First of all, data is science just as much as people are, it's an arbitrary line to draw that puts people in science and data out of science. It's not a "side process", it's the critical piece. Computers can do science, but science can't happen without data.

Secondly, the "if you love it, support it" argument is also utter bullshit. I love rain, but I'm not actively seeding clouds because I'm not a huge fucking asshole who doesn't give a shit what impact my seeding might have on the environment. I also have to do other things with my time so when it does rain I can enjoy it. If I didn't work, and was therefore homeless, I'd enjoy rain a whole hell of a lot less.

Thirdly, people love more than one thing. I, for example, love woman's rights too, as well as net neutrality, the free market, and a number of other things. People who love science also love other things, and when we vote, we don't just consider one single issue (science funding). Oh, and by the fucking way, my country spends the most money by a wide margin, on science funding [0].

So to sum, you might have a point if you want to talk about how little money researchers get paid. But don't play games with telling me what I like and don't like, because you have no fucking clue what you're talking about in that arena, and it just ruins any legitimate point you might have.

[0] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_research_a...