Today, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences released a report titled “Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream.” It begins with lofty rhetoric about the American Dream and how access to jobs is a crucial part of that Dream. It quotes such deep thinkers as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

The report’s authors conclude that research is the backbone of job creation and, you guessed it, the American Dream. Furthermore, since state funding has declined “precipitously,” it’s clear that the federal government should take on a more prominent role in funding research, especially since the gloomy economy has caused private industries to cut back on their own research and development. “We” should “invest” in the “future.” By “we,” the report’s authors mean taxpayers. By “invest,” they mean have politicians and bureaucrats funnel taxpayer dollars to various public-private partnerships, and by the “future,” they mean an idealized world in which the U.S.A. “beats” its “competitors” in the global struggle for economic predominance, predominance which is based largely on…academic research.

Suffice it to say that the report is chock-full of saccharine statements and illogical assumptions that reinforce the statist, Big Government worldview held by many in academia. If you want a glimpse into the establishment mindset (and if you are opposed to it) definitely check out the report.