I don't think it's a uniquely American problem. Most government activities everywhere are designed to prevent or mitigate change - because the "changes" within

I don't think it's a uniquely American problem. Most government activities everywhere are designed to prevent or mitigate change - because the "changes" within the scope of a typical government agency's purview are usually bad, e.g. FAA "changes" = plane crashes. So a lot of habit against change is built into our society. But I think before we decide to raise taxes and dole out lots of cash to basic research projects, we should at least examine HOW projects are funded, especially who decides and what criteria are used. Based on my limited experience in this area -- i.e. looking at grant proposals on various physics professor's desks, and listening to their fund-raising "war stories", it's not the most meritocratic system - it's very connection-driven.