And it collects data.

Egads.

The FERC has authority.

Well, if the data doesn't exist for said federal database, then the next thing you know, they'll be commissioning a national study to create the data to accumulate. All I'm trying to say is that the states should be the ones to decide if commissioning said studies is necessary

^^^

They always find a way to maintain and expand

always

No one in DC works for free. You're talking about adding on more payroll, taxpayer funded payroll, for a role the government doesn't not have

Oy vey.

any private institution can gather information and present it

water reports go out publicly every year

Sort of.

I've got one on my nightstand right now

Just another pet project in a massive budget that adds to our 23 trillion dollar debt

Ah NOW we have a *"strict Constitutionalist."* I trust he has a copy of *"Sovereign Citizen"* in his wallet. 🙄

Oh please. Practically all the government debt is from welfare programs or some military spending. All Government research is barely a drop in the bucket.

the welfare can go too

I consider any non-essential project on the federal level to be welfare to the government

yup

jobs programs

I want a smaller fucking government

You can do that without embracing theoretical methodology.

You can have a smaller government that also aggregates data.

I'll tell you what. When the feds manage to balance their fucking budgets, they can fit this project into it

The two aren’t mutually exclusive

Swanky cat, did you get a degree in data aggregation?

Until then, let's not give them even more shit to do

is that your angle?

Everybody thinks their project is just a drop, and maybe it is, but there are millions or drops in the bucket

Lol. No. It’s just useful to do it.

Welfare and research are drastically different

Trump's regulation plan worked well. We could try to apply it to the budget. For every dollar you want to add, you have to cut two.

Congress never calibrates budgets to allow for this at the expense of something else, they just throw it on top and the government increases in size

Ok. Fine by me. Cut 100 dollars for every dollar on government research. That would probably only get rid of half the welfare state.

The funds available for research get spent on papers describing how glacier research is seixst

lol

The funds available for art get spent on piss-christ

Did the government really pay money for the last one? I doubt it.

yeah

piss-christ was a nationally funded project

How? No way.