is a total and complete waste of money, in my opinion.
Why the hell do we care what is in space? I mean yeah, if we weren't spending an OBSCENE amount of money on this stupid war and if we had more than enough money to buy markers for art class and if people weren't ending up completely destitute because of medical bills and becoming homeless because of the housing crisis...then heck yeah, let's go see what's up there.
Otherwise, we have no business gallavanting around exploring the universe. Sometimes, when you can't afford to do things, you just can't do them. It took me a while to learn this valuable piece of advice and now I pass it on to our U.S. government with nothing but hope in my heart.
Don't worry, I'm working on something for Work It Out Wednesday, but I heard the sonic boom from Atlantis re-entering the atmosphere and it scared the shit out of me and reminded me that millions of my tax dollars went towards that sonic boom and we could probably all live without it.
Just wanted to share.
11 comments:
NASA is one of the few worthwhile projects of government.
NASA has invented over 1400 items that have filtered down to everyday life. They include kidney dialysis (my uncle would be dead without it), the CAT scan and MRI machines in your hospital, insulation that makes your car quiet, water filtering systems that provide clean drinking water for millions of people, those cool sunglasses that block 100% of UV light, a pen that can write upside down, integrated circuit boards (your computer doesn't work without one) and many other great items. There are too many to list.
I won't get into the war except to say that I am glad we are fighting and winning.
I can understand why some people might see NASA as unnecessary, but it does provide a helluva lot of jobs down here in Houston and keeps people employed -- something I think is very important as we look forward to the economic swan dive we seem to be on.
And while Jason does make a good point regarding some of the trickle-down benefits that come from NASA, he can take his damn war and shove it you-know-where as far as I'm concerned. (Was that too pushy for the comments section??)
What about the billions of dollars that they paid for the non-working satellite and the money being spent to shoot it down? That makes my head hurt.
And I heard the sonic boom too. The last time I heard it I thought a mack truck ran into the building! Scared the crap out of me.
I don't think I'm necessarily anti-NASA, just not sure why they need to be going to Mars and floating around space and whatnot.
I even agree it *could* be beneficial somewhere down the line, I just think we need to majorly re-prioritize what we value enough to spend money on. They could still invent stuff and provide jobs right here on this planet.
The satellite business is something I've been meaning to research but just the headlines make my stomach get queasy with fear, so it's going in the "let God worry about it" pile. Sounds scary though, spy satellites? Shooting shit down? Wow.
And no, there's really no such thing as being too pushy in the comments section, especially if it relates to the ridiculousness of the war
(Sorry Jason, but I do love having boys in the closet!)
Jason - I don't think Ashley is saying that we should get rid of the space program (correct me if I'm wrong Ashley!) I think she is just saying that we need to get our priorities straight. We have numerous crises in our country and it seems like our current goverment isn't paying any attention to them. You are correct, the space program has given us lots of great things but I don't see how the space program is going to pay for markers for art class, fix the housing crises, fix our healthcare system, and get us out of the war.
Katie
"Ashley for President '08"
The government spending billions of dollars on exploring space while people go hungry and with out healthcare is like a parent who spends all their money on trips to Europe while their kids go with out food and clothes. Just because the parent comes back with new ideas and inventions doesnt make it ok.
Alissa
Ding-Dang, it's getting hot in her!
I'm just saying....NASA ain't all bad. I didn't even mention the 100's of firefighters saved every year wearing suits originally designed by NASA.
If you really want to stop government waste then you should focus on entitlement spending. That is where the problems are. The place to start is social security. NASA and military budgets are tiny compared to entitlement programs.
I've got to pipe in here and say that HELL yes on the entitlement spending. Why why why do I have to pay in on Social Security & Medicare when I will NEVER see a dime in return? Look it up... Better yet, I'll blog it at some later point in time.
Medicaid and the new health care spending packages that are being proposed for people who DON'T PAY TAXES!!! Who carries that cost? ME and YOU... taxPAYERS.
I digress on this. But, I must add...
The stimulus package... WTF??? Again, there are people that will receive big fat tax checks that haven't PAID a dime this year. That makes sense... here's where we could find some "marker money."
And last but NUMBER 1 on my list: Why why why do I have to pay for failing public school systems while carrying the costs of private schools because I would go WITHOUT food before I let my children step foot in the public schools here. (This may not be the case in your area, but trust me, it's not happening here folks.)
Seriously. Goodness.
Jason for President.
Yes, all, the government does need to get their priorities straight. They should start by eradicating Social Security (how's that for reform). Then they can get rid of the IRS.
AFRo:
Public school. Please keep paying those school district taxes, otherwise our private schooled and homeschooled children and the children who actually DO benefit from public school (the rare miracles they are) will have to pay (with money, with their lives as the victims of poverty crimes) for the massively huge number of non-educated adults to live. Even more welfare.
Of course I agree with you in principle, but the realistic fallout would only hurt our own children. Yes, the public school system is failing many of the kids who trickle through it now, but parents need to step up and demand change in order to improve the system.
Yayyyyyyyyyyy! More taxes to be misappropriated. And garnish our wages some more while they're at it, because we are getting to keep way too much of our money.
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