14 thoughts on “Embracing The End Of Human Spaceflight”
Like Paul Spudis, I never understood the hostility from the left towards space flight. I understand (and agree with them) if they argue that space flight is a waste of tax payers’ money. However, if private individuals want to develop space technology on their own, like Space X, that’s their own business. If its not consuming other poeples’ tax money, there no basis for criticism.
I suspect the hostility expressed by those like Michael Lind is simply the hostility that left has for anyone doing anything on their own without the approval of the left. I also think the left really hates the idea of a new frontier, where people who want nothing to do with their social and economic schemes can go someplace else. This is sort of a Berlin-Wall mentality that they have.
The left really does hate freedom in general.
When there is no room for growth and opportunity, that everything becomes a zero-sum game, which necessarily leads to conflict. I think the left does understand this point. What they don’t understand at all is that they are not the people who are going to win any such conflict. In fact, they are usually the first people to be stuffed into the gulags or death camps by the winners of such a conflict.
However, if private individuals want to develop space technology on their own, like Space X, that’s their own business. If its not consuming other poeples’ tax money, there no basis for criticism.
This is where you’re not thinking like a leftist. There’s no such thing as your private money. It is immoral for you to spend your money on yourself. Especially considering that you exploited somebody to get rich in the first place. There’s only so much money in the world; we need to share it equally. Why, you’re robbing children and old people! You heartless capitalist!
Of course, if you want to build yourself a big fat mansion and then jet around the world warning of the coming CO2 apocalypse, that’s ok. 🙂
However, if private individuals want to develop space technology on their own, like Space X, that’s their own business. If its not consuming other poeples’ tax money, there no basis for criticism.
Maybe you don’t remember the online discussions when the first space tourists flew but I rememeber. Several leftists complained that it was a waste of a lot of money that, in their opinion, could’ve been used to do “better” things. By that, they meant things that benefitted them. They were actively hostile to the idea that people should be able to spend their money as they pleased without approval by the Left.
As far as I’m concerned, Dennis Tito could’ve put that money in a pile and created the world’s most expensive bonfire if he wanted. It’s his money and he can do with it as he pleases. Now, admittedly I’d be happier if he gave some of it to me but that’s rather unlikely, so I won’t complain how he or anyone else spends their own money – with emphasis on “their own.” I care a great deal about how the government spends the money they took from me under threat of law.
Bill and Larry,
It thinks its well-understood among us that leftists are parasites.
Lindl wrote:
The truth is that the American space program is flourishing. In recent years Mars has been visited by the Phoenix lander and the Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. At the moment the Messenger probe is orbiting Mercury and the New Horizons probe is scheduled to pass Pluto in 2015. With the help of the orbiting Kepler space telescope, more than 500 planets in other solar systems have been identified. We live in the greatest age of cosmic exploration in history, even if the public pays little attention because there are no astronauts to engage in white-knuckle landings or to clown around for the cameras.
Later on, he writes:
In the next few generations there will probably be more human spaceflight on a small scale. In time there might even be tiny teams of scientists in orbit, on the moon or other planets, like those in Antarctica. But for the foreseeable future space exploration will be undertaken mainly by machines that don’t horrify a watching world when they die slowly, with no hope of rescue.
That’s a remarkable level of low expectations. A few robotic missions, that are barely capable of doing science, are enough for Lindl. Doesn’t seem to matter to him that the US spends almost $20 billion a year to get those results.
It thinks its well-understood among us that leftists are parasites.
They’re not only parasites. They’re smug, self-righteous, asshole parasites. There’s a from an old song that goes, “You can’t even run your own life. I’ll be damned if you’ll run mine.” That describes my opinion of them perfectly.
“This is where you’re not thinking like a leftist. There’s no such thing as your private money. It is immoral for you to spend your money on yourself. ”
But immorality is defined by the religion. Leftist- Marxism.
Therefore:
Money is invention of Capitalist. Money implies that individuals
should have power and choice. And all power and choices should belong to the State. So if there are such things as say, jets, one doesn’t buy one, you given one by the State.
But since the bliss of the all powerful State, hasn’t occurred- you are sort of like those terrorists taking drugs and watching porn before they go kill themselves.
Nobody wants to think of themselves (or their idea, actions, etc.) or sees themselves as evil. Likewise it is all-too-easy to ascribe evil motives to opponents (for both the Left and Right). I have come to the conclusion that the difference is analogous to nearsightedness and farsightedness, with the Left pouncing on immediate “solutions” and the Right looking at history and logical conclusions. You don’t see the Left making Slippery-Slope arguments – not because the argument is without merit, but because their vision doesn’t extend beyond the immediate present. They simply can’t follow arguments to their logical conclusions because the future doesn’t even exist to them. And they can’t see that Socialism has failed miserably every time it has been tried, because the past doesn’t exist to them either. There is only the present moment.
If they did actually think about the future, they’d see that increasing taxes on “the rich” doesn’t bring in more tax revenue, it just drives the rich away to other jurisdictions or makes them decide to make less money. If the Left thought about the future, if the future was real to them, then they’d see that propping up businesses that should fail won’t save them or that “insurance” for pre-existing medical conditions isn’t insurance at all. They’d see that giving a mortgage to someone who can’t make the monthly payments is bound to fail in almost every instance. They’d see that the amount of government regulation throttles the economy. They’d see that the Founders really had a good point when they talked about Limited government.
If the Left thought about the past and the future rather than only the present moment, they’d be on the Right.
well, US human spaceflight on US government owned vehicles.
oh, I guess human spaceflight isn’t ending.
oh, I guess human spaceflight isn’t ending.
Spudis’ institute might get the axe though.
Money is invention of Capitalist.
Not fiat money and central banks though. So saith the Communist Manifesto. As long as the central bank is run by the people by the people’s representatives for the people by the vanguard of the proletariat aka The Party.
Ah, strikethrough fail. I did work in the preview window…
Like Paul Spudis, I never understood the hostility from the left towards space flight. I understand (and agree with them) if they argue that space flight is a waste of tax payers’ money. However, if private individuals want to develop space technology on their own, like Space X, that’s their own business. If its not consuming other poeples’ tax money, there no basis for criticism.
I suspect the hostility expressed by those like Michael Lind is simply the hostility that left has for anyone doing anything on their own without the approval of the left. I also think the left really hates the idea of a new frontier, where people who want nothing to do with their social and economic schemes can go someplace else. This is sort of a Berlin-Wall mentality that they have.
The left really does hate freedom in general.
When there is no room for growth and opportunity, that everything becomes a zero-sum game, which necessarily leads to conflict. I think the left does understand this point. What they don’t understand at all is that they are not the people who are going to win any such conflict. In fact, they are usually the first people to be stuffed into the gulags or death camps by the winners of such a conflict.
However, if private individuals want to develop space technology on their own, like Space X, that’s their own business. If its not consuming other poeples’ tax money, there no basis for criticism.
This is where you’re not thinking like a leftist. There’s no such thing as your private money. It is immoral for you to spend your money on yourself. Especially considering that you exploited somebody to get rich in the first place. There’s only so much money in the world; we need to share it equally. Why, you’re robbing children and old people! You heartless capitalist!
Of course, if you want to build yourself a big fat mansion and then jet around the world warning of the coming CO2 apocalypse, that’s ok. 🙂
However, if private individuals want to develop space technology on their own, like Space X, that’s their own business. If its not consuming other poeples’ tax money, there no basis for criticism.
Maybe you don’t remember the online discussions when the first space tourists flew but I rememeber. Several leftists complained that it was a waste of a lot of money that, in their opinion, could’ve been used to do “better” things. By that, they meant things that benefitted them. They were actively hostile to the idea that people should be able to spend their money as they pleased without approval by the Left.
As far as I’m concerned, Dennis Tito could’ve put that money in a pile and created the world’s most expensive bonfire if he wanted. It’s his money and he can do with it as he pleases. Now, admittedly I’d be happier if he gave some of it to me but that’s rather unlikely, so I won’t complain how he or anyone else spends their own money – with emphasis on “their own.” I care a great deal about how the government spends the money they took from me under threat of law.
Bill and Larry,
It thinks its well-understood among us that leftists are parasites.
Lindl wrote:
Later on, he writes:
That’s a remarkable level of low expectations. A few robotic missions, that are barely capable of doing science, are enough for Lindl. Doesn’t seem to matter to him that the US spends almost $20 billion a year to get those results.
It thinks its well-understood among us that leftists are parasites.
They’re not only parasites. They’re smug, self-righteous, asshole parasites. There’s a from an old song that goes, “You can’t even run your own life. I’ll be damned if you’ll run mine.” That describes my opinion of them perfectly.
“This is where you’re not thinking like a leftist. There’s no such thing as your private money. It is immoral for you to spend your money on yourself. ”
But immorality is defined by the religion. Leftist- Marxism.
Therefore:
Money is invention of Capitalist. Money implies that individuals
should have power and choice. And all power and choices should belong to the State. So if there are such things as say, jets, one doesn’t buy one, you given one by the State.
But since the bliss of the all powerful State, hasn’t occurred- you are sort of like those terrorists taking drugs and watching porn before they go kill themselves.
Nobody wants to think of themselves (or their idea, actions, etc.) or sees themselves as evil. Likewise it is all-too-easy to ascribe evil motives to opponents (for both the Left and Right). I have come to the conclusion that the difference is analogous to nearsightedness and farsightedness, with the Left pouncing on immediate “solutions” and the Right looking at history and logical conclusions. You don’t see the Left making Slippery-Slope arguments – not because the argument is without merit, but because their vision doesn’t extend beyond the immediate present. They simply can’t follow arguments to their logical conclusions because the future doesn’t even exist to them. And they can’t see that Socialism has failed miserably every time it has been tried, because the past doesn’t exist to them either. There is only the present moment.
If they did actually think about the future, they’d see that increasing taxes on “the rich” doesn’t bring in more tax revenue, it just drives the rich away to other jurisdictions or makes them decide to make less money. If the Left thought about the future, if the future was real to them, then they’d see that propping up businesses that should fail won’t save them or that “insurance” for pre-existing medical conditions isn’t insurance at all. They’d see that giving a mortgage to someone who can’t make the monthly payments is bound to fail in almost every instance. They’d see that the amount of government regulation throttles the economy. They’d see that the Founders really had a good point when they talked about Limited government.
If the Left thought about the past and the future rather than only the present moment, they’d be on the Right.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Oh no, human spaceflight is ending..
well, US human spaceflight..
well, US human spaceflight on US vehicles..
well, US human spaceflight on US owned vehicles..
well, US human spaceflight on US government owned vehicles.
oh, I guess human spaceflight isn’t ending.
oh, I guess human spaceflight isn’t ending.
Spudis’ institute might get the axe though.
Money is invention of Capitalist.
Not fiat money and central banks though. So saith the Communist Manifesto. As long as the central bank is run by the people by the people’s representatives for the people by the vanguard of the proletariat aka The Party.
Ah, strikethrough fail. I did work in the preview window…
Typing fail. It did work.