Taxpayer Funding for Brain Study

     As part of Pres. Obama's proposed fiscal 2014 budget, he has included $110 million through three federal agencies for brain study (C&EN 4/8/13).    
People have been studying the human brain since the beginning of civilization and this will undoubtedly continue. Private organizations, such as the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute the Kavli Foundation and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies are private organizations involved in brain study.
It seems to me that brain study by these several private organizations should be sufficient, without the use of public funding. This is especially true in these times of requiring actual cuts rather than expansions in federal spending, in order to allow us a reasonably balanced budget.
It is said that Congress will have to sign off on the initiative through its appropriations process. I call on Congress to kill any efforts for use of public funds in brain study.