Note that the extra spending occurs in the out years 2009 and beyond.
Posted on 01/25/2004 9:12:37 PM PST by jwalburg
Prescott: Have you heard what the president is proposing now?
Howell: Something about exploration, isn't it?
Prescott: Right. He wants to send a crew out into the great beyond to explore uncharted territory. Have you seen the price tag?
Howell: Yeah. And I understand that much of the funding goes into the pockets of the president's close buddies. One of the guys in charge served as his personal secretary for years, and the other is his good friend, William Clark.
Prescott: There should be an investigation.
Howell: Definitely!
Prescott: It's almost as bad as that Louisiana Purchase deal earlier in the year.
Howell: Talk about wasting taxpayer money on frivolities! No one was even asked about this. The president just went ahead and squandered all this money on a bunch of wasteland no one will ever use!
Prescott: You're telling me!
Howell: How much was it? Twelve million dollars??? Man, you could do a lot of important things with 12 million dollars.
Prescott: Our sailors are being starved from Navy cutbacks and we are going to send 47 men to scamper around the wilderness at government expense? And you know what? Everyone thinks this exploration deal was because of the Louisiana Purchase, but I happen to know that the president was making plans for this back in January, BEFORE there was even talk about purchasing the territory.
Howell: That's pretty incriminating stuff! The Congressional Budget Office should get on this right away.
Prescott: No, I think we'll need a special investigator for this one. The thing is, it isn't 12 million. The public is being told it's 12 million - as if that wasn't enough - but really it's 27 million, with interest figured in. Talk about deficit spending!
Howell: You're kidding me!
Prescott: No. I've looked at the figures. This stupid idea is costing taxpayers 27 million dollars! And for what? It's all a public relations move for Jefferson.
Howell: I heard he thinks that by adding all this land we'll seem big and bad to the Europeans. They won't want to mess with us.
Prescott: That, and the stupid Northwest Passage idea. Northwest Passage! Only pea-brains believe in that Northwest Passage theory. But there's Jefferson for you.
Howell: I understand the vice president has some shady motives for this expedition, too.
Prescott: Aaron Burr! That guy's got ulterior motives in everything he does. And this Lewis and Clark thing is no exception. You knew he lost his seat in the New York Assembly when suspicious financial dealings were leaked to the public, didn't you?
Howell: I heard something about that.
Prescott: Well, now I hear he's been scheming to build up a Trans-Appalachian Empire using new land from this Louisiana Purchase.
Howell: Talk about conflict of interest!
Prescott: I wouldn't be surprised if this whole deal was secretly engineered between Burr and the French. Jefferson is just a puppet, you know. He's been a failure at diplomacy on his own. Burr's behind everything.
Howell: Well, just look at the mess Jefferson made of the Declaration. "Endowed by our Creator!" You'd think the new Republic was run by Church of England fanatics, with language like that inserted in the thing!
Prescott: Did you know that Burr's grandfather was that preacher, Jonathan Edwards? The two of them are in the pocket of the religious right, that's for sure. The explorers have already started this asinine trip, with no real public input, no hearings, no committee debate, no environmental impact reports - nothing! They're taking 6 tons of supplies along, mostly to bribe Indians with. Six tons! And much of it on a stupid keelboat.
Howell: Wonder how far they'll get.
Prescott: I don't know, but there are sure better things to be done with that kind of money. You know what Fisher Ames says about the Louisiana Purchase? "Now - we rush like a comet into infinite space!" He's right! This is a crazy idea. And the Lewis and Clark business is even crazier.
Howell: About as crazy an idea as going to Mars! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Donna Marmorstein writes and lives in Aberdeen. You can contact her at dkmarmorstein@yahoo.com.
That wouldn't have been the Department of the Interior, Office of Red Herrings, would it?
I am well aquainted with all the praddling that goes on at the USGS. You could have saved taxpayers even more by quitting and getting a job in the private sector.
In fact it was a 2-year internship, and what I saved the US Taxpayer more than made up for my salary.
Did you publish some deep thinking circular that no one will read? Never in my life have I seen more useless overeducated people contribute so little with so much waste and spend so much time justifying their own existance than in the federal government.
Hit a nerve, did I? Whattsamatta...you lost funding due to a USGS project? Tsk! So sorry, my dear fellow.
As far as my work, I will only tell you that it was intimately involved with archiving pertinent terrestrial data for long-term environmental studies. These studies are currently being drawn on by a number of other organizations and researchers to determine the cyclicity of Earth's climate.
Each journey begins with a single step. We are at the very beginnings of space travel, and who can tell what we will develop from these missions? Many of the technologies we enjoy today have their roots in NASA...even down to the athlectic shoes you are probably wearing now or will wear tomorrow.
Wonderful quote, thank you!
Ah! Then you did work in the Department of the Interior, Office of Red Herrings! Geologists don't snore...they simply lithify.
I am a geologist and geochemist, and I am insulted. A number of other individuals on these threads are scientists and engineers and they are insulted by comments such as yours. Shall I poll the entire population of scientists for you, or will you accept that the sampling of scientists and engineers within FR is fairly representative of all terrestrial scientists and engineers? (Simply talking science and engineering here, NOT political philosophy)
Somehow I doubt it. Thankfully, "Little Earthers" like yourself are in the minority. Most individuals I know appreciate technological advances. I am quite surprised that you are using a computer.
---------------------
Your emotional reactions are of your own devising. I am neither to be held responsible for, nor concerned about them.
The Chinese are...and they are coming here for jobs, and returning to China with our technology.
One tiny little problem with your emphasis - just where do you propose to employ American individuals who have invested 10-15 years just to get their PhDs? Hmmm? Private sector positions? Not many of those.
We need the Space Program desperately to help our economy. The spinoffs alone will more than offset the expense, AND keep us a principal power in the world.
You assume far too much...but perhaps that is the root of your problems. I haven't had this much pure entertainment in many weeks.
I am neither to be held responsible for, nor concerned about them.
All I can say is "thanks" for the laughs. You're a hoot!
Beautiful summation - thank you!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.