On Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:56:11 -0800, Pat Flannery
wrote, in part:

Saying that space exploration costs only 15 billion a year misses the
point; it's a whole pile of things that cost only a few billion each
year that make up the budget shortfall.

Well, no, not really. National defense, Social Security, Medicaid...
there are a *few* things which cost many billions that match and exceed
the budget shortfall.

However, the consequences of recklessly cutting them would be severe,
and so making the effort of looking for individual items, each of which
are only a few billion, elsewhere has been necessary. Ultimately, it is
true that the U.S. Government should live within its means.

However, when the country is still reeling from a stock market crash is
not the time to engage in fiscal discipline - and going to the wall to
protect every single tax cut for the rich is another thing for which I
cannot thank the Republicans, but must instead excoriate them.

John Savard
http://www.quadibloc.com/index.html