Candidates' science policy lunch is a bust

Abstract

A special luncheon was staged last week to hear the scientific and technological views of the major Presidential candidates and their parties. The event was sponsored by the Council on Research & Technology (CORETECH), and it turned out to be pretty much of a bust. The organization consists of some of the top high-technology firms and research universities in the country. Made up also of trade associations, CORETECH was established to lobby in favor of research support for high-tech programs. What the organization appeared to find out is that none of the major candidates or their parties has given much thought to such issues. Cindy Lebow, counsel to the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Robert B. Okun, of the House Republican Policy Committee, said fairly identical things about their respective party election platforms—mainly that it was too early in the platform preparation process for any specifics. It appeared that science and technology, moreover, ...