[Mamzelle]

Big deal about a cheap little jet--Branson probably owns a dozen.

re: Richardson said he wants New Mexico to commit $100 million to start building the spaceportin 2007.)))

eek. Why does this have to be a state-funded venture?

[Rockingham]

We are long past the day when this sort of spending was correctly regarded by a decisively large part of the American public as objectionable as a form of socialism and an invitation to corruption. Today, politicians and most of the public see the issue as economic development in competition with other states. The objection most commonly made now is that rich companies and individuals benefit -- a billionaire in this case. Most of the former hard line communist police states that promised cradle to the grave socialism have become corrupt oligarchies, and most of the modern western welfare state democracies that made similar promises have embraced various forms of corruption disguised as "economic development" -- as if governments have any business in picking the winners and losers in a free economy by awarding pork to the prettiest contestants.