The Lunar Soapbox...

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by niin

You are a big country. So a big aid is only to be expected.

I guess no one has informed the Soviets (Russians?), Saudis, Chinese, or other big and/or wealthy nations of this.

Originally Posted by niin

I am not saying that it is not your business. I am just saying that you can't justify it.

I say that is only an opinion. Time may tell, but even today can we say that the exploratory and exploitive activities of the Dutch East India Company were justified expenditures or not?

[Boerseun]

Originally Posted by Turtle

Just to put things into perspective, the US government, as well as US private citizens, provide as much if not more aid to the world than any other country on the planet. That is, and has been, our democratic choice, and if we choose to go to the Moon with some of our resources it's our business.

'Course it's your business! And who are we to interfere?

...but read the premise as laid out in the first post, again:

I'm not an American, so the end result won't affect me, at all. But will the US be better of going to the Moon, or spending all those shekels on education, rather?

[TheBigDog]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

'Course it's your business! And who are we to interfere?

...but read the premise as laid out in the first post, again:

I'm not an American, so the end result won't affect me, at all. But will the US be better of going to the Moon, or spending all those shekels on education, rather?

I would venture that more will be learned by all of the world by continuing to explore the moon and beyond than would be learned if the same money were put into educating people about what is already known.

Funding is the not problem with education in the US. Especially federal funding. Most educational funding in the US is done at the state and local level. We spend more on education in the US than on anything else. The US educational problems are more cultural than anything else.

Bill

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by TheBigDog

I would venture that more will be learned by all of the world by continuing to explore the moon and beyond than would be learned if the same money were put into educating people about what is already known.

I agree. Also, heavily publicized manned spaceflight programs have an intangible, difficult-to-measure or predict effect on education due to their influence on the school age population – the “to be an astronaut” factor.

Funding is the not problem with education in the US.

I agree

Especially federal funding. Most educational funding in the US is done at the state and local level.

Correct.

We spend more on education in the US than on anything else.

Though I’ve examined only the most recent US Federal and Maryland state budgets, I think this is incorrect.

Though budgets are complex and difficult to categorize simply and precisely, Education constitutes about 2% of the Federal budget of about $2700 billion, compared to about 48% for Social Security and Medicare, and about 30% for Defense. For Maryland’s $29B, Education is about 44%, vs. 24% for Healthcare, and 12% for Transportation. The total budget for all States is about half that of the Federal, so, by my estimation, Education is behind Entitlements, Healthcare, and Defense.

NASA’s budget is $16B, about 0.6% of the total Federal budget. (sources: Budget of the United States Government, FY 2007; Maryland State Budget - FY2007 appropriations summary; Fast Fact Detail)

The US educational problems are more cultural than anything else.

I agree – but aren’t essentially all social problems cultural?