Most want money spent on Earth, not space (Barf Alert)

Houston Comical (AP) ^ | 1/13/04 | WILL LESTER

[The_Victor]

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's plan to build a space station on the moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars hasn't grabbed the public's imagination, an Associated Press poll suggests.

More than half in the poll said it would be better to spend the money on domestic programs rather than on space research.

Asked whether they favored the United States expanding the space program the way Bush proposes, people were evenly split, with 48 percent favoring the idea and the same number opposing it, according to the poll conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs.

Most respondents said they generally support continuing to send humans into space.

However, given the choice of spending money on programs like education and health care or on space research, 55 percent said they wanted domestic programs. Based on previous estimates for a moon-Mars initiative, the space cost would run in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

"You can't have a war, cut taxes, have the economy in a garbage pail and spend billions going into space," said Dallas Hodgins, a 76-year-old retired University of Michigan researcher from Flint, Mich. "How are they going to pay for all this? I don't see how it's morally justifiable. In Flint, there isn't a school roof that doesn't leak."

On Wednesday, Bush is scheduled to spell out details of his proposal to use an outpost on the moon as a jumping-off point for more remote destinations such as Mars or asteroids.

Those most likely to favor the plan to expand space exploration were men, young adults, people with more education and those with higher incomes.

It made a difference who was said to be behind the plan. When half the poll sample was asked about a "Bush administration" plan to expand space exploration instead of the "United States" plan, opposition increased.

Just over half of Democrats opposed the plan by "the United States." Once it was identified as a "Bush administration" plan, Democrats opposed it by a 2-1 margin.

Some have suggested that space exploration could be expanded more inexpensively using robots instead of humans to explore the moon or other planets. The AP-Ipsos poll indicated that option was popular, with 57 percent favoring exploring the moon and Mars with robots and 38 percent saying humans.

[The_Victor]

These idiots trot out this tired old argument every time anyone suggests increasing spending on space flight. I can understand being against the space effort on the grounds of being against most/all government spending (as many here are), but to suggest that the money would be better spent on "social programs" is pure sophistry.

[FirstPrinciple]

Please don't give Bush any new ideas of spending money on earth.

[JohnGalt]

This is a contrived debate to paint those against the space program as being somehow leftists.

Most of us see right through that crap and look at the space program as just another government boondoggle. The advocates of space adventures, a mostly secular lot, are all too happy to have the American taxpayer pay for their favorite circus, just like any leftie looking for a gubmint handout.

You want it, you pay for it

[apillar]

But... But... But... That money could be used for something USEFUL like paying for sex change operations for prisoners and buying shopping carts for the homeless !

[MrsEmmaPeel]

What most people fail to realize is that space programs do spend money on earth - quite a bit in fact. A very small percentage actually gets blasted into orbit - most is in the form of jobs, here.

[The_Victor]

This is a contrived debate to paint those against the space program as being somehow leftists.

Read my reply (#1) to article. I'm not trying to paint anyone other than the leftists as leftist.

[JohnGalt]

I was responding to the article's contrived debate, not so much your post.

[Gekko The Great]

You want it, you pay for it

I agree. It's all about bucks, kid. The rest is conversation. Greed is good. I create nothing; I own.

[FreeEnterprise2004]

It's sad that so many people favor pumping money into broken systems (ie, Social Security, government education indoctrination) rather than fueling innovation. Not only would a new space initiative create jobs, although taxpayer funded in the short term, it will bring new technologies and services to the private sector, thus creating more jobs in the long term as well.

[JohnGalt]

You signed up to post that?

LOL

[TigerTale]

You want it, you pay for it

Do you believe the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark expedition should have been privately funded?

[FreeEnterprise2004]

Not that I want a job :)

[The_Victor]

I was responding to the article's contrived debate, not so much your post

Sorry. I'm probably a little over-sensative about the issue. I love space flight, but I do understand those who philisophically disagree with the government paying for it.

[JohnGalt]

The Lousiana Purchase was viewed as un-Constitutional almost universally in my native land, and most of Jefferson's ideolgogical friends branded him a traitor to their political philosophy for his big government maneuver. Same for Lewis & Clark's expedition which assuredly could have been privately funded, however, the cost for the program was faily low and oversite was stringent as they had to document every step.

How many people from NASA (need another seven astronauts) were fired over their latest disaster?

Do you believe its okay to steal from your neigbor to pay for your favorit socialist program?

[Tricorn]

Spaniards Want Money Spent in Spain, Not the Empty Ocean; Reject Columbus Voyage.

[CyberSpartacus]

What most people fail to realize about Bush's spending programs is that they all have the seeds to destroy socialism within them. Homeland security has put vast numbers of useless parasitic government employees in the position to either produce or be fired (I know one, you should hear her scream about "Incompetent Subcontractors"). The presciption plan gives seniors the choice between decent private plans with tax incentives vs. lousey government ones, which do you think most will choose? His changes in security laws are 1/10th of what the Demonrats wanted during Klintoon's imperious reign, so they won't be able to put in their filthy agenda if they do regain power. In short at every turn he has planted a trojan horse in the Communist-Socialist-Corpratist new world order. I am a Libertarian and I will vote for him in the coming election, because he is the first major party candidate since Ronald Reagan to support Liberty and the United States.

[dead]

Are we going to Mars to shop there?

If not, every dime for the space program will be spent on earth.

[Land of the Free 04]

Some people seem to think that "conservatism" means stealing our money to spend on different things than liberals steal our money for.

[rbessenger]

The problem with this idea is that it just adds fuel to the argument that Bush is a big-government big spender and it gives the Dems cover for any pet spending project that they will suggest in the next year. Anyone who dreams up a "free-lunch" program or universal health care will be able to say "Instead of sending that money to Mars, the president should ________(fill in the blank with feed the children, insure the uninsured, house the homeless, etc.).

[JohnGalt]

LOL

One wants bread, the other wants circuses?

Modern politics is so complicated...