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To Da Moon, Georgie!!!
Jan. 9th, 2004 01:54 pmThe news is abuzz with George W. Bush's proposals for a moon base and a mission to Mars. Georgie's a good one for pulling great ideas out of his hat in election years that are important to him, but has had a rather shoddy record on follow through. Help for the African AIDS epidemic, funding for No Child Left Behind, and our anemic efforts at rebuilding Afghanistan are some fine examples.
It's no secret that I want to see a Democrat win in 2004. And I have the bad feeling that the Dems will pooh-pooh this idea as something that should wait until our schools are funded, we have universal health care, and no poverty. Given how exciting this proposal is to many Americans, myself included, I think this could be an excellent springboard for a Democratic campaign, so here's what I'd do with it if I were, say, the Democratic front runner.
1) I would praise it liberally. It's wonderful that our President has come up with something Americans can rally behind that doesn't involve breaking faith with the international community and killing thousands of people. A moon base and thence to Mars! It's so Heinlein it just makes me go Squee!
2) I would point out that resources that we pour into foreign conquest and the reconstruction of things we had'na oughta broke in the first place are resources that aren't moving us toward the goal of space. I would say that if we wish to do this, it should be a high priority on the national agenda.
3) I would point out that we need to be able to turn out the finest engineers, scientists, technicians, and philosphers (yes, philosophers!) in the world if we are going to achieve this, and that means sinking some serious money into both K-12 and higher education.
4) Families who are not healthy, who are distracted by worry about their next meal, or the next month's rent may harbor some of our greatest talent. But as long as these families are struggling just to survive they cannot look to the stars. It's called Maszlow's Hierarchy and it says that until basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and safety are met one tends not to look beyond that. So if we aspire to greatness as a nation, we must first become a great nation, in which healthcare and a living wage are guaranteed to all citizens.
Going to the Moon and Mars are great aspirations. And investing American resources in American talent is the best way to get there. The Democrats have a better track record than the Republicans in this (Kennedy/Johnson gave us the Moon Shot. Reagan gave us Challenger and Bush gave us Columbia), because they have historically poured resources into making America great, rather than merely making America strong.
It's no secret that I want to see a Democrat win in 2004. And I have the bad feeling that the Dems will pooh-pooh this idea as something that should wait until our schools are funded, we have universal health care, and no poverty. Given how exciting this proposal is to many Americans, myself included, I think this could be an excellent springboard for a Democratic campaign, so here's what I'd do with it if I were, say, the Democratic front runner.
1) I would praise it liberally. It's wonderful that our President has come up with something Americans can rally behind that doesn't involve breaking faith with the international community and killing thousands of people. A moon base and thence to Mars! It's so Heinlein it just makes me go Squee!
2) I would point out that resources that we pour into foreign conquest and the reconstruction of things we had'na oughta broke in the first place are resources that aren't moving us toward the goal of space. I would say that if we wish to do this, it should be a high priority on the national agenda.
3) I would point out that we need to be able to turn out the finest engineers, scientists, technicians, and philosphers (yes, philosophers!) in the world if we are going to achieve this, and that means sinking some serious money into both K-12 and higher education.
4) Families who are not healthy, who are distracted by worry about their next meal, or the next month's rent may harbor some of our greatest talent. But as long as these families are struggling just to survive they cannot look to the stars. It's called Maszlow's Hierarchy and it says that until basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and safety are met one tends not to look beyond that. So if we aspire to greatness as a nation, we must first become a great nation, in which healthcare and a living wage are guaranteed to all citizens.
Going to the Moon and Mars are great aspirations. And investing American resources in American talent is the best way to get there. The Democrats have a better track record than the Republicans in this (Kennedy/Johnson gave us the Moon Shot. Reagan gave us Challenger and Bush gave us Columbia), because they have historically poured resources into making America great, rather than merely making America strong.
