Obama's bold new education plan

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

Story Here


I like the quote from a Republican National Committee spokesman..

"It is ironic that Barack Obama's plan to help our children reach for the stars is financed in part by slashing a program that helps us learn about those very same stars," Danny Diaz said.

Because sending machines to mars is far more important than putting good teachers and financial backing in the education of our citizens.

I don't even remember learning about mars or the moon in my science classes, other than that they're both part of the galaxy and where they are. People take Astronomy at LHS as an easy science credit.

I'd much rather have good teachers, or good resources, than to look at pictures of the surface of mars. I think the benefit of the education plan outweighs the benefit from the Mars program.

[Stephen Eisel]

Space exploration has created a lot of spin off technology that has created a lot of tax revenue....

[ryan costa]

We aren't going to colonize space. The only thing to do in space is spend government money and listen to micrometeors of frozen urine hit the hull of the ship.

Nasa's primary research should be in putting up earth orbital satellites to study the earth and the solar system. It will never be cost effective to haul resources from the moon or Mars back to earth.

[Stephen Eisel]

We aren't going to colonize space. The only thing to do in space is spend government money and listen to micrometeors of frozen urine hit the hull of the ship.

Nasa's primary research should be in putting up earth orbital satellites to study the earth and the solar system. It will never be cost effective to haul resources from the moon or Mars back to earth.

Yeah, thanks to Dr. Smith..


slackers in space (clicky)

[Brian Pedaci]

Space exploration has created a lot of spin off technology that has created a lot of tax revenue....

But the revenues for the companies who developed that technology are greater. If you try to make it about return on investment for the government, you'll lose. There is, I believe, a mandate for the human race to explore the stars. Let's work on getting a budget surplus first before we start shooting our money into space.

[Stephen Eisel]

Space exploration has created a lot of spin off technology that has created a lot of tax revenue....

But the revenues for the companies who developed that technology are greater. If you try to make it about return on investment for the government, you'll lose. There is, I believe, a mandate for the human race to explore the stars. Let's work on getting a budget surplus first before we start shooting our money into space.

I was trying to make that exact same point... Eg. NASA was instrumental in the development of photovoltaic power. Now that industry is booming..

[Brian Pedaci]

If a company sees a lucrative future in a particular technology, they'll R&D it without the government's help. I could think of a dozen technological investments the government could make today that would bring economic and ecological dividends much quicker than anything that would be developed to run a manned Mars mission.

It's a noble goal, but why do we even pretend to have a national budget if we're just going to spend whatever we want, on whatever we want, anyway? Realistically, the GWOT is going to make any non-essential spending impossible in the foreseeable future anyway.

[ryan costa]

The U.S. is running low on Plumbers, state licensed electricians, concrete masons, and iron workers.

[Stephen Eisel]

If a company sees a lucrative future in a particular technology, they'll R&D it without the government's help. I could think of a dozen technological investments the government could make today that would bring economic and ecological dividends much quicker than anything that would be developed to run a manned Mars mission.

It's a noble goal, but why do we even pretend to have a national budget if we're just going to spend whatever we want, on whatever we want, anyway? Realistically, the GWOT is going to make any non-essential spending impossible in the foreseeable future anyway.

True but many technologies are pioneered by the government then the private sector brings them to markert.