Pay to Play, it's the Chicago way. HEY. not everyone from Chicago is like that. For example, me. I'm from Chicago, you know. I know what you mean, needless to say, but I voted anti-machine every chance I got. As did a lot of other Chicagoans. It was pretty rare when "reformists" won anything, of course, but it wasn't for want of trying. Problem was and is patronage, sorta like Mussolini and trains that run on time. Chicago works, patronage, Chicago style, has its upside and everyone knows it. The downside is corruption, unethical politics, and crooks in office. Everyone knows this, too, but the benefits from clean streets, good water, fairly decent police, business development, etc, are also in the calculus and that is a fact. So, how do you deal with this situation ? Anyway, kindly don't insult all Chicago folks since a good number of us are OK people who do the best we can against a stacked deck. Billy certified North Sider ================================================ In a message dated 2/28/2010 4:53:21 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
Washington Budgeting, not NASA thinking, is what led us to having to rely on a 30 year old space shuttle for human transport. Cutting NASA is how you punish Houston and Texas for not voting for Obama. Of course, the Houston Comical won't come right out and say that, they endorsed him. Pay to Play, it's the Chicago way. David "A pleasant natural environment is a good - a luxury good, philosophical good, a moral goody-good, a good time for all. Whatever, we want it. If we want something, we should pay for it, with our labor or our cash. We shouldn't beg it, steal it, sit around wishing for it, or euchre the government into taking it by force."--P. J. O’Rourke On 2/28/2010 4:24 PM, Dr. Ernie Prabhakar wrote: Hi Billy, On Feb 28, 2010, at 1:37 PM, [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) wrote: We have seen what NASA can do. Hubble. Spitzer. The Mars rovers ( still operational several years after their 3 month expiration dates. All unmanned missions, which last I checked were unaffected. An international space station which is fully functional with much promise for the future. Built largely by the Russians, and currently eight years behind schedule: _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station) Your point about NASA competence being what, exactly? The next logical step is colonization of the Moon and eventual human flight to Mars. That may well be true. But NASA thinking is what led us to having to rely on a *30* year-old space shuttle for human space transport. Look, NASA did a fantastic job on the moon, and does a fantastic job on unmanned space flight. But human space travel at NASA is a mess, which is wh I agree Bush's vision was a great one, and I am sad that it was lost. But it is a mitigated disaster. When, I dunno, President Jenna Bush take's up her father's legacy in 2020, it may well be wise for her to adopt a more lean/Silicon Valley approach vs. the military-industrial megalith of the current NASA. -- Ernie P. _______________________________________________ Centroids mailing list: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) _http://radicalcentrism.com/mailman/listinfo/centroids_radicalcentrism.com_ (http://radicalcentrism.com/mailman/listinfo/centroids_radicalcentrism.com) Archives at _http://radicalcentrism.org/pipermail/centroids_radicalcentri sm.com/_ (http://radicalcentrism.org/pipermail/centroids_radicalcentrism.com/) _______________________________________________ Centroids mailing list: [email protected] http://radicalcentrism.com/mailman/listinfo/centroids_radicalcentrism.com Archives at http://radicalcentrism.org/pipermail/centroids_radicalcentrism.com/
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