A GOOD ONE FOR THE WISH LIST
Capitalizing on the good feelings that the recent success on Mars has (rightfully) generated, Bush has proposed building a permanent station in space and a manned mission to mars. Laudable goals. I'd like to send all of my less wealthy nieces and nephews to college - also a laudable goal; and equally unaffordable. After spending well over a trillion (that's TRILLION) on tax cuts over the next 10 years, over $400 billion on the Medicare bill, and the necessary expenses related to Iraq (necessary only after the hasty decision to rush to war) and the rest of the balooning budget, this is just not affordable. We have a huge deficit and its effects are already making international markets nervous - witness the continuing fall of the dollar. The cost of borrowing from other nations will only continue to rise as the dollar erodes, making the deficit problem even stickier. These space proposals are an election year ploy, a fiscally wreckless and irresponsible proposal, or both. Conservatives will trot out the usual cries for smaller government (without any specific proposals - that would mean they have to defend something) but should direct those whines to the White House that is growing government at record rates.