Date: Fri, 21 May 2004 10:55:14 -0400
From: Chuck Divine <chuck.divine at att.net>
To: mensafan at yahoogroups.com, littlem <littlem at yahoogroups.com>,
    WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Moon Mars Followup
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

OK, All,

So far I've gotten the usual messages about the cost of the endeavor.

Actually, while the costs are open to debate, as is the capability of
the industry to succeed at these plans, saying we can't afford it or the
money would be better spent on solving problems on earth simply shows
how bad the aerospace industry is at democratic politics.

Let's put the amount spent on NASA into perspective.

15 billion or so seems like a lot of money.  It's not these days.  We
spend about 26 times as much per year on K-12 education.  We spend 100
times as much on health care.  Expenditures on Iraq alone are many times
what NASA costs.  Even if the Moon Mars proposals did cost a trillion
(that figure has been discredited), that would still be a small portion
of what we spend on the three items already mentioned.

Finding foolish wastes in health care or K-12 education is easy.  For
example, there's the billions we spend on extending the dying of
terminally ill old people.  Compounding that folly is the DEA's criminal
demand that we not adequately treat such people for the pain of their
last days.  We can't have Granny turning into a drug addict in her last
three months of life.  And, on the education front, there's things like
the $600,000 the DC public schools want to spend on the superintendent.
  The notion that one man or woman can straighten out that mess is,
shall we say, most likely erroneous.  Spending that kind of money on
just one person looks quite foolish to me.

I think the aerospace industry needs fundamental reform along democratic
lines.  It's a scandal that 80% of the people in the field don't want
their own children to follow in their footsteps.  Young people are
avoiding science and technology -- aerospace especially -- and for some
good reasons.  Aerospace also needs to connect better with the American
people.  That's another facet of their culture that is not much discussed.

Now, do people have any other thoughts?

The data point that even reasonably intelligent, well informed people
aren't aware of this situation is helpful.  But I'd like more, if possible.

Thanks for your responses so far.

Best,

Chuck Divine