Comments on: Obama To Cut 121 Government Programs In 2010

By: MarkD

MarkD — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:49:34 +0000

Republicans can always find a way to defend their inept administration and the colossal mismanagement that brought the worlds economy to it’s knees. They even find ways to support the lies that took us to a war that’s cost a trillion dollars and almost 5,000 American lives. failure to kill or capture OBL lays squarely at their feet. Until they come to terms with their failed ideology they may get some cross over votes. But in the near term they don’t have anyone smart enough to take on Obama.

By: JD

JD — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:51:56 +0000

That’s your answer Kevin for allowing the deficit to quadruple this year?? Your guys did it over 30 years… we want our shot and will see you an additional.

Yeah that Katrina mess… how dare Mother Nature hit us with that tab… it was Bush’s fault that local officials over the years ignored the warning signs.

Yep liberal all right. Poi

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:20:16 +0000

We could go back in time, wipe out the Iraq war that Bush forced on us and that would have saved a trillion plus. Add in the incompetence that was Katrina (not all Bush’s fault but oh was he bad–anyone see how the Dutch do it and why we looked like a third world country?) Going back to Reagan we could take another big bite out of the mess we are in. Oh, but they were the fiscally responsible ones. Never mind.

By: J. Harden

J. Harden — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:44:22 +0000

No sorry that is .005%

By: J. Harden

J. Harden — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:43:50 +0000

Sorry, that is .05%

By: J. Harden

J. Harden — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:42:45 +0000

.5% of his $3.4 TRILLION budget — which by the way, the .5% will probably, most likely, be added back in by Congress.

I just wish he’d stop trying to play lip-serve to any notion of fiscal sanity. Some of us have gone to our happy-place with all of his spending. This kind of thing has the effect of reminding us of a reality which we have had to psychologically disregard in order to survive. This just opens the wound afresh and for no legitimate purpose other that a political ploy for stupid people. Why must he keep victimizing me????????

By: Trescml

Trescml — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:56:33 +0000

Permial,

Well I am not a rocket scientist (nor do I play one on this blog) but I believe the further south a launch site is, the more lbs you can get into space for a given rocket. So beyond the political considerations there is some technical reason to be in Florida. I looked up on Wikipedia and around half of the shuttle flights landed in Florida but you are right that it is expensive to cart it across the country.

By: permial

permial — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:40:53 +0000

I must agree with Trescml, once local congress people have their hooks into re-election there’s no stopping them. Being rational is not what got them elected in the first place.

A question for Cy, why would you put NASA in West Virginia? Our spacecraft (e.g. the shuttle, or space truck, whichever you prefer) lands 3 times out of 5 in SoCal, so why not put it there?

And on the response from Trescml, I somewhat agree, but still would like to know why we don’t put facilities where we can actually launch and recover from. It would beat carrying the space truck across country on the back of a 747.

By: Trescml

Trescml — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:12:59 +0000

There is tons of overhead associated with having a small facility that just happens to be in the district of the chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science. NASA has centers with open space that would be a more efficient use of money. The overhead is far greater than the slight pay difference on the GS scale between WV and AL.

By: cy

cy — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:47:25 +0000

Wait, what’s wrong with NASA having a center in WV? Labor and real estate are dirt cheap there… I’d much rather them have a presence in Fairmont than have to expand in DC.

Hell… Fairmont, WV makes Huntsville, AL look like New York, NY.

By: Trescml

Trescml — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:54:51 +0000

Although I am in favor of cuts like this, these are only proposed cuts. Once Congress gets their hands on it few things will be actually cut.

We need the equivalent of a base closing commission to come up with a package of cuts that get voted for together. Otherwise we will keep seeing things like antiquated tracking systems continue long after their usefulness not to mention wasted resources like a NASA center in West Virginia.