{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.paul.senate.gov/news-sen-rand-paul-exposes-nsfs-illogical-research-project-latest-waste-report/", "Sen. Rand Paul Exposes NSF\u2019s Illogical Research Project in Latest \u2018The Waste Report\u2019", "2015-07-14", "2015", "2015-07", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Rand Paul", "P000603", "www.paul.senate.gov", "paul", "https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Rand Paul today released the latest edition to \u2018The Waste Report,\u2019 which is an ongoing project highlighting egregious examples of waste within the U.S. government. The latest edition exposes $175,950 spent by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund a research project seeking to predict how an individual will feel following an emotional decision making process.\n\n\u2018The Waste Report\u2019 can be found HERE or below.\n\nThe U.S. National Science Foundation \u2013 \u2018The Waste Report\u2019\n\nHave you ever had a salesman try to talk you into a purchase you were not too sure about? Maybe he was selling you on watching the Super Bowl on a huge new T.V. or trying to convince you of the attention you will receive in a sporty new car. That sales technique counts on the buyer ignoring more logical, fact based considerations while focusing more on a feeling you may or may not have in the future.\n\nWell, the National Science Foundation feels sorry for people that make poor decisions based on emotion and is hoping to help with a taxpayer funded $175,950 grant to research ways to better predict a person\u2019s feelings about the decisions they make.[1]\n\n\u201cPeople making important decisions-such as whether to undergo surgery, listen to public health warnings, or pursue a specific career- will be better informed if they can accurately predict how the outcomes of their decisions will make them feel.\u201d[2]\n\nUsing logic over emotion in making decisions should just be common sense and not warrant any research; but worse still is the government spending taxpayer money to figure out how people can better use emotion to make decisions. Maybe this grant was the product of an emotional decision based on feelings. It certainly wasn\u2019t based on a logical use of your hard earned money.\n\nSo the next time there is a hurricane warning or a medical professional says you need a procedure, Uncle Sam wants to make sure you are fully in touch with your feelings when you make the decision on whether or not follow expert advice.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T20:20:34Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.paul.senate.gov/news-sen-rand-paul-exposes-nsfs-illogical-research-project-latest-waste-report/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7280248682945967, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}