Have Canadian conservatives fallen off their rocker?

[Machjo]

I was just skimming through freedominon.ca (a very right wing Canadian web forum), and it seems in one thread they are criticizing Obama for refusing extra funding for NASA and actually suggesting that they should match the Chinese and Russians when it comes to space exploration. Now these are the same guys who are always talking free enterprise, and now they want US big government to send people on space walks at taxpayers' expense? These are the same guys who always tout that taxes are too high and that the government spends to much. And now they want the government to spend more on space walks!

 

[AnnaG]

It does seem a bit incongruous, huh. lol

 

[Tonington]

Obama increased total funding to NASA, an additional $6 Billion over the next 5 years, which is only a pin drop of what the Constellation program required to be funded adequately to meet program goals. What they have done is revamped the heavy-lift rocket program.

You're right Machjo, it's not ideological, their opposition. It is partisan.

 

[El Barto]

Partisan politics is taking a turn for the worst with every news you read. :angryfire:

 

[Machjo]

If these guys had their way, their brand of conservative government would bankrupt the government with their deep tax cuts and spending increases not only on the military, but Canadian space exploration. Do they think space exploration comes cheap?

 

[eh1eh]

Partisan politics is taking a turn for the worst with every news you read. :angryfire:

Anyone that aligns themselves solely with one party is a closed minded person setting themselves up to be a hypocrite. :-|

Beside that what the hell will they learn from standing around in space. We know that stuff now. We need to develop much more technology to make more ventures off planet feasible. Maybe learn to live undersea with no supplies from the surface. That would be a more practical us of billions.

 

[Machjo]

Anyone that aligns themselves solely with one party is a closed minded person setting themselves up to be a hypocrite. :-|

Beside that what the hell will they learn from standing around in space. We know that stuff now. We need to develop much more technology to make more ventures off planet feasible. Maybe learn to live undersea with no supplies from the surface. That would be a more practical us of billions.

Honestly, I'm not too worried about space until we've dealt with the issues we face here on earth.

 

[Machjo]

My guess is that where they're coming from here is a standpoint of nationalism, the idea that the Anglo-Saxon peoples are the best and that somehow Russian or Chinese superiority in space is a loss of face or pride in the Anglo-Saxon People. I'm guessing this stems from emotionalism devoid of any rational thought. Let the private sector explore space on its own dime.

 

[El Barto]

Honestly, I'm not too worried about space until we've dealt with the issues we face here on earth.

Space can be an investment as Nasa it got a seven dollar return for every dollar invested in it. Don't know if that is true today. But yeah , the economy and our debt are priority. Close management of how our money is spent with in hte government would be a huge chunk in savings.

 

[eh1eh]

Honestly, I'm not too worried about space until we've dealt with the issues we face here on earth.

I can agree with that. We can hedge our bets by doing the research on planet which would kill two birds with one budget.

 

[Tonington]

Well, the thing is Machjo, many technologies perfected for space exploration have become mainstream in our society now. Semi-conductors, water purification, athletic shoes, scratch resistant lenses, solar panels, brake pads....the list is long. Space exploration and it's unique challenges yields all sorts of useful engineering that can be utilized here, and to help solve the issues we face here.

 

[eh1eh]

Well, the thing is Machjo, many technologies perfected for space exploration have become mainstream in our society now. Semi-conductors, water purification, athletic shoes, scratch resistant lenses, solar panels, brake pads....the list is long. Space exploration and it's unique challenges yields all sorts of useful engineering that can be utilized here, and to help solve the issues we face here.

Post #10, Tu c'est quoi?

 

[Tonington]

Well, of course some of the research and development can be done on earth too, it's just that technology transfer is inevitable. Space provides the problem, which is an opportunity that might be missed here on Earth for R&D programs that don't have the same issues to address. Once you have a technology, it can be applied to other areas of human activity that might not have been anticipated.

 

[eh1eh]

In the short term I think that is a viable option. Undersea gives a good simulation of a hostile environment for human despite the lack of harmful radiation and until we discover how to create artificial gravity we can't spend any extended periods in space.

 

[El Barto]

In the short term I think that is a viable option. Undersea gives a good simulation of a hostile environment for human despite the lack of harmful radiation and until we discover how to create artificial gravity we can't spend any extended periods in space.

I vote we send politicians in deep space exploration
the think they paid for it

 

[Tonington]

In the short term I think that is a viable option. Undersea gives a good simulation of a hostile environment for human despite the lack of harmful radiation and until we discover how to create artificial gravity we can't spend any extended periods in space.

Artificial gravity is something they're working on

 

[barney]

Don't really see why comments made on one right-wing site suggests Conservatives (whatever that means) are losing it. But whatever.

In reply:

Financing space programs and the usual anti-tax, micro-sized government, mass privatization blabber is not contrary the right-wing model; space = defence. Who keeps pushing for uber-budget programs like 'star wars?' Precisely.

Hypocritical? Yes. But then, no need to look to space for that: the top US industries (i.e. big business) are all kept viable via unending annual tax dollar handouts...

...that's a publicly-financed bureaucracy that oversees public funds being systematically syphoned into the coffers of a private sector that does nothing but scream the slogans of laissez-faire economics, while facing collapse under real market forces should said funds evaporate.

Anyone with a conscience should get the urge to kill when right-wing types relentlessly bash welfare and blab on about the naturalness of individualism.

 

[Machjo]

Space can be an investment as Nasa it got a seven dollar return for every dollar invested in it. Don't know if that is true today. But yeah , the economy and our debt are priority. Close management of how our money is spent with in hte government would be a huge chunk in savings.

It may be lucrative, but then why not let private investment handle it and then just tax the profits reasonably rather than risk taxpayer funds towards it?

 

[Machjo]

Well, the thing is Machjo, many technologies perfected for space exploration have become mainstream in our society now. Semi-conductors, water purification, athletic shoes, scratch resistant lenses, solar panels, brake pads....the list is long. Space exploration and it's unique challenges yields all sorts of useful engineering that can be utilized here, and to help solve the issues we face here.

Yes, the motive for developing these technologies was to allow for manned space travel. The technologies themselves, however, are used here on earth. So why could we not engage in the same research minus sending someone in space. We'd get the same out of it but for a fraction of the cost.

 

[Machjo]

We keep talking about all these spin-off technologies from space research. We could have achieved the same at a fraction of the cost by simply focusing on developing earthbound technologies to solve earthbound problems.

I'm not against space exploration per se; I just don't think it's a priority right now, for probably for the next few centuries.