[Fomite]

This isn't really a culture problem, IMO, as much as a funding one.

My group currently employs two people of the description you have, and it does reduce the need for students (and honestly, increase productivity).

It's also by far the most stressful part of my job. Funding them involves writing multiple grants per year (because the expectation of any particular grant is low, even with a decent hit rate) and I am constantly worried that I won't be able to keep them employed.

If one of them leaves this year, I'm not likely to replace them, simply because in the current funding environment, I can't look someone in the eye and promise them a long term position. There are so many more ways to fund a student, and they're inherently time limited, so even if things collapse, there's ways to white knuckle through it in a way there aren't for staff scientists.

[SauciestGNU]

The funding problem is a cultural problem though. Religious right wing politicians in the US have attacked science and education funding at every opportunity. Science and education produce ideas that are at odds with right wing religious orthodoxy, so those things must not be allowed in society.

[IcyWindows]

I don't think it's that simple.

I'm not religious, but I think a lot of academic funding is wasteful.

[Ferret7446]

The finding problem is an economic demand problem. There is not enough market demand for research, particularly some... questionable research. Yes, sometimes seemingly useless research can lead to breakthroughs. No, that doesn't make them economically attractive. You are effectively doing the same thing as gambling on crypto.