Space ‘Triumphs’ (Mars in another light)

the feared and hated lewrockwell.com ^ | 1/16/04 | Tibor Machan

[from occupied ga]

Imagine your neighbor throwing a party to show off his brand new high-tech boat – or flower garden or remodeled kitchen. Pick your item and imagine the triumph in your neighbor’s eyes, voice and body language. You would surely be a spoilsport to try to rain on his parade with any kind of negative or derisive comment. What a mean thing that would be! But imagine that you discovered that your neighbor had built his invention by first raiding his other neighbor’s savings account. His fabulous new gizmo no longer looks so fabulous to you and, you conclude, it is quite perverse that it looks fabulous to him. Sure, it is still something of a wonder – what a thing to create, to build. But it cannot be reasonably denied that the means by which the fellow got the thing done, namely, by robbing his other neighbor, cast a very serous cloud over whatever wonderful thing he made that way.

Well, that’s how I see all those fabulous achievements of NASA, including some of the American government’s space exploration. It is actually worse than that. Since most of those who take part in those ventures are completely oblivious to the venality of the means by which their projects get off the ground – how their funding is secured, how it deprives millions of citizens of various amounts of wealth from which they might have produced their own more or less fabulous creations – I am not only appalled at the viciousness of these celebrations but also at the rank moral ignorance of all those who go about the celebration without a clue as to its source.

It would, indeed, be more honest to witness at least some of the folks who come on television to proclaim the wonders of these achievements if they toasted the extortionist scheme that provided them with the funding. At least we would learn that these folks are aware of what they are doing, that they are vicious but not also stupid. Instead, however, they go about their celebrations blithely, as if nothing untoward had been involved in how it all came to be achieved.

I am by no means some kind of Luddite who thinks the great leaps of technology, including space explorations, demonstrate the sin of hubris on part of the human race. No, that ignorant scientists and technologists who can stand and cheer when a brilliant payload lands on Mars and sends back stunning pictures that tell us all kinds of stuff we could make use of. It isn’t even necessary in these cases to produce immediate utilitarian results – the feats in and of themselves, like those of other human adventures, are often sufficient to cause delight for most decent people.

However, when one knows that these feats are produced on the backs of millions of tax payers – folks from whom wealth is confiscated at the point of a gun, ultimately, and who might very well have had vital objectives to pursue with the aid of their wealth and were cruelly deprived of this – there is no way to take part in all the hoopla. In fact, witnessing the morally blind pride exhibited by all those scientists, engineers, and administrators is quite painful. I must deny myself the joy I know I would feel if the accomplishments had not had been fueled by blood money.

But, perhaps I am odd. When I run across the so called marvels of past civilizations in Europe and elsewhere, such as the palaces, cathedrals, pyramids, great walls, and magnificent monuments, I find it difficult not to reflect on the deliberate, utterly avoidable human devastation that it took to get many of these artifacts produced. I always ask myself how things would have gone had all those people who were conscripted to labor on all these wondrous creations had the chance to choose their own projects.

I realize, of course, that they would probably have squandered a good deal of their lives and resources but, then, I recall that their conscripted labor and resources also went to waste a good deal of the time – in the service of wars of conquest, subjugation or confiscation, or of idolatry and frivolity. And then I recall, too, that while perhaps some of these products of forced labor, just as the recent Mars landing of the unmanned space craft, were wonderful and even helpful, we will never know how it would have gone had individuals been left free to determine to what end to devote their own labors and resources.

And, of course, it is also worth keeping in mind that many of the fabulous achievements resulting from conscripted mass labor created environmental destruction, too, which the less grandiose, more modest voluntary projects of individuals and small groups of freely united humans tended to avoid. (Just think of TVA, the Interstate Highway System, the massive canal projects and damns around the globe.)

But, yes, some of these projects are wonderful. They are only made not so by the fact that their creation violated the most elementary principle of civilized human association, freedom of choice.

January 16, 2004

Tibor Machan [send him mail] holds the Freedom Communications Professorship of Free Enterprise and Business Ethics at the Argyros School of Business & Economics, Chapman University, CA. A Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, he is author of 20+ books, most recently, The Passion for Liberty (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003).

[from occupied ga]

Once again a realistic look at the real cost for pictures of dust and rocks. I've been saying this for a long time. Machan just jumped on my band wagon :-)

The space program is just welfare/wealth transfer for nerds with PhD and no marketable skills (outside of government)

And before you space heads start with your phony lists of the vast benefits of the space program consider a coupld of things

1. Read Bastiat
2. Consider that the definition of a liberal is someone who wants to do what he considers good with someone else's money (and then ask yourself if you really think you're a conservative)
3. remember that one of the things you have to believe if you're a liberal is that without the National Endowment for the Arts there would be no art. Now change the the name and do you believe that without the space program there would be no technological progress? If you answer yes you are either Hitlery Clinton, Al Gore, or a hopeless clueless DUer on the wrong forum
4. Also ask yourself, in keeping with the government sponsored art analogy which you think better. The NEA/taxpayer funded work of Robert Maplethorp or that of people like Constable, Turner, Van Gogh, etc

Now flame away you liberals

[BushCountry]

This article ROTFLMAO funny! It just proves that space exploration is necessary; that the author needs a spaceship to return him home. Let's face it, he doesn't live on this planet!

He is dead inside and doesn't have a clue what the HUMAN SPIRIT consists of. A poor depressed little child without dreams, using useless satistics to make a point, which is basically, "BaaWaaaBaa...."

All I can do is feel sorry for him and his ilk, the ones that are dead inside with absolutely no spirit of adventure and no dreams. They have giving up hope for humanity and don't understand what is to be human.

[mewzilla]

Won't get a flame from me. But NASA does seem to be a Third Rail around here for some.

What really cheesed me off was the woman who was handing out champagne at a NASA presser yesterday. She was congratulating all the people who made the rover mission possible. But she left out a few hundred million: American taxpayers. No wonder NASA has PR problems.

[from occupied ga]

He is dead inside and doesn't have a clue what the HUMAN SPIRIT consists of

No, he is a conservative. Conservatives don't glory in flashy things purchased with money taken from other people at gunpoint.

[American_Centurion]

If you don't like the pretty pictures of Mars dust and rocks you don't have to look at them.

Just because they used some of your money doesn't require you to enjoy your share of the spoils.

I have an idea, I'll join you in protest of NASA when you get the Government to stop stealing my money to give to lazy, good for nothing freeloaders who don't do anything. At least the guys at NASA show up for work.

[mewzilla]

Just because they used some of your money doesn't require you to enjoy your share of the spoils.

It DOES, however, require them to appreciate where the money for their projects and salaries comes from, and to treat it and us with the proper respect. I'm still waiting.

[apillar]

Like it or not our elected representatives have decided that it is in the public interest to spend money on space exploration (and just about everything else in existence).

While I'm, in principle, against wealth transfer to every program in existence, the political reality today is that the only difference between the most conservative member of congress and the most liberal is how much the rate of spending growth will increase, not wether we should be spending the money or not.

With that in mind, I would much rather see money spent for space exploration than for shopping carts for the homeless, or sex change operations for prisoners, or free viagra for rich old men.

At least with space exploration we have some sense of accomplishment and something to show for our spending, even if it is only "dust and rocks". Also, I think with China quickly become a major space player an argument could be made that space exploration may soon be a national security issue.

[American_Centurion]

I'll make sure to tell the guys over at NASA to personally come by and thank you for the 12 cents you gave to their project.

BTW, I'm a soldier, I'd like to thank you for the 55 cents worth of your taxes I used. Oh! I almost forgot President Bush wanted me to pass on to you his thanks for the 3 cents of your money he used for a White House electric bill......I'll get on the phone now and call the rest of the government and tell them to report their appreciation to you immediately. Get ready for some phone calls!

[from occupied ga]

, I'll join you in protest of NASA when you get the Government to stop stealing my money to give to lazy, good for nothing freeloaders who don't do anything.

Not a bad idea at all. Put me in charge for a week and see just how your taxes drop. NEA would last about 30 seconds. Farm appropriations about 60. EPA about 61. etc.

[American_Centurion]

Oh! no, no, no. If you want to be in charge you have to do it the old fashioned way.

Go get on the ballot and run for office, then work with your allies and enemies alike to come up with an acceptable plan that can get through the legislative branch of government and pass the president and then I'll see how fast my taxes drop.

Until then you are asking me to use my power to make you dictator for a week. Hell if I could do that I'd make myself king for life! I have no problem with a dictatorship, as long as I'm the dictator.

[kinghorse]

"Now flame away you liberals"

That line is really rich. I prefer not to be a bedrock conservative nor a bleeding heart liberal. I stand in the middle. Space exploration is ok by me. Money problems? Wel when you have despots in the middle east papering their walls with money it's kind of hard to stomach fiscal conservatism over exploration. Perhaps we should strike a deal with the powers that be. They agree to an orderly plan to phase out of the primary uses of oil in the next 20 years and in exchange we will spend a little of the oil dividend on furthering mankind's dominion.

Staunch religious types do not like folks thinking beyond ttheir nose, but the universe is too large a tract of property to ignore, eh?

This space rover should be converted to a "cam" once it's work is done and a television station should be devoted to this cam 24/7. People can sit there and stare at the screed and feel their spirits soar just by "imagining".

[kinghorse]

sleepy fingers do not work well. sorry for the typos.

[from occupied ga]

Go get on the ballot and run for office, then work with your allies and enemies alike to come up with an acceptable plan that can get through the legislative branch of government and pass the president and then I'll see how fast my taxes drop.

You missed the point completely. It was not about power, but my ideas of what government should NOT spend money on.

[mewzilla]

If you are a service member, then I would never begrudge the money a greatful nation spends to pay you for your service, and to keep you as well-equiped and as well-cared for as is possible.

But I still expect even the DOD to spend the nation's money wisely and well, not to waste it. I'm not going to hold NASA to a lesser standard.

[from occupied ga]

If you don't like the pretty pictures of Mars dust and rocks you don't have to look at them.

If I promise not to look at them do I get my money back?

[American_Centurion]

The check is on Tom Dashle's desk awaiting signature now.

[American_Centurion]

I thanked you, that's what you wanted right?

[American_Centurion]

Complaining only gets you attention, you have to actually have power to do something about it.

You as a citizen have one vote, you may also work to gather like minded citizens to petition (or lobby) for what you believe, aside from those actions you can run for office. But in any of those endeavors you will have people who don't agree with you and in most cases they will outnumber you and your allies. Them's the facts, get to work.

[mewzilla]

You're still missing the point. For me, thanks means understanding and appreciating where the money comes from. And acting accordingly. I didn't see any proof of that yesterday. Or to date actually. Earth to NASA....

[from occupied ga]

The check is on Tom Dashle's desk awaiting signature now.

LOL And just how much time do you spend around Dashle anyway?