Why are right-wingers so skeptical about funding research and development?

You misunderstand. The question is whether science is better funded by private concerns or public. In my opinion at least, each are better at certain KINDS of research.

The private sector will clearly use research dollars the most efficiently and will pursue incremental technological advancement and applied scientific advancement better than the public sector. Politicians direct R&D money to their home districts or entities that are giving them campaign support. They are notoriously bad at picking what to research. Even govt technocrats don't have a great track record.

However, there are technologies that are simply too expensive or too abstract or which have no obvious road to profitability that nonetheless are beneficial to pursue. The private sector won't pursue them. At least not as quickly. This is where govt funding is good. The moon landing was a huge source of new technologies that the private sector took and turned into practical goods, but space exploration itself, until recently, had no near term profit motive.

The mapping of the human genome is a big one. A huge long running program that will yield massive benefits over time...but too abstract for any one company to invest in. CERN. Fusion research. There's any number of these things. Mind you, all of that is cherry picking the famous successes. HUGE amounts of tax dollars have been wasted on less worthy projects. I read an article once on some of the preposterous things the govt has funded research on...it's embarassing.

But when it comes to researching more incremental things, government should stay out of the way, because the private sector has an amazing track record in that space.

We have had cars, medicine and firearms since long before government subsidies , favoritism and grants ,,,,,,,,, and Yahoo Answers ,,,,,,, not anything I'd be bragging about

For one thing, should people pay tax dollars for something to get sold back to them? Really, big pharm takes tax money & wants $200 a pill.

of course we should invest in research. we should not let private corporations profit s greatly by taxpayer investments. why are tax payers paying and only the wealthy benefiting

They have been brainwashed to believe right-wing politicians and right-wing media talking heads more than scientists.

Science has no place amongst conservative thoughts and prayers.

Praise Trump!

Are you talking about capitalism? Bahaha! That's why government mandated healthcare is a horrible idea.

Who needs science when the white trash got their sister to bang? They don't need no fancy number books for that!

Did the government invent any of these things?

Today's science has an agenda. They also are bullies who force their theories as facts.

Wow, third Anonymous answer -- lol, knock your socks off.