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Crony defense budget hands SpaceX a monopoly - why?
Fox News ^ | 9/12/17 | Ron Paul

Posted on 09/12/2017 6:40:49 AM PDT by 54fighting

Behind the high-minded rhetoric surrounding many government programs, there often (or even usually) lies some grant of special privilege to a powerful business interest. The most well-known example, of course, is ObamaCare’s individual mandate creating a guaranteed market for insurance companies. However, the most common hiding place for corporate welfare is the Pentagon. Hawkish politicians love sticking gifts to big corporations in the yearly National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). So it is no surprise to find an example of cronyism in the Fiscal Year 2018 NDAA, which the Senate is expected to vote on this week.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cronyism; mic; ronpaul; spacex

1 posted on 09/12/2017 6:40:49 AM PDT by 54fighting
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To: 54fighting

Is any one else out there 3D printing rocket engines, space capsules and suits and useless junk like that?


2 posted on 09/12/2017 6:43:36 AM PDT by Delta 21
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To: Delta 21; 54fighting

NASA has reported it can’t go back to the moon and lost its technology to do so; the Deep State zealots need more black ops cash... spent on useless junk.


3 posted on 09/12/2017 6:51:12 AM PDT by Sontagged (Lord Jesus, please frogmarch Your enemies behind You as You've promised in Your Word)
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To: Delta 21

>>>Is any one else out there 3D printing rocket engines, space capsules and suits and useless junk like that?<<<

There is one private competitor that I know that has done launches like SpaceX. There are 3 more that have tested engines and the like and have imminent plans to start offering launch services in the next 12-24 months. But for the moment, SpaceX has the strongest private program I believe. In five years from now, there should be many private launch companies. However SpaceX and it’s rival Blue Origin have heavy lift rockets being developed. So they will have the contracts for the really big stuff.


4 posted on 09/12/2017 7:02:41 AM PDT by BJ1
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To: BJ1

Sounds more like a public-private for profit enterprise.


5 posted on 09/12/2017 7:35:43 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (Did Barack Obama denounce Communism and dictatorships when he visited Cuba as a puppet of the State?)
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To: BJ1
There is one private competitor that I know that has done launches like SpaceX. There are 3 more that have tested engines and the like and have imminent plans to start offering launch services in the next 12-24 months. But for the moment, SpaceX has the strongest private program I believe. In five years from now, there should be many private launch companies. However SpaceX and it’s rival Blue Origin have heavy lift rockets being developed. So they will have the contracts for the really big stuff.

Agreed. Contracts are being awarded because SpaceX is the strongest of the bunch and nobody else is close. Around 40 successful missions so far.

Far too many people who haven't been paying attention think SpaceX came out of nowhere and is somehow benefitting from these contracts for no reason. SpaceX got their first (privately-funded no less) rocket into orbit nearly 10 years ago.

SpaceX has privately done a lot of heavy-lifting (no pun intended) in getting to where it's at. People just don't realize how far ahead they are of the competition.
6 posted on 09/12/2017 8:03:44 AM PDT by af_vet_rr
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To: 54fighting

Well... I am not a SpaceX fan since he built it all on government contracts while pretending to be ‘private’.... but to be fair defense contracts handed ULA a monopoly long before SpaceX was a thing.


7 posted on 09/12/2017 10:29:14 AM PDT by TalonDJ
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To: af_vet_rr

“SpaceX has privately done a lot of heavy-lifting (no pun intended) in getting to where it’s at. “

Oh please. Their leftist owner has gotten BILLIONS from government contracts. Calling anything they have done ‘private’ is a joke. The only thing they can claim all of is the PR. Only not even that, since the leftist media plays them up. Have they done cool stuff? Sure. But it wasn’t much more ‘private’ that the Apollo program.


8 posted on 09/12/2017 10:32:10 AM PDT by TalonDJ
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To: 54fighting

Ron Paul needs to stop embarrassing himself.


9 posted on 09/12/2017 12:02:38 PM PDT by wjr123
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To: TalonDJ

The railroads got the equivalent in billions from the government. The semiconductor industry would not exist without billions from the government (and a little incentive from the Russians back in the day). The automotive companies would not be all that much without billions and billions invested in infrastructure.

On and on we go with a lack of understanding of how large scale technology is developed and works. Government is needed for blue sky risk and then needs to get out. When it works that way we get an Intel, When it does not we get a VA system.


10 posted on 09/12/2017 12:08:56 PM PDT by wjr123
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To: TalonDJ
I was referring more to the fact that they aren't joined at the hip to the government like Boeing is. Nothing against Boeing - I did some contract/consultant work there, and liked the people I worked with, but right now, outside of Boeing, SpaceX is it. It remains to be seen whether Jeff Bezos will be able to match SpaceX or Boeing.

As for the money for the contracts - would you rather we continue shamefully dumping money into Russia's government to carry our astronauts/supplies into orbit?

I do like the simplicity and reliability of Russia's Soyuz - that has been and continues to be an extremely reliable system, but I'd rather we at least dump American tax dollars into American companies, because the Russians are not our friends.
11 posted on 09/12/2017 12:11:47 PM PDT by af_vet_rr
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To: wjr123; AuH2ORepublican; BillyBoy; fieldmarshaldj
"Ron Paul needs to stop embarrassing himself."

Hey I don't like him either but no need to wish the man dead. ;) ;) ;)

12 posted on 09/12/2017 12:51:15 PM PDT by Impy (Anyone who votes to raise taxes deserves to get rabies.)
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Audit the Head!

Ron Paul in the pocket of United Launch attacks Defense Dept and Spacex https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/09/ron-paul-in-the-pocket-of-united-launch-attacks-defense-dept-and-spacex.html
13 posted on 09/12/2017 11:01:11 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (godsgravesglyphs.freeforums.org, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: Delta 21

Everyone that can is 3D printing components for aerospace applications. The printed parts can be as much as 20% lighter which really counts in a flight application.


14 posted on 09/13/2017 4:49:52 AM PDT by Ozark Tom
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To: 54fighting

Initially SpaceX couldn’t even have a bid evaluated against the United Launch Alliance of Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Filing a court case busted the bidding process open, once it became apparent the dirt on protection of the established players would have political consequences.

In the following two years, the ULA has cut launch prices in half in an attempt to become competitive. SpaceX is providing launch service at 40% of ULA prices for 2018 / 2019.

http://spacenews.com/spacex-air-force-reach-agreement/

https://www.engadget.com/2017/06/16/us-air-force-spacex-ula-launch-costs/


15 posted on 09/13/2017 5:08:41 AM PDT by Ozark Tom
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To: TalonDJ

ULA has received a $Billion subsidy every year for launch services. Boeing and Lockheed and other partners got tens of billions for the Constellation space program and the Space Launch System. They were not able to deliver new launch vehicles. They received upwards of fifty times the money given to Spacex to help Spacex develop the Falcon rockets.

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/09/ron-paul-in-the-pocket-of-united-launch-attacks-defense-dept-and-spacex.html

https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/09/when-will-boeing-lockheed-martin-lose-1-billion-su.aspx


16 posted on 09/13/2017 6:08:35 AM PDT by Ozark Tom
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