But at the risk of sounding very unpatriotic, is it right that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (US Government) spends something like $16.5 billion per year on exploration, science, space shuttle and space operations, and aeronautics. I'm a big fan of the "first things first" philosophy that, in this case, would hint that there might be ways to spend money much closer to home (Earth) and affecting a greater population. Here's what I'm getting at:
Instead of studying the world of ETs that--*Gasp!*--may not exist outside of Hollywood and top secret bunkers in Roswell, New Mexico, we should put effort towards improving the lives of humans...which do exist. There are poor people, wounded veterans, sick patients...and that's just scratching the surface in the United States. Help out our oppressed and AIDS-stricken brothers and sisters in Africa. Help orphans in Ukraine.
We spend all sorts of money to find out if we can ever live on the moon, Mars and other planets. Maybe we should invest in keeping our own planet Earth in good shape. Without spending a dime I can tell you that Earth IS quite suitable for life, and yet we aren't exactly doing a spectacular job maintaining it. And if we can't safely live on a planet with an ideal mix of water, earth elements and air composition, I'd say we're doomed on a sphere without any of the three.
I'm not saying the current research isn't important, because it probably is and it likely could help us. But let's be real. The discovery of another star by a multi-million dollar camera that we will never recover doesn't exactly do the greatest good for the greatest number here on Earth. And that earth-bound meteor the size of Texas isn't worth fighting either. Not unless Bruce Willis gets involved.
5 comments:
I'm of the opinion that there's enough money to take care of both the exploration and societal ills. People of science have convinced me of the value of the experiments conducted in space. But attempts to establish a colony would be pretty bizarre. We can't even take care of our own planet. But we need to learn how to, and I think we have the financial resources to do so.
The presidential candidate who would turn over the entire media budget of the campaign to any non-profit that fights to eradicate hunger, poverty, and ignorance would have my vote in a heartbeat, regardless of party. People need to show commitment to ridding the world of these underlying causes of strife in society. It should start at the top.
Thank you for a thoughtful entry. I feel badly about my generation not doing more to fix the problems we face.
If I would have written a longer post, it would have gone on to mention the promise of privatizing space exploration. Even NASA encourages that; obviously the benefit of experimenting is priceless. There is plenty of money and plenty of spend. I just think things should be prioritized differently. Thanks for the comments.
We'll continue the conversation in person.
Is that Marvin the Martian? aww! :) You make some good points Brian! You, Em and I have turned into some computer nerds with our blogs :P hehehe!
Yes, it's Marvin. Hoping the cartoon lightened the mood of this post, which I intended to be more of a reflection that the spark of political debate. I'm obviously not the voice of authority, fact or absolute truth on these issues...but I do think about them.
Post a Comment