----- Original Message ----- From: "SA" <s11131978 at gmail.com>
When you say it's a political problem, I'm assuming you mean, "it's a political problem, not a technical problem."
Obviously it wouldn't pose any technical problem to put Doug on a publicly financed salary. But how would you decide whom to put on the salary and whom to reject? Resources are finite, demand infinite. That is a technical question.
I'm not saying there's no technical solution. Only that, if there is one, it's not so obvious. It's not solely a political problem. ------------
Well, if he had sufficient free time,he wouldn't need a salary. Though if he were a sculptor, or a painter, or a musician, he would need tools, oil paints, and a cello. If the items were relatively inexpensive or easy to get, money would not be an issue. Support would be an issue if he needed an particle accelerator, or a symphony orchestra, or a film crew.
But there might be training and social support for these larger endeavors. The soviet union and other eastern block countries were able to support ballet companies, and film companies, and theater, and musicians, and space programs. Yes, there was a problem with censorship, but that's not innate to social support for science and the arts --or rather it's not necessarily a problem in a social democracy that cares about truth and beauty.
Joanna