A good reason why the Government needs to get OUT of the Space Business!
(Via Insty)
The problem:
The problem was that after the ISS was complete, without the Shuttle, the U.S. would have no capability to reach it, and there would be a “gap” in capability until some sort of replacement was developed. At the time of the announcement, the “Crew Exploration Vehicle” (CEV) was the proposed means, but it wasn’t expected to be ready until 2014, resulting in a “gap” of at least three years, and probably longer. When Mike Griffin replaced Sean O’Keefe in 2005, he rolled out a concept called Constellation, which included the CEV, renamed at that time Orion. It also included a new rocket for it, that had not been anticipated in the original Bush plan, called Ares I, despite the fact that existing rockets, such as the Atlas V or Delta IV, could have done the job. Griffin even originally claimed that his plan would reduce the gap, being ready by 2011.
Unfortunately, the design chosen was flawed, and ran into technical difficulties immediately, increasing its costs and stretching its schedule. Because there had not originally been plans for a new launcher, there wasn’t sufficient budget to support it, and other budgets, in science and technology, and the hardware actually needed to get back to the moon, were raided to feed the rocket disaster. The schedule was slipping more than a year per year, and by 2009, when the Augustine Committee was convened to evaluate the situation, it moved rightward to 2017, with only a low probability of hitting that operational date.
[…]
Next year, it will be a full decade since Columbia was lost. And judging by the pathetic state of space policy discussion we’ve seen over the past few days, with Mitt Romney hiring Mike Griffin, the man who caused this policy disaster, to advise him, it’s likely that we’ll still be floundering and earth bound, despite the billions we’ve spent and continue to spend.
The Solution:
The United States of America needs to get the hell OUT of the space business! Period! End of Discussion. It has been proven time and time again that NASA is nothing more than a wasteful, hazardous, big Government bureaucracy. Let private companies do the research, the development and the deployment. The question is this; how many more astronauts are going to have to be killed, before we realize that the United States Government is not good at space exploration?
This is the entire problem with Neoconservatives or big Government Conservatives; they rail against Big Government, but when it comes to programs like space exploration — they are all for it. Wake up guys! Big Government is Big Government! Either kill the space program and let private companies do the job or stop calling yourself small Government advocates, because you look like absolute hypocrites. This is not some off-the-wall Ron Paul sounding stuff either. It is simply common sense, something that is sorely lacking in the world of politics and Government today.
It is time that Republican and Conservatives started talking and really acting like that which they claim to be. Either we believe in small Government or we don’t. Pick a position please. We do not have the money to be the leader in space exploration anymore. We need to fully privatize that industry. The Russians are no longer a threat to our society, the cold war is over, finally. So, why do we care what the Russians do?
This is the stuff here, that separates me from the rest of the “right” in the Blogosphere. The rest of these guys believe in small Government, except when it comes to space programs. History proves that Government space programs are dangerously misguided; Challenger, Columbia, Apollo — all of them.
We need to stop it, before more people are killed.
Hope and Change: More Jobs to Disappear
(H/T Insty)
Oh my….:
Disappointing Jobs – While everyone seems to debating what the non-farm payroll numb will be Friday, a few are looking toward the annual revisions in the much debated Birth/Death model.
As you probably recall, it does not refer to the birth or death of humans. The badly named model refers to the birth and death of businesses. Each January the BLS revises the number, usually vaporizing thousands of jobs.
We were going to try and calculate the likely revision, but our sharp-eyed friend over at Bloomberg, Rich Yamarone, as usual, beat us to it. Here’s what he wrote in his Notepad column recently:
The Net Birth/Death (NBD) statistic adjustment – an adjustment the BLS uses to account for job creation or loss with respect to births and deaths of businesses – is always the weakest during January. Over the last five years the NBD for January has averaged -335k. [January 2011: -339k, January 2010: -427k, January2009: -356k, January 2008: -378k, January2007: -175k.]
So, if past is prologue, we could see three or four hundred thousand jobs vanish. Nothing like a dependable indicator.
via Art Cashin Explains Why Several Hundred Thousand Jobs Are About To “Vaporize” | ZeroHedge.
Between this and the new scandal involving Eric Holder, this President is screwed.
A Reminder: February 14 Starbucks Appreciation Day for Second Amendment supporters
Thanks to InstaPundit for the link:
There are just 13 days left before Valentine’s Day, when both sides of the gun control debate square-off over lattes. On one side, the National Gun Victim’s Action Council is promoting a February 14th boycott of Starbucks; the Seattle coffeesmith allows firearms on its premises (where it is otherwise legal to do so). On the other side of the issue, gun blogger Sebastian devised Starbuck’s Appreciation Day on the same day. Thousands of gun owners have pledged their participation, promising to spend a $2 bill at Starbucks to show their support for the company’s common sense position. The $2 question: should the TJ go in the barristas’ tip jar or should we use it to pay for the coffee? Your thoughts?
via Starbucks Appreciation Day Update: Tip Jar or Till? | The Truth About Guns.
Now to figure out where the nearest Starbucks is around here!
Wait minute….Isn’t that where all the smelly liberals hang out?!?!? 😮
The things we freedom loving people must endure. 🙄
Amazon Deal of the Day
Explaining myself
I really do not feel the need to do this; but just in case someone tries to accuse me of talking out of both sides of my rather large pothole — I will. 😀
I said in the space of 24 hours a few things that might make some of you think I am either being hypocritical or double-minded. (who me? 😯 )
Quoting me here:
Furthermore, the reason for my decision is this; the race of the GOP’s nomination for President of the United States is not supposed to be a religious test. If that is the case in the Republican Party, then why in the name of the Almighty God of Heaven did Newt Gingrich use the Jews as a proxy to attack Mitt Romney’s Mormonism? I know the answer —-desperation. I do not wish to support a man, who instructs his advisors to play “Dirty Pool.” It shows of the man’s character and I find it lacking greatly. I will not call Newt Gingrich an Anti-Semite, as I do not know his heart or him personally. However, I found this attack to most untactful, idiotic and highly unbecoming of someone who is supposed to be a Reagan Conservative.
and…quoting me here:
…and by the way, Mitt? We’re not that concerned about your stupid, out of touch, rich, white Mormon ass either!
Now at first blush, you would say, “Hey! You’re just as bad as Newt!” and to your credit, it does look that way.
However, one thing is missing; and that is the fact that I was not attacking Mitt Romney because he is a Mormon — I was attacking Mitt Romney because he sounded like an out of touch elitist.
Sometimes I do not make stuff like that clear and I get accused of being a hypocrite or not practicing what I preach. One of my worst character traits is that I always assume that everyone else knows what I am referring to; and sometimes I use the wrong words or wrong express to covey a thought. It might have something to do with my A.D.H.D. So, pardon me if you misread the above thought I was double-jaw-jackin’ ya’ll. I wasn’t. I knew what I meant! Now, everyone else? Not so much. 😛
One of these fine days I will finally learn that we as humans are not clairvoyant! 😀
Quote of the Day
A U.S. Justice Department source has told The Daily Caller that at least two DOJ prosecutors accepted cash bribes from allegedly corrupt finance executives who were indicted under court seal within the past 13 months, but never arrested or prosecuted.
The sitting governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, his attorney general and an unspecified number of Virgin Islands legislators also accepted bribes, the source said, adding that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is aware prosecutors and elected officials were bribed and otherwise compromised, but has not held anyone accountable.
The bribed officials, an attorney with knowledge of the investigation told TheDC, remain on the taxpayers’ payroll at the Justice Department without any accountability. The DOJ source said Holder does not want to admit public officials accepted bribes while under his leadership.
That source said that until the summer of 2011, the two compromised prosecutors were part of a team of more than 25 federal prosecutors pursuing a financial crime ring, and at least five other prosecutors tasked to the case were also compromised by the criminal suspects they were investigating, without being bribed.
New Look
I was not really happy with that former theme, and I saw this one on another blog. I may have ran this before, possibly log ago. But I’m gonna try it out.
that is all…
Mitt Romney sticks his foot in his mouth…..again
Just when I think the stupidity bar has been reached, someone comes along and raises the bar. In other words; move over Jennifer Petkov and Newt Gingrich, you have company. 🙄
The Video:
The Story:
After winning the Florida primary, GOP presidential nominee hopeful Mitt Romney explains to CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien that he is focused on a particular portion of the American population in his campaign.
Romney says, “I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs a repair , I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich…. I’m concerned about the very heart of America, the 90-95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling.”
O’Brien asked him to clarify his remarks saying, “There are lots of very poor Americans who are struggling who would say, ‘That sounds odd.'”
Romney continues, “We will hear from the Democrat party, the plight of the poor…. You can focus on the very poor, that’s not my focus…. The middle income Americans, they’re the folks that are really struggling right now and they need someone that can help get this economy going for them.”
via Mitt Romney: middle income Americans are focus, not very poor – CNN Press Room – CNN.com Blogs.
What a better way to communicate to the rest of world, such as independent voters, like me — who struggling and looking for work; and cannot find a job — like me.
…and by the way, Mitt? We’re not that concerned about your stupid, out of touch, rich, white Mormon ass either! 😡
What really steams me, is the fact that this idiot is — what black liberals accuse me of being; which makes it even worse. 😡
I hate to post this, because I like to try and keep the swearing on this blog to a minimum; but this right here, is some seriously serious Weapons-Grade asshole-manship right there…
Others: Erick’s blog, Michelle Malkin, American Spectator, National Review, No More Mister Nice Blog, Liberal Values, The Enterprise Blog, Opinionator, Business Insider, PERRspectives, RedState, New York Times, The Atlantic Online, Informed Comment, Riehl World View, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Little Green Footballs, Stinque, Booman Tribune, Washington Monthly, The PJ Tatler and Taylor Marsh — Via Memeorandum
