If You Can't Trust Government Who Can You Trust?

In a recent survey taken among U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife scientists, the Union of Concerned Scientists and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility determined that it was not unusual for Bush Administration officials to request that scientific data be changed in ways that would make it support the environmental policies of the President.

This is not the first time the Union of Concerned Scientists has raised this issue with the Bush administration. Nearly a year ago the administration wrote a detailed rebuttal to such charges for submission to the U.S. Congress.

Although not everybody thinks that the Union of Concerned Scientists is reputable, politically neutral group (see here and here) the survey results do raise important questions.

--Is this "fact twisting" unique to the Bush administration or has it been more or less "the way things are" under administrations in the past?

--Is it possible that the political leanings of a significant number of scientists in the U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife result in their own skewing of data to produce the "environmentally correct" conclusions they want to find?

--Is this sort of "data manipulation" taking place in other Federal agencies such as the Department of Transportation and Safety? The Atomic Energy Commission? The Food and Drug Administration?

--Are the Federal Agencies so corrupted (both within and without) by political bias that we must turn to "Good Housekeeping" and "Consumer Reports" to get the real scoop on honest information?

Call me a cynic, but my trust in honest government is at a low ebb this afternoon. Don't think that I am disparaging the character or integrity of any individual Federal employee. Those I know personally I would trust completely. Yet, human nature being what it is, far too many people find too many ways to justify tweaking research data to not only conform to their particular bias, but also to maintain the cash flow in grant funding on which their livelihood depends.

This new report does not surprise me and I suppose that this is what makes me feel so bad. I don't know who to be angry at! The Bush administration? The Federally employed scientists? The Union of Concerned Scientists?

As always, I find some consolation that a just and merciful God will bring his judgment to bear on this matter and will not allow any distortion of the truth to derail his good and righteous plan for either human history or creation.