Way to tunnel on the insignificant.
Val, I don't hear you gladly giving up ultrasound.
Peg, I don't hear you bemoaning the evils of solar power & hydroponics.
And yes, the whole world is a better place because of dustbusters and light weight golf clubs. The whole world is a better place with miniature vacuum systems and carbon fiber composites - if for no other reason than having those things enabled many of the other advances as well. But it is more than that. Carbon fiber has revolutionized construction, making materials stronger and lighter thereby reducing the amount of material required and the energy required to fabricate. Aside from making some previously impossible structures possible.
Step back. See the whole board.
The hypocrisy of this line of argument composed on a mini computer pioneered by space technology and shared over a network paid for be defense spending is monumental.
Sure, there are people not as well of as we are. And that's a sad thing. But this is apples and oranges.
Giving them our money doesn't solve their problem. But if it did, I guess I make the following proposal:
All first world countries should have to give up air conditioning. A/C would only be allowed for infants, pregnant women, seniors, and in cases of historic conservation and scientific research. The rest is really just wasted for our comfort, and the amount of money spend on energy for A/C around the world could easily feed this population - without stagnating our technical and engineering progress.
Or how about pets? Let's outlaw pets. How much do you think the US spends on pet food? Do you spend more on pet food than you donate to hunger relief each year? Feeding a dog rather than a person in Africa? That speaks volumes as to the purity of this position.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
My Tax Dollars at Work
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5 comments:
you picked two out of three wrong.
The only reason I get ultrasounds is because my doctor requires it. I had one. Most pregnant women have more. I am not even particularly interested in the one but as i said, my doc sees it as an important tool and so since i am willingly under her care, I submit to her wishes. I decline all the optional tests. I think pregnancy and childbirth has become unbearably technological in the past twenty years. I'm not saying I am ungrateful for the safety the things afford but all other things being equal I can and do happily forego ultrasounds.
and as far as ac goes, i don't have it. we did buy one for the boys but i don't like ac. it makes my sinuses hurt and i have always liked the heat. it's tougher to deal with as a pregnant woman but i still prefer heat to cold.
you got me on the pets. they fit into the category of, "Computers. Woudl you give up your computer?" Well, if I didn't have a computer, we wouldn't even be having this debate. I enjoy my comuter and the access to the world it has gained me, and the friends I have made through it.
maybe the way to look at it is as my husband suggested - purely logistically. If nasa were to give up say, half its funding, how could we channel it to where it needs to go? hwo would we decide where it went? how would we avoid the political machinations and corruption that lead to many of the famine and health problems here and elsewhere, in the first place?
I grow fatigued by the entire conversation.
Before I got stuck defending the usefulness of the space program, my point was that it isn't an either or.
The UN says it would need $6 billion to meet the basic nutitional needs of every person alive.
If this were important to the US (or frankly the world, as we aren't the only rich country) the government would come up with $6 billion - and they'd do it without defunding national science research.
For some reason it isn't important to enough of us do spend the money.
Why? I don't know. But its not as if someone somewhere sat down and decided that this money would go for research instead of feeding the hungry. That's not how it works. This argument assumes that it does.
Rather, someone somewhere sat down and decided we just weren't going to spend money on the hungry. Period.
that's pretty much what my husband said. (damn,I hate when he's right.)I think peg and i are being idealistic (which is ok) and you and Dan are being realistic (also ok).
and honestly with that last comment i do admit to just being contrary. not that i didn't tell the truth but I was just digging my heels in.
i think some of my stance is based upon the fact that I may be the only person I know who never ever wnated to be an astronaut. space not only doesn't interest me but mostly i think it's pretty boring. i mean, yeah stars are pretty but so what? trying to get to mars is not fascinating to me. so i am biased.
Nice cheap shot about the dog. Can't help but think that was directed at me. And not that it's anyone's business, but yes, we do in fact spend more on charitable contributions than we do on the dog's food (which is so-called "human grade," and runs us around $35 - $40 per month, not that it's anyone's business).
We don't use a/c as a general rule, either, which I've posted about before as well. Although we do, in fact, own a unit.
I started this "war," so to speak, and I'd like to end it here. At the end of the day I was upset that we rich people don't pay more attention to poorer people. Idealistic, yes. So? I really can be more rational, like Val, but I wasn't thinking that when that famine photo on the front page of Times made me sick. Let's stop screaming about NASA and remember the famine-stricken. Is all I really wanted to say this evening. And I'll calm down my family over at my blog, who are also well-intentioned at heart. Peace already.
It wasn't a cheap shot at anyone. If you check here you will see that the estimated expense for pet food is North of $10 billion/year and that the UN estimates the need to overcome world hunger is $6 billion.
The highway bill that just passed out of congress has a total of more than $200 billion.
Its not an either or, and the usefulness of space research *versus* hunger relief is moot.
If we cared, the money is there. As a group, we don't care. Maybe write about that.
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