What about NASA?

[rational thinker]

If Ron Paul or a libertarian minded individual were president, they would eliminate all unconstitutional spending and government programs. What about NASA? If we cut off our funds to NASA, who would then fund it? I find NASA to be a very important program that finds revolutionary discoveries in our universe everyday.

 

[Truth Warrior]

If Ron Paul or a libertarian minded individual were president, they would eliminate all unconstitutional spending and government programs. What about NASA? If we cut off our funds to NASA, who would then fund it? I find NASA to be a very important program that finds revolutionary discoveries in our universe everyday.

I think it would stay around at least for the DOD spy satellite missions. Don't forget the goofy international space station too.

 

[mudhoney]

The technology and information involving space that actually helps human beings solve their problems would still be developed without NASA. Satellite communication companies come to mind.

The point is that as long as there is significant desire for something, a free market will result in people providing it to them as long as it is feasible. So if there are enough people that desire information about space exploration, a free market in the area would accommodate them. A free market would probably be even better than NASA, since there would be more competition, and resources would be put toward the research that would benefit people the most.

So in the end, I don't see the threat to space exploration and research if NASA is gone. It's important to a lot of people and a lot of businesses.

Do you think NASA does things that a free market wouldn't accomplish, and it's therefor right to fund it via forced taxation?

 

[rational thinker]

bump

 

[anaconda]

Start private space exploration companies with stock offerings instead of taxing people. They should get to stake claims on valuable discoveries like gold on Jupiter and the like. Patents on proceses that are first accomplished successfully in space or on other worlds. The shareholders will be the beneficiaries.

Although goveerment research in these areas could probably be justified per the Constitution via national defense. Perhaps a national sales tax would be appropriate.

 

[Brooklyn Red Leg]

NASA, sadly, has outlived their usefulness as a manned space agency. They would still get their budget for satellites and some science, but the majority need to simply be let go to help the fledgling civilian space community. Of course, a few need to be prosecuted such as that fraud James Hansen of GISS for his role in massaging/corrupting the temperature data to cause us to pour billions down the Anthropogenic Global Warming hole.

 

[danberkeley]

damn it! someone brought up NASA again.

 

[ClayTrainor]

Start private space exploration companies with stock offerings instead of taxing people. They should get to stake claims on valuable discoveries like gold on Jupiter and the like. Patents on proceses that are first accomplished successfully in space or on other worlds. The shareholders will be the beneficiaries.

Although goveerment research in these areas could probably be justified per the Constitution via national defense. Perhaps a national sales tax would be appropriate.

Very well said.

 

[SeanEdwards]

The government should not run businesses. Rather, when the government needs a service it should buy that service from the marketplace.

So, if the government needs to launch satellites for defense, why can't they bid out the job and let a civilian space business infrastructure work out the details of how to chuck stuff into orbit? The tax money appropriated should be used to purchase results, not to indefinetely employ government workers.

 

[nickcoons]

If we cut off our funds to NASA, who would then fund it? I find NASA to be a very important program that finds revolutionary discoveries in our universe everyday.

It would be funded by people that believe it to be a very important program that finds revolutionary discoveries in our universe everyday.

You are willing to pay for something that you find very important, aren't you? Or when you are faced with the choice of paying for something directly, is it suddenly and mysteriously not so important?

 

[Athan]

Seriously, if we got around to worrying about NASA on the budget because the libertarians took over we would be fine.

The way it would work however is we let the free market work and people have incentive to go to space on their own ingenuity in America because we allow them the freedom to pursue space.