I've got an oped with Meryl Comer, founder of the Rock Stars of Science campaign, in the Los Angeles Times today. It's about why in bad economic times we need to fund research more than ever:
Without ramping up our investments in science and research — a matter barely on the public's radar in a country where 65% of the citizens can't name a living scientist and another 18% try but get it wrong — we'll be hobbled in trying to fix our long-term economic problems. That's because science creates jobs, and it can also reduce healthcare costs related to the aging of the population.
That's the central argument, though there's also much elaboration; you can read the full piece here.