Everything people object to in socialism would apply to science funding. It would be like giving everyone a percentage of the GNP and hoping their innate altrui

Everything people object to in socialism would apply to science funding. It would be like giving everyone a percentage of the GNP and hoping their innate altruism would redistribute the money to worthy recipients based on individual judgments of merit. Those who think scientists would act differently or that scientists aren't otherwise-ordinary human beings with specific areas of talent, should read the history of Nobel Prizewinner William Shockley (a very public racist). Or the ugly and public priority fight that Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin fought with respect to the Polio vaccine, which resulted in neither being considered for the Nobel Prize.