So, by the numbers...
If we take Dan's numbers and apply a few additional facts (courtesy of the good ol' CIA), we learn that the 2006 US R&D budget was about 390 billion US$ (2.7% of a 13.3 trillion US$ GDP), making it larger than either Finland's or Sweden's entire 2006 GDP (176 billion US$ and 290 billion US$, respectively).
As for institutions of higher learning, a more interesting number would be the percentage of foreign students at said universities. Perhaps the US doesn't need as many because we're not actually going there. And as for scientific literacy, well, duhh. Enough said already, I think.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
