Obama Mentions National Weather Service

Quote from President Obama:
"And so, you then have to start making some tough decisions about how do we pay for those things that we think are important? And you know, we're not gonna be able to balance the budget just by slashing the National Parks budget, even if you didn't think that was a proper function of government. We're not gonna be able to balance the budget by, you know, eliminating the National Weather Service."

I'm impressed the president actually knows about the National Weather Service, and is aware that our budget really is tiny in the overall scheme of things.  The NWS really is one of the best values for the taxpayer that exists.  I could go on and on explaing why it's a great value, but trust me, it is.  One good forecast for a high impact weather event can make up for a whole year's NWS budget. 

The problem is that we (the NWS) have never really been that good as marketing ourselves.  I tell the general public that I'm a meteorologist, and 90% of the time they ask what station I work for and have no idea what the National Weather Service does.  I think part of it is due to the fact that we (meteorologists) are generally introverted and keep to ourselves.  We've got to get out more and tell the community what we do.  One great way to do this is through social media.  We've got to stop hiding and start standing up for ourselves!