Space Exploration Exploration

It's official, I got scammed. I talked to the neighbors today - the neighbors that actually live where Mr. "work for it" claimed he did. In an ironic twist, those very neighbors had been scammed by the same guy some 8 years ago. The story they were told was identical. My hat is off to this guy...eight years successfully using the same lousy "I need money for a tire" line.

I found an interesting article the other day about Bush's spending cuts (cuts, by the way, which are essentially noise when compared with our defense and Medicare spending). The white house put out a report outlining the rationale for the spending cuts. One portion of the report states: "When the federal government focuses on its priorities and limits its claims on resources taken from the private sector, that helps sustain a stronger, more productive economy." This quote essentially admits that the private sector is more efficient than the public sector, a fact that has been proven again and again through different countries' trial and error. To me, the funny part of the quote (surely not intended by the author) is that if this sentiment is truly to be internalized, the government should be cutting not a small pittance, but ALL non-essential programs. We need an armed forces. We need law enforcement. These are things it makes sense the government collect money and pay for. But NASA? Don't get me wrong, NASA is very cool. But it's hard for me to regard getting the latest pictures of Saturn as a "priority". If the people themselves felt NASA was a priority, they could voluntarily contribute their money, instead of being forced to by the government. If we currently had a society where government paid only for national defense and law enforcement, I wonder what white house quote would justify paying for NASA, and all similar non-essential programs. Perhaps something like, "Space exploration embodies the very spirit of American inventiveness and exploration. You're not un-American, are you?"