A telling and troublesome article on the state of US innovation …
Potato chips: A symptom of the U.S. R&D problem
U.S. competitiveness remains in peril even as other nations gear up to steam ahead
By Janet Raloff
Web edition : Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
This new report describes growing signs that America is losing its competitive edge — and recommended action to remedy the situation.
Last year, U.S. consumers spent $7.1 billion on potato chips — $2 billion more than the federal government’s total 2009 investment on energy research and development. There’s something wrong, here, when Americans are more willing to empty their wallets for the junk food that will swell their waistlines than for investments in the engine driving the creation of jobs, economic growth and national security.