Citizens Against Government Waste's NASA-scrutinizing broadcast (Thursday afternoon)

Citizens Against Government Waste ^ | July 13th, 2005 | Tom Schatz

[Shuttle Shucker]

It would seem that we space entrepreneurs are finally making significant strides with what is perhaps Washington D.C.'s most influential fiscal watchdog, the nonprofit Citizens Against Government Waste (which has its own lobbying arm, unlike the Cato Institute). As the following link shows, they have dedicated at least the first half of this month's online radio show to NASA reform, of the PRO-ENTREPRENEURIAL kind:

http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Washington_Waste_Wire

Please feel free to visit that page anytime (to indirectly get your interest in the topic registered) and feel even more free to tune in and (if you like) call in and offer your point of view on Thursday afternoon (July 14th, from 2p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT, or even up to 3p.m. EDT if there is enough public interest in keeping the NASA topic alive for the entire hour of their monthly broadcast). CAGW is an influential organization in Washington, as this link suggests:

http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_Mission_History

They regularly appear in MAJOR national media outlets. Just yesterday (Tuesday), their recently initiated NASA scrutinizing was featured on the Fox News Channel's nationally televised Neil Cavuto program, which some of you may have seen. If enough folks visit the CAGW page for this month's "Washington Waste Wire" show, and even tune in and / or chime in during the monthly broadcast, CAGW will become increasingly persuaded that our NASA reform causes resonate with voters and taxpayers like we like to think that they do. This could have a snowball effect now that a growing quantity of folks (in the White House, too) are questioning why the Shuttle is returning to flight, don't you think? Perhaps you might want to let your friends and allies (or even foes) know about this somewhat unique opportunity for YOU ALL to chime in and stir the kettle so that Washingtonians will take greater notice of the issues that we hold dear? There's nothing like striking while the iron is hot.

[Shuttle Shucker]

Can we count on your activist participation in some form or another, please?

http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Washington_Waste_Wire

[MamaB]

So you joined today to post this? How very odd!

[Shuttle Shucker]

Hi Kevin, do you maintain a space list? If so, *ping :-)

[KevinDavis]

I think there are other agencies that waste more money than NASA. NASA takes .5% of our national budget. Even if we get rid of NASA, it will not make dent, the money will be spent elsewhere. We need to get rid of real waste. Dept of Education or other social programs, a lot of money will be saved..

[cripplecreek]

Yeah I would love to get ahold of the government pork barrel and turn it upside down just to see what shakes out. Renaming roads and studies of homosexual Eskimos may not seem like much but literally thousands of similar things add up to an enormous waste of money.

[Shuttle Shucker]

The idea that I hope CAGW will increasingly embrace isn't so much to end space exploration but rather to make NASA's budget no longer get spent in such a socialist, central planner-exulting and contract-laden (as opposed to results-oriented) manner. Is anyone here by any chance a fellow fan of competitive prizes like the one that Burt Rutan won last summer:

http://www.spaceprojects.com/prizes

NASA's Centennial Challenges program is merely funded at $10 million annually, out of a $16 billion dollar annual budget. We can change that, especially if Citizens Against Government Waste is persuaded that issues like these sufficiently resonate among taxpayers and voters. They'll be measuring how many folks tune in to the abovementioned website and especially to the program. Welcome aboard! :-)

[KevinDavis]

Same here. I prefer private industry over NASA, however, I'm getting sick of tired of NASA getting beat up while we have spent trillions of dollars on social programs and some other bs studies, like how bees mate....

[Shuttle Shucker]

I agree. Meanwhile, money misspent on a predatory governmental space monopoly keeps us from being able to tap into a resource that could otherwise empower us to finally repay our $8 trillion dollar (and growing) national debt, as is documented at the bottom of this list of pro-entrepreneurial space reform proposals:
http://www.spaceprojects.com/reforms
But as Ben Franklin said "[t]he people have the government that they deserve."

[KevinDavis]

I think that private industry can do a better job...

[cripplecreek]

Unfortunately private industry hasn't even begun to crawl in the direction of space. Space ship one was great but it utilized a lot of knowledge gained by NASA over many years.

Eventually the necessity for industry and our economy to expand into space will be the driving force but it's a long way off for now.

[KevinDavis]

I agree...

[RightWhale]

No. Aim your fraud investigations at the WOD or HUD or something else of significance.

[RightWhale]

a predatory governmental space monopoly

Southern Alliance? No kidding, Bellamy Nationalism died quietly without a single victory.

[Darksheare]

8 trillion?
National debt is at 333 billion and dropping...

[Darksheare]

Sorry 'bout that, 333Bn is the deficit.

[Shuttle Shucker]

Here's the latest on our national debt:

http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpenny.htm

[Shuttle Shucker]

>>>Aim your fraud investigations at the WOD or HUD or something else of significance.<<<

Any particular reason why?