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CERN exists for physics research. Berners-Lee was moonlighting when he developed html. Like Einstein. Hired as a patent clerk second class, but developed the theory of special relativity moonlighting on the job.

CERN management did not task Berners-Lee to develop a cool interface to the internet. On the other hand DARPA was tasked to promote communication among government agencies and they developed the initial e-mail protocols.

The electrical generators DC and AC were privately developed. Electric lighting privately developed. Wireless radio, privately developed. Voice radio privately developed. The electric traction motor (used by subways, trollyey, commuter lines) privately developed. Even the machine gun was privately developed. The U.S. government initially turned down Dr. Gatling and his multiple fire weapon.

The government of the U.S. did not get into scientific R & D in a big way until shortly before WW2. It was the development of the A-Bomb (a weapon) that put the government in the Science Business. Even so, the leading inventions were done non-governmentally. For example, the transistor. Developed at Bell Telephone Labs part of Bell Tel, a private corporation.

ruveyn

And therefore you feel that the Federal Government should cut its expenditures in technical and scientific research to zero and nobody would notice the difference.

Check your facts. They do not support your assertions.

Two comments to ruveyn

First, this is an interesting game. Since the government is an abstract entity it can't "invent" things per se so all inventions will come from people paid by the state. Great way to avoid ever having to admit government R&D/invention.

Secondly, "corporate feudalism" didn't invent my computer, people paid by corporations did. You plainly misunderstood what I meant by "corporate feudalism" (which I refer to as a state in which government is so minimalized/non-existent yet private sector still strong that the private sector asusmes responsibility over essential services like infastructure).

Ah, you are partially correct, or at least I spoke imprecisely. Only a very small amount of the federal budget goes to welfare, food stamps, medicaid, etc. A good-sized chunk of the federal budget comprises such things as social security and medicare, which are at least supposed to benefit society as a whole since everyone is eligible for those programs once they reach a certain age.