California’s choice to fund stem cell research was one of the brightest spots in the 2004 election. Not only will it be good for California, providing an important jump-start to the economy (and perhaps reviving Silicon Valley or creating a new location(s) like it, but it is good for the country as a whole.

“California’s bold move will help us retain our edge in this important science.”

Regardless of how any individual may feel about the morality of stem cell research, it is too attractive a technology to imagine being allowed to lie fallow. The baby-boom generation is spending billions of dollars to stay as young and healthy as possible for as long as possible. Stem cell research promises miracles. The economics boggle the mind. So does the possible good to any of us as individuals. Whether or not it delivers, it is the current Fountain of Youth. Restricted federal funding for this research implies a large percentage of the work moving offshore, including the scientists who consider it important.

California’s bold move will help us retain our edge in this important science. Besides, for those worried about the ethics, isn’t it better to manage a scary science by having it here at home than to give up accountability and influence entirely to other countries’ Stem cell research is very likely to be a powerful force for change in the global society, perhaps even as powerful as the Internet. As a futurist, I always recommend maintaining at least some control over decisions about powerful factors for change. Let’s hear it for California.