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> If you made it so, for example, going into drug development meant a career stuck on the GS scale, you'd drive away huge numbers of highly capable people. How

> If you made it so, for example, going into drug development meant a career stuck on the GS scale, you'd drive away huge numbers of highly capable people. How do you get from publicly financing drug R&D to everyone working on drug R&D must be a government employee?

rayiner 9y ago
The federal government also puts significant pressure on government contractors to not have employee salaries out of line with the federal scale.
- learc83 9y ago
  You only have to look at a management salaries at any large defense contractor to find counter examples. And even if this were a problem, there are so many easy fixes to this that it makes me think you weren't really thinking it through when you listed it as a reason to prevent public funding of R&D.
  - rayiner 9y ago
    > You only have to look at a management salaries at any large defense contractor to find counter examples. First, defense is by far the government-affiliated industry with the most leeway salary-wise. But even there, outside the C-suite, there's a $500k salary cap. That sounds like a lot, but many people in tech and finance make more than that, especially if they start their own business (even one that has a modest exit).
    - learc83 9y ago
      There are software engineers working for firms with government contracts making way more than the federal salary scale too. Take a look at large IT contractors, they have numerous employees making more than GS-15 and above. There are plenty of exceptions, and there is absolutely no reason drug R&D couldn't be another one. >But even there, outside the C-suite, there's a $500k salary cap. How many biotech researchers outside of their respective C-suites are making >$500k? There are plenty of people who have gotten wealthy on government contracts, there's no reason they couldn't do the same in biotech. >especially if they start their own business (even one that has a modest exit). And if you start your own business pursuing government contracts, you can make more than $500k too. There are reasonable arguments to make against publicly funded R&D, but "the federal payscale is too low" just isn't one of them.

rayiner 9y ago

The federal government also puts significant pressure on government contractors to not have employee salaries out of line with the federal scale.

learc83 9y ago
You only have to look at a management salaries at any large defense contractor to find counter examples. And even if this were a problem, there are so many easy fixes to this that it makes me think you weren't really thinking it through when you listed it as a reason to prevent public funding of R&D.
- rayiner 9y ago
  > You only have to look at a management salaries at any large defense contractor to find counter examples. First, defense is by far the government-affiliated industry with the most leeway salary-wise. But even there, outside the C-suite, there's a $500k salary cap. That sounds like a lot, but many people in tech and finance make more than that, especially if they start their own business (even one that has a modest exit).
  - learc83 9y ago
    There are software engineers working for firms with government contracts making way more than the federal salary scale too. Take a look at large IT contractors, they have numerous employees making more than GS-15 and above. There are plenty of exceptions, and there is absolutely no reason drug R&D couldn't be another one. >But even there, outside the C-suite, there's a $500k salary cap. How many biotech researchers outside of their respective C-suites are making >$500k? There are plenty of people who have gotten wealthy on government contracts, there's no reason they couldn't do the same in biotech. >especially if they start their own business (even one that has a modest exit). And if you start your own business pursuing government contracts, you can make more than $500k too. There are reasonable arguments to make against publicly funded R&D, but "the federal payscale is too low" just isn't one of them.