Do You Agree with Bush's New Space Initiative (FReep Poll)

Vote.com ^ | 1/15/04

[Willie Green]

I repeat, feasable and economical.

For a nation that is supposedly the world's only superpower and technological leader, "feasibility" shouldn't even be questioned. We should already possess all the technological skills and production capabilities necessary for national defense. If we don't have the necessary capabilities, we should have the means of developing them ourselves. Period.

As far as "economical" is concerned, National Security considerations trump the risks that are associated with being dependent on foreign sources of supply simply because they're "cheaper".

it makes no sense to artificially prop up a business which is "gouging" the taxpayer. That is malfeasance and is an impeachable offense.

If you're talking about how the Administration props up the Health Care industry with it's expansion of Medicare welfare giveaways, I agree. But that is not a national security issue.

[CyberAnt]

"vast amounts of waste are eliminated"

Sure hope you're not holding your breath for this one.

[Alberta's Child]

NASA's problem is that it must get on line behind everyone else who is feeding at the Federal trough.

I'll make a deal with you: I'll support a moon/Mars exploration program, provided it's paid for by slashing Social Security and Medicare spending.

[Hodar]

I'll make a deal with you: I'll support a moon/Mars exploration program, provided it's paid for by slashing Social Security and Medicare spending.

If we can do this by removing the Prescription Drug Benefit program, I'm all for that. Same thing with extending these benefits to non-US citizens (legal or illegal). That is nothing more than a hand-out program that costs the taxpayer millions. But, if you are asking me to cut the spending to Americans who paid thier taxes for the benefits they are receiving; I must decline.

[anymouse]

That author of that NRO article is sadly misinformed about how the commercial space industry operates. First private efforts have tried to go to the Moon, but government regulations and International treaty ambiguities make it much harder to raise investment capital for commercial space projects than it should be. Lower those barriers to entry into the commercial space marketplace and you will see the commercial space industry grow instead of merely survive.

[philetus]

It's as good a way to waste money as any other.

[anymouse]

Guess what that government space program that you seem to trust so much is full of the same types of socialists that claim to not want running the show.

Frankly I would rather have private interests pushing out into space regardless of where they find the talent to do the job. Sure I would prefer those people be Americans, but if they open up a new frontier that Americans can utilize to grow our economy, "why cut off your nose to spite your face?"

[CurlyDave]

Until the vast amounts of waste are eliminated from federal expenditures, I'm opposed to spending this token amount on the space program.

He11 will freeze over before waste is eliminated from government.

The space program makes the US the leader among nations. If we give it up, the Chinese will be perfectly willing to exploit space.

The US must both exploit and militarize space. Look at the history of colonization of earth. Until it became possible to fight wars in various places, they were uninteresting and unworthy of development.

[Brett66]

Yes, BTTT.

It would interesting to see a poll on this at FR.

[cartoonistx]

[anymouse]

Great cartoon. Thanks for sharing. :)

[American_Centurion]

Well, in reality, if and it's a pretty big if, private enterprise were to take on space and NASA were to be defunded, don't you think that the DoD would go right back to a Defense space program with many of the same goals of NASA?

It would, so basically you will only wind up changing the name of the government employee in charge of it.

[I_dmc]

IIRC, China has pretty much said they intend to own the moon and put whatever on it that might please them, like nukes, for instance.