Quote:
Originally Posted by Azure
Ugh.
Read my post. There is 'other' pork to cut from the budget in order to fund the education plan.
Luxury program? You think the most brilliant minds in the world working together for the greater good of humanity is a luxury? Give me a break.
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I don't think any of these things. I do not agree that NASA is a luxury program, I just think Obama views the American people as being largely indifferent to cutting funds from NASA because it is such an abstract program. The benefits are not immediate, but the costs are. So the Obama campaign targeted it as something they can cut with little to no political backlash. The other 'pork' you refer to is a product of the American political system. Senior senators getting a million here and a million there back to their states often for ridiculously unnecessary things. No way you get can every senator to agree to get rid of their unnecessary 'pork' because the political backlash they'd each incur would be HUGE. Targeting a program like NASA, where only a couple senators (Texas and Florida? I'm guessing?) would be hurt politically is a more effective way to go about finding funds.
My personal opinion is that, NASA is an important program in need of funding. I agree with Lanny that the US can find funds by deserting its occupation of Iraq.