5.18.2009

Taxpayer Funded Studies of Brazillian Party Drugs, Argentinian Gay Drinking Habits

I found these two different stories over at Cnsnews.com. First off, how about this headline?

U.S. Spending $117,000 to Study ‘Party Drug’ Use in Brazil




Details? It seems that our favorite taxpayer funded organization the National Institute of Health is at it again. Last week it was millions for conducting studies on boozing Chinese prostitutes, this story, albeit less tax money, is equally aburd.



Issues at hand with the study?


According to the Federal $100k + grant abstract “there are few published scientific studies of the health and social consequences of club drug use in general, and none that have been conducted in Brazil. Within this context, the overall goal of the proposed study is to develop the capacity of local investigators to address this emerging health problem through a collaborative research process.” Perhaps, but in Brazil? Really?


The desired end result of the study? ”To monitor 200 drug users aged 18 to 39 and examine their life histories, alcohol and drug abuse, and the progression of those habits. Its immediate goal is to develop Portuguese-language materials for local drug treatment centers.”


Wow, now that is America-leading in the foreign affairs department. Is it worth 6 figures+ to do this? You decide.


Next story from the NIH as well, (this one is from a week and a half ago) –


Feds Will Spend $400,000 to Study Drinking and Sex Habits of Homosexuals in Argentina



Now we’re getting somewhere folks. This sounds like a worthy cause, hence the 4x higher price tag.


Purpose of this study?


“The study will send researchers to six bars in Buenos Aires to interview both patrons and proprietors in an effort to discover what it is about those bars that may encourage the risky behavior.” What it is about those bars? You mean that all bars aren’t meat-markets in the first place? Will the researchers have to go in undercover, hide in the shadows? Or will they participate?


This studies abstract – “Targeting public venues in Buenos Aires where men meet, alcohol is consumed, and sexual behavior occurs, the goal of this two-year exploratory study is to understand the various factors that contribute to the creation of a high-risk sexual space.”


And they couldn’t go to Argentinian soccer stadiums to elicit respondees for this study? I think we see blatant and unfair bar attendee classification status here. Really! Joking aside, more absurd physical abuse of the US taxpayer.

10 comments:

Chuck said…

Here’s another one.

NIH Funds $2.6 Million Study to Get Prostitutes in China to Drink Less

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/14/government-funds-million-program-make-chinese-prostitutes-drink/

Good thing Obama is cutting our budget, right?

conservative generation said…

And it took Obama how long to pretend to cut 17 billion? I think I could find that much in a single night.

Ananda girl said…

You can conduct those studies in any college town with a legal pad and bic mechanical pencil.

No American dollars should go into any of this crap. And that’s what it is… crap.

Transplanted Lawyer said…

Given that I think the drugs ought to be decriminalized and the government has no business inquiring about what consenting adults do in their bedrooms, I concur that this is a waste of taxpayer money.

Z said…

well, we’re paying for abortions in Mexico, so……….

Looks to me like obama’s cutting every country’s budget BUT ours by relieving them of paying for these EXTREMELY important studies!! Oh, man.

Devrim said…

What Anandagirl said !!!

We are already funneling money to these projects through UN, WHO, UNESCO. What part of “national” these sum of bitches don’t get ?

LL said…

I think these critical studies can fairly be considered a “stimulus” package for the perverts that proposed them. Call me a cynic, but what is the motivation for people to go to gay bars in Argentina and interview those present as to their reason for being there?

“Hey sailor, new in town?”

Opus #6 said…

Yep, my first thought was that *somebody* wanted a nice holiday in Argentina/Brazil. But why does that have to be my problem as a taxpayer?

RightKlik said…

They’ll never stop wasting our money. Let’s give them more! Obama/Biden 2012!!!

Left Coast Rebel said…

chuck – I was on that one too, last week

ananda girl – crap indeed

TL – agreed, a total waste of tax dollars on many different levels

Z – I agree, can you believe this nonsense?

LL – Just as I said in the post…

Opus – Yep, a holiday with a ‘nice ending’ paid by taxpayers.

RK – 60% of Americans agree…

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