[onewhippedpuppy]

You have to be kidding me! An otherwise intelligent group, denying the virtue of space exploration and NASA. Satellites, plastic technology, composites technology, 90% of the world's aerodynamic research (fly recently?), the list goes on and on. To say that someone else would invent this stuff is idiotic. Is Joe Bob down the street going to construct a geosyncronous satellite in his garage, then launch it into low earth orbit so you can watch HBO? The work that they do is absolutely remarkable, and compared to what many federal agencies consume, an absolute bargain.

Plus, what value do we put on knowledge? What is knowing what's "out there" worth? Hundreds of years ago, people looked to the stars and moon with fear and uncertainty. To know and understand your world, how do you ever put a value on that?