re: #381 reine.de.tout

If Holdren does not set policy, does he serve as an advisor to those who do set policy?

And if he doesn’t advise or establish policy, then why was he hired and why are we paying him?

Look there are advisors and there are advisors. He does have the ear of the president to some extent. However, his job is more like someone who gives him executive briefs. The Surgeon General does things too and also has the ear of the President to some extent… However, do you really think that the S.G. outweighs the director of the NIH? The Secretary of Energy is a different prospect all together also. It’s an actual cabinet level position.

The main point herre is that science must follow the grant money. The people who hand out that money are the DOE and the NIH. To a muck lesser extent NASA also, but then again Holdren isn’t director of NASA either.