NASA Needs More of Your Money
Posted by: Dalton on: November 21, 2009
On October 9th, 2009 the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) crashed into the moon in a search to find water. The plan was to shoot particles into space from the force of the impact to be analyzed by another satellite that would determine if there was any water in the sample. The total cost of the mission was 79 million dollars. While the mission was successful, was it really necessary?
According the US Office of Management and Budget, the 2007 NASA budget was 15.9 billion dollars. Under Barack Obama’s approval the budget was raised in 2009 for 17.2 billion dollars. The proposed budget for 2010 is 18.7 billion dollars. And NASA is asking for even more in order to fund a manned mission to the moon by the year 2020.
This money is going to a program that is completely wasteful. Our tax dollars are being spent to blow craters in the moon and fund projects that are irrelevant to the American people. How can the government justify spending billions of dollars on such a useless program? Our money should not be spent on exploring space when our national debt is over 12 trillion dollars, and our budget deficit for 2009 is 1.4 trillion dollars. We could be using that money for much more important things, like our own planet.
Our government could possibly put some of that money into education, transportation, health care, and defense; or something that actually benefits Americans. Pretty much anything would be a better cause than NASA.
However, the government does not have the right to take our tax-money and smash holes into the moon with it. If NASA receives a budget cut (assuming the money is not put into another government program), that would mean more money where it belongs, in the pockets of the Americans who earned it.
You can read about the LCROSS here. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/prelim_water_results.html
Smog
Posted by: Dalton on: September 27, 2009
I got a cat! His name is Smog and he really likes attention. I mean really likes attention. If you go into the bathroom, he’ll stand next to the door and meow until you come out. He’s pretty bad about playing around and scratching. Hopefully I can fix that behavior.
But other than that, he’s a really affectionate and very well behaved.
Sorry
Posted by: Dalton on: September 9, 2009
I don’t think I’m going to be posting very frequently for the next few months. I started college last month, and the demands of work and school are too pressing to write very much on this blog.
I’m sure you’ll be just fine without me.
Not Your Money, Not Your Life: Part 2
Posted by: Dalton on: August 14, 2009
Obama has stated that he doesn’t want government to take over health care. Instead, he wants something “uniquely American.” That is, a public alternative, paid for with tax payers’ money. If people want to, they can keep their own doctors and keep their former policies. This public option will compete with private insurers and keep prices down all across the board.
Well, it sounds fantastic. How could anyone oppose such a great piece of legislation?
This is how: when the government starts a program, it doesn’t have to worry about turning a profit. It just has to make the program seem like it’s working. So when the government creates a “public option” for health care, you can bet it’s going to be cheap. A lot of people are going to go along with it. Obama says private companies will compete, but how can they compete with a program that has a seemingly endless flow of tax payers’ money?
Private insurance companies will start to drop employees and go out of business. Hospitals and organizations will have to start paying their workers less. Doctors will leave their jobs in search of something that pays better. Eventually, the “public option” will be one of the only options.
We’ve seen that government run health care just doesn’t work. When people have to pay little, or nothing at all, for medical care, they’re going to take advantage of it. In Canada you can get lots of treatments for free. The catch is you may be waiting for your treatment for a few days…or weeks…or months. People who would have been able to afford treatment may have to wait for an indefinite period of time before they can be seen.
Private companies should be the only option for health care. Competing companies allow for the best treatments at the lowest costs. A government option seems like a great plan, but it’s really just wishful thinking.
