I take great pride in what the space program has done over the years but I honestly don’t mind that Obama is shutting down much of NASA. If we’re broke, we’re broke and the space program is one thing we can do without for awhile until we get our financial house in order.
Were I president and had the power, I would look at everything in the federal budget and ask myself “can the government exist without this for the next four years?” and if the answer is ‘yes’, I’d cut as much of it as I could. That, unfortunately, includes programs I enjoy and would like to continue.
If everyone got to keep the programs THEY favored, nothing would ultimately get cut so you have to sacrifice some good to get rid of a lot of bad.
I know some folks will disagree and that’s okay, but we need to pare government to the bone if we’re ever going to get a handle on our debt.
You fail to see. Technological know how (especially in the form of people) is not something you ‘put on the shelf’. That knowledge and ability WILL go away. We no longer have the ability, at all, to even begin to build the Saturn V, and another hiatus will do the same to us.
One CAN make the case that the space program has benefitted this country. One can NOT make the case for ANY entitlement program at all.
Cut? Cut ALL entitlements, ALL un-necessary Departemnts (Ed, HUD, HHS, etc), that benefit nothing for the money spent before cutting beneficial expenditures.