I recently read an article dealing with government waste, specifically NASA’s Webb telescope program. Let me copy/paste the facts for you:
“NASA's preposterous Webb Space Telescope project. It was announced in 2002 as a project that would cost $1.2 billion (all figures in this item are in current dollars) and launch no later than 2010. In 2006, NASA said the cost had risen to $2.6 billion and the launch date slipped to 2014. In 2008, NASA said the cost was up to $5.2 billion. Last week NASA told Congress that it needs $8.7 billion for the project and cannot launch before 2018...
the House of Representatives appeared to cancel the top-heavy Webb telescope project last spring, zeroing it out of a budget bill. This was when Barack Obama and John Boehner were swearing they would reduce government spending. Canceling the Webb was among the few specific examples of actual savings mentioned by either. This week, the Senate is expected to add back $500 million for the "canceled" project. Much of the work on the Webb is being done in Maryland, and Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski has dutifully carried water for every NASA money request. Mikulski argues that Webb spending creates jobs. So would hiring people to dig holes and then fill them up. Government should either create jobs that are beneficial to society, or cut spending so that Americans can make their own decisions about how resources should be allocated. Creating wasteful jobs is a negative for society.”1
So the question for the people of Maryland and almost anywhere else is “What’s your Price?” What government hand-out will it take for you to lay down your political support or vote? American politics has transformed into a handout system where you benefit the most by doing the least. My price, at least for the moment, is a Federal Pell Grant that allows me to attend college nearly tuition free.2
I would largely base my political support on the candidate that will allow me to continue to receive this handout. In principle that is not very different from what the middle managers at NASA have been doing with the Webb Telescope program.
This type of system has led our government and our individuals to compile huge amounts of debt, with no clear way to repay it all. So, how do we change the Greek-like path that we’re headed down? I’m not sure, and I’m fairly certain that those in charge of the government now aren’t sure either. We have a system that allows us to change who’s in charge every few years. Why haven’t we used it to change? Because we’re comfortable with the system right now. We have yet to feel any real and lasting consequences on personal levels, and politicians have taken us far into debt to keep it that way. We, Americans, have given up our political power for a few thousand dollars in handouts every year so that power mongering, idiotic politicians can borrow TRILLIONS in our name. Take back America. Vote for Ron Paul!
2 Whether that education is really worth the thousands of dollars taxpayers pay every year is highly questionable.
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