Federal government taking credit for inventing the iPhone because they funded research that led to the parts and materials used in the iPhone is like parents taking credit for inventing the iPhone because they paid for the engineer son working at Apple.
I do not discount how federal funds are behind many areas of research done at universities and other facilities but to state that federal funds did the inventing is atrocious. With that said lets consider the amazing inventions that government never had a part in that changed the world. Johannes Gutenberg's printing press or Oliver Evans who invented the first refrigeration machine, are examples.
I am indebted to the research and development funded by our government and do not discount that contribution for I lived the space race through my dad who worked on the Apollo and Shuttle projects. But lets give credit where credit is actually due, Government may have funded but men and women who, used their intelligence (another natural resource not invented by government) researched, experimented, developed, invented and produced. Providing cash doesn't invent anything (taxpayer's $ BTW) without inventive, visionary and innovative minds. Federal funds are worthless without these people. Her inability to see this and instead give shameless credit to an inanimate institution is a sad testimony of our politicians to elevate their positions over the real inventors.
That's my 2 cents.
Bob