Fox News (not just the on-line edition) has picked up the story now. Tom Jones garbles it a little, though. Congress has in fact passed a law redirecting NASA — the authorization bill that passed in September. The problem is that they haven’t followed through by either passing a new appropriation bill to allow them to implement it, or even do an anomaly on the current continuing resolution that allows NASA to move on to the new track. In fact, Congress has essentially made it impossible for NASA to follow “the law,” because it has two intrinsically incompatible laws in place. The notion that this is either NASA’s or the White House’s fault is ludicrous. While minor compared to the other legislative atrocities of this session (stimulus *cough* obamacare), it’s just one more symptom of perhaps the most dysfunctional Congress in history. The question is, what will the next one do to fix it?
Rand, has anyone written an article explaining that by gobbling up all of NASA’s budget to build a rocket (and then keep it running), there’s no money left over to actually put anything on that rocket?
There seems to be some confusion.
Rand asks:
“The question is, what will the next one do to fix it?”
The bureaucracies of the Federal Government are so huge, so complex, so completely not understood, so colossally complex that I suspect no Congress could do much other than beat down the few instances that get air time in the news.
The only way to eliminate most of this, and other rampant silliness, would be to radically scale back the government to a tiny fraction of its present size. Something more akin to what the Constitution permits. No IRS, no Department of Education, no HUD,.etc.etc.
Then maybe a few hundred minds could actually comprehend the entity.
Well anyway, NASA has done a good job of carrying out one mission…convincing the muslims that they have actually contributed something to civilization. Tax dollars well spent by the worlds greatest deliberative body.
“it’s just one more symptom of perhaps the most dysfunctional Congress in history.”
You’re obviously confused. Just last week we heard several ‘independent’ media telling us it was the most -productive- Congress in history!
What do you mean perhaps? The outgoing Congress is the most venal,
morally and ethically corrupt in American history, abetting the most
anti-American presidency. The new congress should initiate a forensic
audit of this administration.
“The notion that this is either NASA’s or the White House’s fault is ludicrous. ”
So, Congress passed these laws without Obama’s signature?
Obama was supposed to veto a continuing resolution, and shut down the government over space policy? He signed the authorization bill. They never gave him an appropriation bill to argue about.