jail and the national science foundation

u.s. rep. brian baird helped psychologists see the link between jail and the NSF and this year's APA convention in DC:

I think it's incumbent on those of use who do research to always ask ourselves, "Is this research so valuable that I would put a fellow citizen in jail if they chose not to fund it?" That's a pretty high standard, but that's the standard in my judgment. Because that's how you are getting your money. And the numbers of research psychologists who actually ask themselves that question, in that fashion, I think is very, very small.

this quote seems more fitting at an objectivist center meeting than a convention for researchers whose primary funding is from their neighbor's forced hand. although rep. baird probably intended only to stress the importance of applicable scholarship, i wonder if anyone in the audience stopped to ask themselves this question in earnest. perhaps there are some who would say yes, and perhaps for some we could argue the answer is justified. i can't think of too many, though. i think sometimes the NSF even wonders.