Jan 27 2010

Obama – The Job Killer

One of the things the federal government does well is pushing the envelope and scientific exploration. Yes, the rubes surrounding global warming are a pathetic lot, but they are the exception to the rule. The internet by which I am allowed to post my gems of wisdom (or incoherent ramblings – pick your poison) is a prime example of technology offshoots from the military and space industrial complex. The Hubble Space Telescope explores the universe bringing us stunning images and knowledge based on technology that is derived from our intelligence efforts. The world wide communications we take for granted to instantly learn and react to news around the globe is an offshoot of military programs. The globe is ringed with Earth observing satellites monitoring our weather and the health of our home planet. I could go on and on reviewing how federal programs have benefited mankind in indirect ways in medicine, learning, corporate efficiencies, etc.

So when I read this I was stunned at the short sighted ‘thinking’ that went into it:

When the White House releases his budget proposal Monday, there will be no money for the Constellation program that was supposed to return humans to the moon by 2020. The troubled and expensive Ares I rocket that was to replace the space shuttle to ferry humans to space will be gone, along with money for its bigger brother, the Ares V cargo rocket that was to launch the fuel and supplies needed to take humans back to the moon.

There will be no lunar landers, no moon bases, no Constellation program at all.

In their place, according to White House insiders, agency officials, industry executives and congressional sources familiar with Obama’s long-awaited plans for the space agency, NASA will look at developing a new “heavy-lift” rocket that one day will take humans and robots to explore beyond low Earth orbit. But that day will be years — possibly even a decade or more — away.

In the meantime, the White House will direct NASA to concentrate on Earth-science projects — principally, researching and monitoring climate change — and on a new technology research and development program that will one day make human exploration of asteroids and the inner solar system possible.

Worldwide there are dozens of satellites monitoring the Earth – all being ignored by the global warming alarmists who dismiss their data since it runs counter to the liberal mythology and religion that is man made, CO2 driven global warming. We don’t need more of them, we need to recognize their superior capabilities and the results they produce.

Where ever this brain fart came from, it is a job killer. There are thousands of people working Constellation all across this country. They are developing new ideas, new solutions and potentially new products to stimulate our economy and enhance our competitive position in the world. Unlike DoD programs where security restrictions delay the migration of state-of-the-art concepts from moving into the private sector, NASA’s products (being unclassified to a great extent) move more freely into the general civilian market place.

These jobs will be lost, and lost in states that do not support Earth Observing research. That means Texas (home of manned space flight), Ohio, Alabama and California (home of deep space missions).  I am fortunate in that I work at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, home to Earth Science exploration. We will benefit greatly, but at too large a cost.

Mankind needs a common goal to rally around. Exploring our solar system, and some day the wider universe, is a non-partisan challenge which excites and drives a lot of people in common interest. Even through the most tumultuous periods with Russia, US and Soviet (now Russian) space endeavors were the shining example where politics was thrown aside (that and Rock & Roll). To this day we partner with nations around the globe on space exploration.

And President Obama wants to end this high tech, common good effort. And for what? The entire NASA budget is less than the nation spends on pizza annually. The DoD blasts through the equivalent funding in 3-4 weeks as NASA spends all year (which means this week, since New Years Day,  the DoD just spent what NASA will spend the rest of the year).

The Administration spent $300 billion on supposedly shovel ready jobs in its stimulus bill debacle, primarily on paving roads, building bike paths and other marginal efforts. Why kill off these high tech jobs?

This decision is just unfathomable. Why throw all these top notch engineers onto the unemployment lines, or onto DoD programs?  What is the upside?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Par for the course for this young and inexperienced administration.

16 responses so far

16 Responses to “Obama – The Job Killer”

  1. Neo says:

    This certainly isn’t Camelot.

    Looks like just as Scott Brown wiped away the living memory of the Kennedy-s in MA, Obama is doing the cleanup job to remove manned space flight, the living memory of JFK.

    The era of the Kennedy-s is over.

  2. lurker9876 says:

    I knew back in year 2007 and 2008 that Obama wants to shut down the entire NASA system. Obama did not see the benefit of its existence. He never saw how NASA is one of the few goods-producing system for the commercial market.

    All that will be left is the Space Station with Soyuz and Progress support for logistics and human replacement.

    By killing the majority of NASA, Obama will put about half a million people or more on the unemployment list.

    Florida voted for Obama in year 2008. Not many people knew exactly what Obama thought about NASA or believed that Obama wants to shut down NASA.

    To my surprise, my OS group for a NASA constract is made up of strong Obama supporters. I am sure they remain staunch Obama supporters…until maybe today. We shall see.

    All because many of these voters hated Bush or that McCain selected Palin. They’d rather vote for a socialist over Palin? Good grief!

    Now…if Obama was running for President today, only 30 percent would re-elect him. My OS group would be in this 30 percent.

    I’ve a feeling though that the Democrats will fight Obama on this one. They won’t let him shut down NASA. It seems that NASA’s senators and representatives are constantly having to fight for these funds when they don’t have to fight for the entitlement programs.

    I think it is a mistake to seek rocket alternatives to Ares 1 and Ares 5 as any rocket alternative is a delay to the first launch of Constellation.

    Not only a young and inexperience administration but a very stupid administration…in all areas…both domestic and foreign.

    Elections do have consequences.

  3. WWS says:

    Absolutely right, this is a job killer, and every bit as bad as you portray.

    re: Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, home to Earth Science exploration.

    When the backlash starts in about a year and a half, Goddard is going to get hit hard just because it was a favorite of Obama’s. Sad and probably unjustified, but that’s how politics works. Republicans desperate to cut the budget will start with anything that was discretionary under Obama. Remember what happened to the supercollider? Once any project ceases to impact a large number of states, it loses its ability to draw support from the Congress. Maryland will find itself on the losing end of a 49 – 1 vote in the next Congress.

    Problem by then will be that with Constellation disbanded, it will be too expensive to get it going again, so it won’t be brought back.

    Obama will have effectively disbanded NASA.

    At least space exploration isn’t completely dead:

    “India to send two astronauts into space in 2016.”

    “Space scientists and senior officials of the state-run ISRO are preparing a pre-project report to build the infrastructure and facilities for the mission, estimated to cost a whopping Rs.124 billion ($2.76 billion).”

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-to-send-two-astronauts-into-space-in-2016/articleshow/5505513.cms

  4. lurker9876 says:

    My senator, representative, governor, and major will be fighting against Obama on this one.

    I have no hope for Charlie Crist. What about Bill Nelson? Will he fight for it? I think he will.

    When we lost the key people that built the shuttle orbiter, it became harder to bring that group of people back. No new shuttles can be built today.

  5. del says:

    Wouldn’t it be nice if this inept administration first began to look at cutting out the pork from the non-stimulus bill and cut out the earmarks from the budget. That should more than cover the NASA budget. No that would be too sane and simple for these elite (s)thinkers.

  6. Toes192 says:

    Michelle ran a cute post asking people to fill the blank… http://michellemalkin.com/2010/01/26/fill-in-the-blank-obama-proposing-spending-freeze-is-like/#comments
    .
    Mine… Obama proposing a spending freeze is like ordering a diet drink along with your double burger… large fries… and… pie a la mode and thinking you are sticking with your diet…
    .
    Your pet rock, Aj is the Constellation program…
    [You make a A+++ argument for continuing it… I’m NOT NOT commenting on the merits of the Constellation program] …
    .
    Probably ALL ! Senators and Congressmen have a pet rock… and… will try to get their own pet rock exempted from the “freeze.”
    .
    btw… it’s a fake freeze, isn’t it… My wife spent $1,000 buying groceries yesterday… so I ordered a “freeze” on buying any more food for a month…
    .
    However, Swami predicts that President Obama will make a great speech tonight… He’s very good at that…

  7. […] Obama – The Job Killer […]

  8. Jinny says:

    I am not surprised. In every way possible this President is destroying America. Who will benefit from this cut? It won’t be our country.

  9. […] help if you don’t whine and complain about Big Government Obama (see also: Ed Driscoll, AJ Strata) when he actually proposes a cut to a program that you just so happen to like.  Either […]

  10. TomAnon says:

    No Ares, No Constellation = No NASA, no excitement, no exploration…

    There is nothing more boring than babysitting satellites. I have a lot or respect for my fellows Engineers at Goodard but man is that boring. Guess we will be contracting the lifting to the Russians and the European Space Agency.

  11. daniel ortega says:

    At some point you’ll say it is the Cloward-Piven
    strategy for the destruction of American exceptionalism.
    Obama is making no mistakes, we are, for still giving him the
    bennnefit of the doubt.

  12. dbostan says:

    I am asking a rhetorical question:

    “If Obama would be anti-American, what different would he be doing from what he is doing already?”.

    The answer is obvious: he is working against this country on purpose.
    There is no other explanation for the succession of policies that will certainly lead to a weaker America.

    We must impeach this guy.
    It is as simple as this.

  13. lurker9876 says:

    I am hoping Congress will NOT include this in its budget when they send it to him.

    Obama must know that Congress won’t go along with it.

    But in a way it’s a good thing that he’s doing it because he’s forcing people to finally believe it for once.

    But I do think and hope that Congress will give NASA more money.

    Funny how a Kennedy started this and a Kennedy loss ended Health Care.

    And didn’t he shaft Caroline Kennedy in a way?

  14. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by AJ Strata and Republican Observer, Rush Runs America. Rush Runs America said: Obama – The Job Killer http://bit.ly/b59EsG :: Strata-sphere […]

  15. […] me, it’s disappointing the current administration wants to cut the NASA space exploration budget to zero. Maybe because I’m in the generation whose first memories include a black and […]

  16. Neo says:

    The unemployment rate currently stands at around 10 percent, which Paulson said was “the best possible outcome.” He said he did not like the idea of a bank bailout but considered it crucial to save the economy.
    “What was very hard for me was advocating things that I hated,” he said. “And having to defend them to members of Congress that found it repugnant to have the government have ownership positions or put equity in banks.”
    Congress, however, was not willing to go along with the plan, Paulson said, unless he would be able to sell the idea to the American people.
    “They wanted us to tell the American people how bad things could get,” Paulson said. “I shuddered, because I thought, to the extent we scared people, it was going to make the crisis worse.”

    If 10% was the best possible outcome, how come the incoming administration said it wouldn’t go over 8% ?