What has astronomy done for you?

I do science because it’s exciting and fun and challenging.  I particularly like supermassive black holes because they are extreme and energetic, and I can study physics that people can’t see “in the lab”.  These aren’t the sorts of motivations that go over well with business-oriented, bean-counting government agencies, however.  So here’s what I would share with them to justify supporting people like me:

Why is Astronomy Important?

(Full disclosure:  One of the authors of this article, Marissa Rosenberg, worked with me as an undergrad at UCLA.  She will be visiting to give an Astronomy Seminar in early December.)