I don't think I ever said that the country should spend more money on science...it is just in my interest that they do so (with two different proposals recommended for funding but "on hold" for budgets, while I have a no salary appointment for a couple of months trying to get caught up on Palos Verdes). I heard a decade or 2 ago that at the rate the number of scientists were increasing then, there would eventually be more scientists than people. Not a sustainable rate of increase then. For earth science, the oil industry shed something like 90% of their earth scientists from the early 80s to a couple of years ago (someone check that number..). While they have been hiring since, a lot of the reduction was permanent because of technology.

Two things rub me the wrong way: when people/science departments/governments talk about the great shortage of scientists.
and
when there is unlimited or nearly so immigration for scientists.
China/India/ex-Soviet scientists can make sure that the supply and demand equation will always be highly unfavorable.

As for me, I always knew I was doing something that was not really possible:
It is not possible to make a good living if you don't teach also, unless you are one of rather few superstars. I'm not a superstar, and the work I do is very time-consuming so I can't crank out papers (and I make some poor choices...like long papers)
Chris