Mike Griggs wrote: > Being a federally supported researcher I might add that due to the > stability of our funding as compared to soft money research efforts, a > federally subsidized program can often cover a research project that soft > money cannot. We often have the freedom to explore tangental experimental > outcomes that a tighter more focused program cannot, thereby uncovering > important results that some of these two-four year soft grants cannot. > Long term government money can provide basic research that is considered > unfundable within the University environment. > > Mike Hello Mike - Just in case anyone misunderstood what I was saying in my reply to Steve Albritton, I want to add this. I am not necessarily against all federally supported research. We all (hopefully) pay our taxes whether we like it or not. The federal government does have a role to play in our lives and I'm glad it does as it provides things that I as an individual can not afford by my own means (police, fire protection, roads, etc). But I guess I would draw the line with the thought of the government providing funds to help someone start up in beekeeping or a myriad of other similar ideas. I'm glad there are people like you out there working to better the understanding of the honeybee. We still need to be balanced in our approach though and do everything we can do by our own means even if it means it's the road a little harder to travel. This list is doing just that. We who are on it have made the choice to buy a computer and do what it takes to gain information from others and to help others if we can. We all can't have everything. I keep telling my kids that when they see somebody else with something that they would like. Life's tough. As for Steve feeling he got more than he bargained for by all the replies, I can understand that. I don't want to discourage Steve from being a part of this list at all. My thoughts are to the idea of Fed. funding not to Steve as a person. I've realized you need to have a little thicker skin in this group than you might normally have. I won't say anymore about this issue except to encourage Steve again to do what ever he can with his own means to increase the number of hives he tends. -Barry -- Barry Birkey West Chicago, Illinois USA [log in to unmask] http://www.birkey.com