As the new GOP/Tea Party majority takes control of the House of Representatives, it’s refreshing that some conservatives are reminding them that there’s more to life than cutting spending.

Columnist George Will, one of the pre-eminent conservative voices of the past 30 years, uses his column in the Washington Post to remind Boehner & Company that there is a proper role for government, and if we don’t want China to eat our lunch over the next few decades, they’d better remember that support for science infrastructure is a proper role for government spending.

“Republicans are rightly determined to be economizers. They must, however, make distinctions. Congressional conservatives can demonstrate that skill by defending research spending that sustains collaboration among complex institutions – corporations’ research entities and research universities. Research, including in the biological sciences, that yields epoch-making advances requires time horizons that often are impossible for businesses, with their inescapable attention to quarterly results.”

Will says we should be spending more money on science research, science education, and science infrastructure. It’s what made America great, and what will pull us out of any trouble we’re currently having, whether it’s today’s economic malaise or next years climate crisis.

An iconic conservative understood this. Margaret Thatcher, who studied chemistry as an Oxford undergraduate, said: “Although basic science can have colossal economic rewards, they are totally unpredictable. And therefore the rewards cannot be judged by immediate results. Nevertheless, the value of [Michael] Faraday’s work today must be higher than the capitalization of all shares on the stock exchange.”

Thank you, George Will and Margaret Thatcher. America hopes your conservative colleagues are listening.

(Image via Autograph Gallery UK)