Comment: You attempt to argue against me through condescension, implying I have no background in basic science. As an undergraduate in mathematics, physical sciences, and natural sciences I encountered few students in those departments who were unaware of the nature and funding of basic science. Many of my instructors were researchers. My own father, in whose labs I worked as a boy (bottle washer) was a researcher in developmental biology with NSF grants as his primary support for forty years until his semi-retirement. I know the process. I was expected to be a scholar but didn't have the patience, I was too kinetic. Thus, a career mostly in construction and worksite management. That doesn't make me ignorant or stupid, as you seem to imply.

What you call "partisan junk", in light of the Republican attack on science in general, is condescending BS. You of all people should be grateful for any acknowledgement of the importance of research to society. Your reaction here is absolutely confounding.