"when everything else fell apart, American science flourished" - @AdamFrank4 on WXXI @evandawson @mmackmedia
This was said with pride but IMO its a continuation of a bad trend, using science & tech to attempt to avoid necessary choices/sacrifices.

We wait for vaccines (400k dead) bc we're so bad at public health sacrifices (South Korea, New Zealand, Vietnam, others beat the virus without vaccines & 10000s dead)

we build stealth bombers bc we're so bad at military strategy.
we place stents inside peoples hearts but ignore the social determinants of health

we try to fix 35,000 traffic fatalities a year by waiting for autonomous cars & hyperloops instead of enforcing lower speed limits and densifying cities
etc. etc.

We don't reduce emisions, instead we wait for carbon capture magic.

When I think about the future I hope my kids will live in, all the changes require political choices (health care access, safe transportation, reduced emissions/pollution, equitable economics), not new scientific advances.