Subject: NASA costs for Sun venture

Date: Wed Aug 15 15:22:37 2018
User: PineapplefromPompey
Message:
I wonder how many people could be fed, clothed and housed in Africa & Middle East for the cost of the Nasa venture? After all, do we need to go to the Sun? It's hot & light and provides for us! Leave it alone!!!

Date: Wed Aug 15 15:47:02 2018
User: The_Interpreter
Message:
Omarosa's tax funded paycheck would have kept me fed, clothed and housed for a long time, especially in the backwoods of Tennessee.

Date: Wed Aug 15 17:37:42 2018
User: joeygray
Message:
Historically, basic science research has always paid for itself, and yes, I mean in terms of being able to feed more people. Not every project, of course; basic research has an intrinsic hit-or-miss quality about it. But as a whole. And often not in predictable ways.

Date: Fri Aug 17 09:45:13 2018
User: TNmountainman
Message:
What joey said. Unfortunately (and I'm truly not being political here (altho ideological, yes)), since Ronnie came along, exacerbated by W, and taken to an almost art form by the current batch, science has taken a back seat (to be kind). In my WILDEST dreams, I never thought in my lifetime I'd see leadership of our country actually be anti-science. You are free to move here to the backwoods, Mr.(?) Interpreter (no quota yet, altho we're thinkin' about it), but you *would* have to do some adaptin', I'm a-feared.

Date: Mon Aug 20 06:26:27 2018
User: hotnurse
Message:
TN and Joey, just wait until the U.S. Space Force is up and running. With shiny uniforms, logos and lunch boxes to match. Then we will see some awesome space exploration.

Date: Mon Aug 20 09:54:07 2018
User: JackK2018
Message:
It is not the responsibility or obligation to pay for anyone in another country. If these countries became less socialistic, more capitalistic and citizens given Liberties, they would have a higher standard of living.

Date: Mon Aug 20 10:27:29 2018
User: TNmountainman
Message:
While you're technically correct, ever hear of noblesse oblige? No? Look it up. Down thru history, and now, helping one's neighbors helps oneself. In many ways.

Date: Mon Aug 20 12:39:53 2018
User: JackK2018
Message:
Our Country is broke, we are almost 20 Trillion in debt because of this types of spending. The federal government has no assets (Other than land, buildings etc.), it has to take money from citizens under threat of jail to spend it. For the government to give it to others is inherently wrong. If you are wealthy and want to help others, that is noblesse oblige, not giving out other peoples wealth to help you feel good.

Date: Mon Aug 20 13:14:46 2018
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Yes, our country is broke (and I think we know why), but it's not due to "foreign aid". Our foreign aid budget has historically been, and is, about 1% of our budget. So that's not why we're broke. Same with NASA; it's budget is somewhere around 1/2 of 1% of the total. And overall science spending (excluding for military uses) is similarly small, with the NIH (protecting us *as well as* other locales from newly emerging diseases) likely being one of the largest of that small section of the pie. Warfare against communism has been, at best, a very messy proposition, and also, at best, a draw militarily. Much better is the goodwill and economic stability (or better) that keeps the desire for communism at bay. During the '60s and '70s, America's good standing (for the most part) kept communism from spreading in many cases. (Think Africa and South America, for a couple of examples, although certainly not complete or perfect ones.) America's foreign aid, via infrastructure, Peace Corps projects, agricultural assistance, water projects, direct food aid, etc., etc., has prevented the starvation and suffering of millions, again, far from perfectly, of course. There's no way we can, in this format, get at the nuances of all that. Again, I don't disagree with your statement of the problem. But the 'solution' can't just be the way you phrase it. There has to be economic incentive(s) for populations to embrace freedom, liberty, and capitalism. Easier said than done. We are capable of helping. To not do so is absolutely selfish, but really, works against our own economic interests, too. Raising the standard of living of all helps us more than we can imagine, in so many ways. And as joey said way back up there...…...spending on basic science brings untold benefits. We often don't know what they're going to be, but they'll be there. They always have been. Knowledge for it's own sake is a fabulous investment - it's just hard to know what the payoff, or how large, will be.

Date: Mon Aug 20 13:22:01 2018
User: The_Interpreter
Message:
One estimate of the dollar value of The United States is about $23 trillion. We could sell the country, pay off the debt and still have around $2 trillion left over. Problem solved.

Link: Value of United States

Date: Tue Aug 21 10:49:32 2018
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Well...….....that works out to only about $6-7000 per person. How do you expect the Waltons, Buffet or Buffett, Gates, et al, to live on that? What would happen to "Shark Tank"? Also, that doesn't include Alaska and Hawaii. Further......any study that values the land in NJ as the most valuable per acre has got to be flawed prima facie, no?

Date: Tue Aug 21 11:31:25 2018
User: The_Interpreter
Message:
Nobody here is spending any money. Therefore, the Waltons, Buffet, and Gates will still be super rich and everybody else will profit by receiving their windfall $7,000. Now, you may ask "To whom do we sell it?". We sell it to the people who own our debt. This is so simple a solution, I am surprised you didn't think of it. As for New Jersey, obviously you haven't been to the Garden State lately. There is a golf course there swimming in money from the Treasury every weekend.

Date: Tue Aug 21 14:47:09 2018
User: TNmountainman
Message:
Most of our debt we owe to "ourselves". (Sort of borrowing from Sam to pay Sam?) And our debt has now climbed from $20 trillion to $21.21 trillion in slightly more than 24 hours, which seems about right. I'm somewhat surprised at how much of our debt Brazil holds, and slightly surprised (or not?) at the Cayman Islands. Most likely a good chunk of that $6.89 trillion owned by U.S. investors is held by Denny and/or freecell.net (and associated sites).

Link: We owe ourselves, largely