Posted on 09/28/2006 7:33:11 PM PDT by KevinDavis
As a child, I often dreamed of traveling through space as an astronaut. As a college student, I still think space travel would be the most incredible experience I could imagine. What I have learned in the intervening years is that just because an idea sounds cool and exciting, doesn't mean it should be carried out. Reading Monday's column by Ed Fu, "Forsaking the Final Frontier," I was hard pressed to find any good, practical reason for keeping the space program alive.
I agree any space program has its inherent risks, and that those risks, while severe, should not necessarily be grounds for the program's elimination. I do, however, believe any program requiring an input of billions of dollars annually should be scrutinized and evaluated, weighing the costs and benefits. While it is exciting to watch astronauts fly to the Moon and observe rovers drive around Mars, how do these pursuits help us here on Earth? In reading Fu's article, I could only find one practical benefit and that is NASA's "vital role in international scientific research." NASA does foster international scientific cooperation; however there are many other forums for such interactions, such as CERN, whose scientists represent over 80 nationalities. Although NASA does execute scientific research, the vast majority of that research does not contribute to our Earthly needs. We cannot run this huge organization for the sole purpose of creating content for magazines like Popular Science and indulging the fancies of trekkie types.
Fu believes that "axing NASA won't ? do anything worthwhile in particular." This speculation seems to be unfounded. Although money from an eliminated space program may not go exactly where it should, it is hard to argue that billions of dollars could not help in areas where that money is sorely needed. The money could even go to other scientific pursuits that are more focused on pressing issues, such as disease and renewable energy.
Allowing people like Fu to vicariously "soar through space ?and explore distant galaxies" is not reason enough to dedicate a substantial percentage of our federal budget to NASA. The child in me would hate to see the reduction of the space program, but it is time for America to grow up. In an era of budget cuts to areas like education, which should be among our top priorities, we simply cannot afford it.
Take money away from NASA and return it to the taxpayers.
L
Not going to happen if we get rid of NASA...
For the life of me I can't find the words 'scientific research' anywhere in my copy of the Constitution.
L
And the heck with the $3 to $1 ROI it has historically produced.
Hope you don't need a CAT Scan anytime soon. That evil device was the result of NASA.
I agree..... To me NASA and the military is well worth spending the money.. Not the Welfare and other social programs bs...
I can't find the words 'scientific research' anyhwere in my copy of the Constitution.
For the record I can't find the acronym 'ROI' in it either.
L
We've been cheated.
Worth reapeating.
Its sad but the Libs have taken over "Rukkers" and this Hooey goes along with their general disregard for anything intellectual!
Read Article 1 section 8 of the Constitution...
Funny that. I can't find the words "fund" or "pay for from tax monies" in that snip at all.
Perhaps it's an anagram or emanated from some unseen penumbra.
L
It also ask to raise an Army and Navy..It also says nothing about the Air Force by the way.. Which requires tax money.. Besides spending .5% of our national budget is nothing compared to useless programs.. If you think that cutting NASA is going east the budget crunch than you are living in a dream world..
Why the heck would we want to put things in orbit around the earth... what do you call it? A satellite?
Glad you brought it up. Here it is in its glorious entirety:
debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;
To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures;
To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States;
To establish post offices and post roads;
To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries;
To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;
To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses against the law of nations;
To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;
To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;
To provide and maintain a navy;
To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;
To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dockyards, and other needful buildings;--And
To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.
Not one single word in there about funding scientific research from tax monies.
L
I just give up arguing these ignorant morons...
The Constitution allows the Legislature to pass laws and create agencies deemed necessary for the public good.
NASA is such an agency.
I have heard of Libertarians (God knows I am a Strict Constructionist, too) but the Government IS allowed to create entities as it deems fit.
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