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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION: An independent agency of the U.S. Government whose main goals are: (1) to promote the progress of science, (2) to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare, and (3) to secure the national defense. The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds research and education in science and engineering through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements in all parts of the United States. The governing board of the NSF is the National Science Board, which is composed of 24 part-time members, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The NSF was established by the National Science Foundation Act signed by President Harry S. Truman in 1950.
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                           PRIVATIZATION: The process of converting or "selling off" government-owned assets, properties, or production activities to private ownership. Privatization is usually undertaken either to generate revenue for the government or as part of an overall laissez faire approach to the economy. After several decades of increasing government control of productive activities, privatization came into vogue in the 1980s, along with business deregulation and an overall movement toward greater use of markets.The logic behind privatization is two-fold: As such, it seems natural to give the private sector a shot at running activities that the public sector does not run very well. The downside of privatization is that many government functions just cannot be performed efficiently by the private sector, which is why, after thousands of years of civilization, government functions continue to exist and persist.Privatization actually reflects one end of a continuum of political views that are in a constant tug of war. At the other end is nationalization. As much as anything else, these two alternatives reflect the ongoing tug and pull of competing political views. - Liberals tend to favor paternalistic government allocation and ownership of resources. Nationalization is a better fitting pursuit for their philosophy.
- Conservatives, in contrast, tend to favor market allocation and private ownership of resources. Privatization is their end of choice.
However, given the efficiency of competitive markets, the necessary functions of government, and the ever present fifth rule of imperfection, neither end is likely to perpetually dominate the other.
Recommended Citation:PRIVATIZATION, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2025. [Accessed: March 15, 2025].
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ORANGE REBELOON
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Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time calling an endless list of 800 numbers hoping to buy either a coffee cup commemorating the 2000 Olympics or a birthday gift for your grandmother. Be on the lookout for slow moving vehicles with darkened windows.
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John Maynard Keynes was born the same year Karl Marx died.
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"I don't subscribe to the thesis, 'Let the buyer beware,' I prefer the disregarded one that goes, 'Let the seller be honest.'" -- Isaac Asimov, Author
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