Good Read: "The Martian" by Andy Weir

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dkersten:

--- Quote from: pbj on September 30, 2015, 04:25:27 pm ---Here you go, sport. Go take a look at this and let us know if defunding food stamp programs and spending it on rocket ships will really solve all our problems:

--- End quote ---
Um, you looked at that, right? about a trillion (around 1/3 of the total) is on the "social services" I mentioned. So yeah, divert a few hundred billion of that and you have funded space exploration.

What ISN'T listed in that is the cost of NOT collecting taxes (and hence not having money for spending) from the 50% of the U.S. population who ends up getting more back than they put in. That could account for a few hundred MORE billion to apply to things that actually strengthen our economy.

As for it solving all our problems, no, but then paying people to sit at home, make babies, and smoke pot all day isn't exactly helping either. That's when they aren't working their 20 hours a week at McDonalds for 15 dollars per hour (because they had to cut their hours to keep their section 8 housing and EIC benefits).

pbj:
We are here to bash NASA, not entertain your libertarian fantasies. Thanks!

BadMouth:

--- Quote from: pbj on September 30, 2015, 04:25:27 pm ---The NASA employees I interact with (well, they're all contractors I suppose) have certainly failed to impress. I'm not real sure what the hell any of them actually do.

--- End quote ---

Well, they raided a home and business here last week.
I kept asking NASA, you've got to mean NSA?
Nope. Apparently NASA's Office of Inspector General is granted search warrants.

dkersten:

--- Quote from: pbj on September 30, 2015, 04:51:49 pm ---We are here to bash NASA, not entertain your libertarian fantasies. Thanks!

--- End quote ---
Who else other than you is bashing NASA?

And all I did was respond to the idea that the government's core function is to provide social services. That is the LAST thing a central government should be in place for, and while the facts revolving around it might come across conservative or libertarian or anti-liberal, it's just because they are simple facts. Social programs don't strengthen a nation, stimulating the population to get off their butts and contribute does. Doesn't mean I believe social programs should all go away, just that they should at least come with the means to ensure they aren't abused. Take away the abuse in those programs and start pushing people to contribute again and suddenly you have a country that can fund the kind of research that leads to things like curing diseases and harnessing cleaner energy. Take it however you want.

I will be at Kennedy Space Center next Thursday - a trip I look forward to (will be my 4th visit there in the last 30 years). I don't see it as a trip to see what NASA is working on today, I like seeing the history from back when American's were inspired by programs like this, not immersed in conspiracy theories some Blockbuster cashier came up with in his spare time. I have a friend who works there and I get to hear a few stories now and then about what they are working on and I think it is pretty cool.

harveybirdman:
Wait a minute... You still have Blockbuster?

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