will not follow your suggestion.

I do not agree with the policies of the ACS, as indicated by your message.

The ACS may believe that it is acting as a non-political organization, but in fact it is very political. It is only acting as a nonpartisan organization. Present ACS policy is obviously the support of large, socialistic government, which will use taxpayer funds for various programs involving science, and "chemistry" in particular.

This is not the precept on which our nation was founded. We have continually become more socialistically minded in the last 60 years. This has resulted in considerable damage to our personal freedoms and our projected economy.

I particularly abhor the use of grants from various federal agencies in order to support so-called "scientific research". While some of that grant money is spent on legitimate scientific endeavors, much of it is ensconced in a socialistic capsule. Particularly objectionable are grants involving climatology, for which the federal grantee expects to receive scientific data, no matter how questionable, which will support the Obama Administration's view that carbon dioxide is an atmospheric poison and must be controlled. The basis of this is not the question of whether carbon dioxide is a poison, the question really is to find any smidgen of data which could possibly be used to support a new taxation base.

The ACS should get out of the business of promoting the obtaining of federal funds to increase the total revenue for research at universities. University professors should obtain funding from university revenues from student tuitions, private grants from individuals and trust organizations, and industry. Any money obtained from the federal government is tainted politically and thereby prostituted.

The ACS policy should be primarily to report on news-worthy situations, such as what is happening in government and private research, what industrial developments are taking place, changes in patent policy, limitations on exports and imports imposed by trade barriers, status of chemical employment including unemployment and salaries, college and university educational programs, book reports written by scientists, etc.. None of these activities should show a partiality or promotion, except as through quotations from individuals. In short, the ACS should be promoting only the advance of chemistry and chemistry related projects as indicated by the DuPont slogan of a "better life through chemistry"."