John's Blog

It's a sad day when I greet the news that NASA plans a return to the Moon within 13 Years with skepticism and disapproval. As a child, I viewed astronauts and the moon mission as heroic with the kind of reverence that is usually devoted to sports stars (back when they were role models). To the baby boom generation, this quest represented the "can-do" spirit of America at it's best, the one where anything was possible. Those were heady times. And then a few events changed our perspective. Our recent history of space disaster, our disastrous foreign policy, and the pressing needs of our current domestic problems come to mind.

I'm not saying that we should nail the shutters on NASA and bask in the glory of the trophy case of our past achievements. I feel we need to continue an active space program. But I question our motivations. W floated this trial balloon as part of his re-election campaign. In much the same way as he has misappropriated emotions surrounding 9-11, the "war on terror", and even WWII, he now tries to wrap himself in a Kennedy-like optimism. Why not a retro-Apollo program? Hey, Detroit doesn't have that many good ideas except to recycle old successes so why not use the same strategy.

Until we start coming to grips with how we can pay for what we have already committed to, I can't take this seriously. Roll back the tax cuts for the upper income brackets, and then maybe we can talk.