The perfect metaphor.

[AV1611VET]

Provebrs 9:10
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of

(?): and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."

As they say in Hermeneutics 101: context, context, context!

 

[sandwiches]

Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became f

ls;

See below

As they say in Hermeneutics 101: context, context, context!

 

[Wiccan_Child]

You do know what the Bible says about those who had professed themselves to be wise led to, don't you?

Yep. Doesn't mean your comment was correct, though, nor that those who profess themselves wise aren't, in fact, wise - I daresay there's at least one genuinely wise man who thought to himself "Gee, I'm pretty wise".

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The politicians and scientists are indeed 'wiser in their generation' than I am in that they are able to attract millions of dollars in government grants to themselves, and of course to the local economy, ostensibly to study the lakes for the purpose of improving water quality. That they do it year after year is truly amazing. I would expect to see some improvement in the lakes for all those $millions, or am I 'not very wise' expecting this?

 

[Wiccan_Child]

The politicians and scientists are indeed 'wiser in their generation' than I am in that they are able to attract millions of dollars in government grants to themselves, and of course to the local economy, ostensibly to study the lakes for the purpose of improving water quality. That they do it year after year is truly amazing. I would expect to see some improvement in the lakes for all those $millions, or am I 'not very wise' expecting this?

Indeed you should, and you do: human longevity has quadrupled in the last century, thanks to improved government funding of science. The problem nay-sayers of such funding have, is that science works. By hook or by crook, it genuinely works. That's why we can talk in real-time across the globe, instead of waiting for a man to carry a hand-written letter across the Atlantic. That's why we can expect to live to see our grandchildren, instead of having 20+ kids to beat an appalling infant mortality rate.

Science works, our society is built on science, and we should keep the money pouring in because scientists are the only ones who understand how it works - not because they jealously guard its secrets, but because we've created a culture that doesn't want to know.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Indeed you should, and you do: human longevity has quadrupled in the last century, thanks to improved government funding of science. The problem nay-sayers of such funding have, is that science works. By hook or by crook, it genuinely works. That's why we can talk in real-time across the globe, instead of waiting for a man to carry a hand-written letter across the Atlantic. That's why we can expect to live to see our grandchildren, instead of having 20+ kids to beat an appalling infant mortality rate.

Science works, our society is built on science, and we should keep the money pouring in because scientists are the only ones who understand how it works - not because they jealously guard its secrets, but because we've created a culture that doesn't want to know.

All this is true, but when will they clean up my lakes? They've been at it for 125 years.

 

[Naraoia]

Spot on. And we haven't even determined if there is intelligent life on earth yet.

That's because we've been arguing over the definition of "intelligent" ever since someone invented the word

It's interesting that you guys have to compare yourselves to apes though, in order to call yourselves 'wise men', eh?

Wut?

See, what comparing ourselves to apes has brought is pretty much the complete opposite. The more we learn about them ape guys, the more of our "unique" mental capabilities we find in them. Oh, and when we are vaguely comfortable with the idea of apes being smarter than we thought, along come parrots to take us down a few pegs more. (And all the while, octopuses are probably plotting to take over the world.)

By the way, the reason we call ourselves "wise men" (assuming you mean "Homo sapiens") is, ironically, because that was our first scientific name under the modern system of zoological nomenclature. I bet you that Linnaeus guy who named the human species was no filthy atheist.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Just to return to my OP. I have discovered that funding for lake weed harvesting was cut in the 2009 County budget, from $100,000 to $57,000. The cuts were applied ONLY to the LTE's who actually manned the weed harvesters. The staff was not affected. The number of weed harvestering craft in service was reduced from 10 to 6. This funding has not been restored, and in 2011 the number of harvesters on the lakes remains at 6 craft, a forty per cent reduction. As the reduced funding was running out in the fall of 2009 three of the six remaining LTE's were laid off for the season, reducing the harvester operators to three... It gets worse. In the 2010 budget $830,000 was approved for the contruction of yet another link in the area's extensive network of bike paths, many of which run along our lakes. So now the bikers can happily bike along the smelly, weed choked lakeshore. This is just one result of the County's 'prioritizing' programs in the face of the economic downturn.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

All this is true, but when will they clean up my lakes? They've been at it for 125 years.

They'll do it when they do it. Give 'em a cheque if it's urgent.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

They'll do it when they do it. Give 'em a cheque if it's urgent.

Sigh.