Obama wants to severely cut our Mars program...

[keyboardlover]

Why is this guy always cutting stuff that actually makes sense

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/story/2012-03-21/arizona-scientists-mars-research-cuts/53681672/1

[hcry4]

From the article...

The proposed cuts are part of the Obama administration's efforts to shift priorities for the space program. Under his plan, NASA's total budget of $17.7 billion would decrease only slightly, by 0.3 percent, or $59 million.
Some NASA divisions, however, such as Planetary Science, which includes the Mars program, would see deeper cuts. Others would get additional funding, including the Earth Science division and the James Webb Telescope, a large infrared space telescope pegged to launch in 2018 that has been plagued by cost overruns.
NASA's proposed budget also doubles seed money for developing commercial spaceflights, to $829 million.
In unveiling budget details at a recent news conference, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the proposal allows the nation to aggressively pursue space exploration in a constrained fiscal environment. He said "tough choices" had to be made. As part of the proposed changes, a new Mars planning group will develop a new strategy for the program.
Bolden said the administration is committed to continuing the country's leadership role in Mars exploration, within the available budget. Goals include new robotic missions and future human missions to Mars, he said. Human missions are not likely to happen for a while. The Mars Science Laboratory, scheduled to land in August, features the largest robotic rover to date but is unmanned.

[godly_music]

Good. Deeper space missions are ridiculously expensive and I doubt the benefit they bring. We'll never settle other planets or reach manned flight beyond the solar system with technology. Either we'll destroy ourselves before the tech reaches that level or we'll develop enough spiritually that it'll just not be important anymore.

[davkol]

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[FinancialWar]

Mars belongs to China

[Ekaros]

You guys can't afford it anyway. The rich won't be paying for that, it should be exploited by corporations...

[silat]

Does this mean we cannot send Gingrich to Mars?

[keyboardlover]

And now he wants to increase our deficit over the next 10 years.

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/216397-obama-budget-adds-35-trillion-in-deficits-cbo-finds

I just don't get him. Nor do I get why anyone would want to vote for him.

[Parak]

Lawl @ people that say that we can't afford it:

[video=youtube;CbIZU8cQWXc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc[/video]

[keyboardlover]

How can we afford it? We're paying for it with borrowed money!

[itlnstln]

Why is this guy always cutting stuff that actually makes sense

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/story/2012-03-21/arizona-scientists-mars-research-cuts/53681672/1

How can we afford it? We're paying for it with borrowed money!

So... what's your position?

[keyboardlover]

So... what's your position?

It's not already clear to you?

Cut what ****ing makes sense and fund what ****ing makes sense!

[Malphas]

What would you cut and what would you keep if you were Obama, keyboardlover?

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

Give Obummer a break. I agree ending the Shuttle program without a replacement was a huge mistake, but it was Bush – not Obama – who talked about space exploration and then proceeded to liberate NASA of 20% of its overall budget. It was Bush who inherited Clinton's $200 billion surplus and blew it all on cocaine and Iraqi hookers. Obama inherited FDR-era economic numbers. The GOP harpies harangue him for spending money on health insurance and funding anything to do with birth control, then complain when China outpaces the U.S. in growth and innovation. Obama can't win.

[keyboardlover]

What would you cut and what would you keep if you were Obama, keyboardlover?

Not an easy question to answer.

In short, I would cut all government-funded programs which provide little-no value. There are a LOT of them.

I would keep things that make sense: securing our borders, technology/science programs (including space, oceans and technology which I believe are all super important), education in general, among others.

Our government has proven time and time again that it is terrible at micro-managing. We need to cut that rubbish and allow the private sector to help in this regard. They provide a hell of a lot more value than the government does.

[Malphas]

I think the problem is this though:



Governments pay more on debt interest than they do on things the things people talk about cutting. Odds are if the Republicans were in power, the expenditure would be near identical.  It's like here in the UK where all the idiot socialists (as in genuine European-style socialists, not American "socialist" which basically just means centre or centre-right) are complaining about the Tories making these huge, terrible cuts when in fact it's just an insignificant percentage.  Then the kind of person (e.g. Ron Paul) who would make genuinely significant cuts, like slashing social security and defence budgets are all depicted as (and to some extent are) fringe laughing stocks by mainstream politicians (who are all essentially the same, regardless of party affiliation).

[silat]

Not an easy question to answer.

In short, I would cut all government-funded programs which provide little-no value. There are a LOT of them.

I would keep things that make sense: securing our borders, technology/science programs (including space, oceans and technology which I believe are all super important), education in general, among others.

Our government has proven time and time again that it is terrible at micro-managing. We need to cut that rubbish and allow the private sector to help in this regard. They provide a hell of a lot more value than the government does.

Lol 40 yrs of Reagan trickled down voodoo pizz on you economics and no meaningfull regulation let the "private" sector ruin the world economy.
And you want to double down?

[audioave10]

An astronaut's body would not ever recover from a year in space. They need to spend more on Science and less on Wall Street.

[Malphas]

An astronaut's body would not ever recover from a year in space. They need to spend more on Science and less on Wall Street.

Valeri Polyakov and several other cosmonaut's have spent over a year in space without any disastrous long-term effects.