Research and related activities in basic science is the pillar of advancement in our society. Without fully funding the National Science Foundation's request for the 2012 fiscal year, we are destroying our long-term prospects for success in order to save a paltry amount of money -- not even one billion dollars -- in the extremely short term.

Although my primary interest is in the cuts for astronomy and the physical sciences (read more here: http://scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/2011/12/are_we_trading_away_the_educat.php), the short-sighted, unscrupulous cuts to the NSF affect us all, and should be reversed immediately. Please fund the National Science Foundation's Research and Related Activities fully and without delay.