[SpaceBar]

Well, I do have news for you. The United States is roughly seven trillion clams in the hole at this time with no end in sight. You can't just keep printing it and pretend that accumulated debt is meaningless. All sane projects are subject to a cost-benefit analysis of some sort. Even public works projects without a future revenue stream are weighted on relative capitalized costs. An open ended mandate to "figure out what's out there" doesn't sound very fiscally responsible or well thought out any way you slice it. Comparison with the Louisiana Purchase is simplistic thinking at its zenith. The LP was known in extent, and it's value tangible and quantifiable. What ever happened to the word "boondoggle"? It doesn't ever seem to be used anymore.

[JoJo Gunn]

Your moniker has a certain irony....

Michael miserable failureMoore

[Aracelis]

Comparison with the Louisiana Purchase is simplistic thinking at its zenith. The LP was known in extent, and it's value tangible and quantifiable.

Actually, the Louisiana Purchase was made in 1803 - Lewis and Clark began exploration of the region in 1804, thus your claim that "The LP was known in extent, and it's value tangible and quantifiable" is unjustified.

[Lokibob]

Do you think the money is going to be spent in space?

Absolutely NOT!!!

The money spent to go into space will be spent right here on EARTH, buying the good things.

This spending will translate into jobs, manufacturing, and prosperity.

[cake_crumb]

We'll never get there without the government's backing. China wants to go to the moon. We can't let them decide they own it. In addition, this will create new jobs and new prodicts which will be enjoyed by the private sector. Such undertakings always spawn jobs and new inventions.

[McCloud-Strife]

Well, I do have news for you. The United States is roughly seven trillion clams in the hole at this time with no end in sight.

$7 Trillion Clams? I heard it was a 100 Bajillion zillion. Where on earth did you get such a number? Let me lend you a hand space head, your off by a factor of about 14. It's not chump change, but it is not 7 trillion either. If your going to say crap that's off the wall like that at least be accurate.
Since we're on the subject of silly assertions, let us propose that all Americans move back to the 13 original colonies, or better yet, let's move back to England, there is no need to move forward after all, Better yet, lets really roll back progress, 2000 years ago, my family was likely a part of Rome, lets go back to there.
progress is expensive, but it turned a tiny country like Portugal into a major league power for a couple of centuries. You know why is not anymore? It turned it's back on expansion and exploration, now I hear it is a lovely little tourist spot.
That is how the world works you expand or you die, there is no status quo. The Romans Quit expading and died, the portuguese, the British, and now you would have America do the same, no thank you. The benefits will far out weigh the costs. Lewis and Clark, the manhatten project, the apollo project, human genome. All these have or will bear fruits that will benefit all man in our lifetimes. We should have done this 20 years ago, we have been idle too long and frankly I think America is stagnant because it is not really moving forward like it is capable of. This is the kick in the pants human civilization needs. You can put a man on Mars it makes all the petty little wars man fights look like the insignifigant speck it is.