The Space Age Survives--No Thanks to Six of Eight Wisconsin House of Representaives Members

Today the House of Representatives voted to accept the already passed Senate Bill that funds NASA through 2013. Fifty-eight billion dollars was approved to essentially keep our country as an important player in space technology. Had this bill not passed China and Russia would have dominated space research and development and we would be relegated to onlooker status. Fortunately 308 members of the House approved the Senate Bill including about two-thirds of the Republican Party members and a similar fraction of the Democratic members. Sadly from my perspective, six members from Wisconsin voted no, and only two voted yes. Had the entire House of Representatives voted in the same relative proportion as the Wisconsin delegation, our NASA space program that President Kennedy launched in 1960 would have tragically ended. The Wisconsin Representatives who voted to end this vital program are Tammy Baldwin (D), Steve Kagen(D), Gwen Moore(D), Thomas Petri(R), Paul Ryan(R), Jim Sensenbrenner(R). The two Wisconsin members who voted to continue NASA are Ron Kind(D), and David Obey(D). In my opinion the stupidity of the no votes are equally shared by three Republican and three Democrats. Two Democratic Members exhibited the type of foresight that we should expect from our elected Congressional members.

Why do I assert that the no votes by six Wisconsin Representatives amounts to either blatant ignorance or very misguided judgment? Here are my reasons. The NASA space program is responsible for the technological advances during the last 50 years. They were spurred by President Kennedy's leadership. We not only were able to land humans on the moon within ten years of the program launch, but the space program also sparked technological advances in electronics, solid state devices, computer technology, medical devices, robotic controls, satellite communication, advanced material developments, energy efficiency, weather forecasting, environmental analysis and assessments, and myriad of technological devices that we take for granted today. From MRI machines to the compact mobile phones and communication devices; from heart transplant machines to water treatment filters; the technological spin-off from the Space Program directly benefited our country, and humanity at large more than any comparable investment using our taxes.Tens of millions of well paying jobs were created in the private markets as the space program spin-offs spread and technological diffusion sparked new ideas and practical developments. Unfortunately, the millions of excellent jobs gradually were out-sourced by US corporations and subservient politicians who decided that profits and corporate hand outs, respectively, were more important than full, well paid employment in the USA. But that is another story.

Many politicians today do not comprehend the importance of our space program and would readily halt funding. This type of politician, apparently disproportionately represented in Wisconsin, lacks the requisite judgment and understanding of the role of science and technology in our society. This may not be surprising since most of our citizens are also illiterate in even the fundamentals of science and engineering. That too is another issue. Meanwhile try to learn and gain perspective on the importance of scientific literacy and basic understanding. Failure to do so will lead our country into a rapid competitive descent on the world's stage, and further diminish the economic well-being of our nation. We must not allow this to happen!