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[stargazer]

Hi Gang,

I recieved this is an email and I have a few thoughts to say about it. Now remember this is the government speaking.

"Aldridge praised America's space program as a symbol of U.S. leadership vital to economic growth, national security and the future of space exploration."

Now if our space program is vital then why keep cutting the budget.


"It calls for a slimmed-down space agency that contracts many of the space roles it once pioneered to private enterprise and streamline its own operations."

I am sorry how much slimmer do they want NASA to become.

"The lunar program, with its unprecedented assembly of talent and innovation, later disbanded. The intervening years have not seen the same level of effort for human exploration of our solar system"

Gee I wonder why?

"Sustaining the long-term exploration of the solar system requires a robust space industry that will contribute to national economic growth, produce new products through the creation of new knowledge and lead the world in invention and innovation," the report stated. "This space industry will become a national treasure."

Now why didnt they think of this before.

Now if this is what the council is saying the government should do then I want to know why they keep cutting the budget, putting these goals that are way out in left field for the shuttles, and expecting us to say well its ok having the right people to run the programs isnt all that important. I say WRONG. What they need to do is talk to the amateur astronomers and see what we want, To find out what the everyday people think. And maybe listen to us. We do come up with some great idea's. But because they are the government they think they can tell us what we are going to do and feel.

Ok Im done for now.

Just a lonely astronomer's opinion.
Becky

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Becks,

I agree with your disapproval of NASA budget cuts. I remain staunch in my opinion that the glory days of NASA are well behind them.

"The lunar program, with its unprecedented assembly of talent and innovation, later disbanded

There was a goal then. I remember the pride and interest of the effort as a kid. But the majority of American public has ADD and a short attention span. More interested in Janet Jackson's breast, sports and American Idol, than to explore the unknown.

When men first landed on the moon, my less than intelligent friends were playing softball, while I was glued to the black and white screen. When I questioned them on it, the common response was "what for?" Never argue with a closed mind.

We need an energetic President to carry a new age of space exploration. Bush and Kerry don't cut it. The only problem is that we don't have a nemesis to compete against. The Soviets were this close....to landing a man on the moon with their powerful Vostok Boosters.

Will it happen in our lifetimes?...Probably not. It's a shame.

[stargazer]

Joe,

You are right. We need some one in that White House they call the People's House to help put the Space Program back on track. Some one who will work to improve the Space Program, give it more money to put the Hubble back together until we can get the other Space Scope up there, Fix the problems with the Shuttles, In a timely manner not wait until they fall apart and have a accident. What we should do is put an Astronomer in the White house who will not only pass a law on light pollution but help improve the Space Program.

Becky

[NatureDevil]

My vote is for Jessie Ventura in 2008 if he deciodes to run!!

I'll have to post some info here about the guy when I get a chance, I wrote a huge Nugget about him earlier this year. Interesting guy, and realy f***** smart....

NatureDevil

[stargazer]

Dont et me wrong but what has Jesse done for the people. What are his qualifications to be in office. What is in his past that he dont ant us to know about.


Just a thought

B

[NatureDevil]

Here's what I wrote about him a few months back.....



In a country where people seem to have little choice in which political parties to vote for, the option that is never available on the ticket is "neither." Those who read my nuggets regularly know that I tend to be very conservative, though I have a slight liberal side to me when it comes to specific issues. I believe most people think this way. No one is 100% in either direction, with the exception of people who are either very uneducated or have opportunity for personal gain to do so. The problem is, when I vote for a Republican President, for example, I unfortunately vote against gay marriage.

Quite frankly, I personally could care less about gay marriage and think that gays should have the same EQUAL rights as anyone else. Not special rights, but equal rights. With these two major political parties constantly denouncing each others ideals and taking sides on ridiculous issues in order to maintain an image, it would be nice to have a different option, one that blends the best of both worlds while eliminating the garbage that come along with each. I want to tell you about someone who may decide to run independently for President in 2008 named Jesse Ventura.



Oh yes, the one and only, Jesse "the Body" Ventura, former WWF wrestling superstar, actor, and former Governor of Minnesota. I always thought of Jesse as a great guy, getting to see his persona peeking through while he worked as a wrestler for Vince McMahon in the 80's on television. It wasn't until recently that I looked into his political career to discover he is actually a very brilliant guy with a very interesting past.

After he graduated from high school, Jesse joined the Navy and was trained as a Navy SEAL. Serving in the Navy for six years (four on active duty, two in the Reserves) and serving in Vietnam, he was honorably discharged in 1973. Afterwards, he attended Community College on the GI bill.



For the next 11 years, he began his career as a wrestler. This is where most people recognize him from, as Jesse "the Body" Ventura, a man who walked around wearing a pink feather boa. As he has stated before, while working in front of large crowds and talking on the microphone to packed arenas, he gained much experience with public speaking, which all eventually lead to him having the powerful personality we've seen today.

After retiring in 1984 from the wrestling world, he began his next career as an actor. One of the more memorable roles he had was in Predator, with Arnold Schwarzenegger (The current Governor of California if you forgot). Throughout this time period he also became a radio talk show host and even a television host.

While doing political radio in Minnesota, he became motivated to run for Mayor of Brooklyn Park, the 6th largest city in Minnesota. Most people don't realize this, but before he was ever a Governor, he was a mayor for 5 years, serving from 1990 to 1995, and being remembered for his great accomplishments in crime reduction.



After this, he returned to doing radio for a while criticizing both Republicans and Democrats. Then, something happened. As he stated in an interview, the state of Minnesota had allocated and budgeted for a $4 billion surplus and then decided to spend it. He realized somewhere at that that time that he could do a better job as a Governor, and decided to go for it, running as an independent.

Then, on November 3rd, 1998, Jesse Ventura became the 38th Governor of Minnesota and the only reform party member ever to win the Minnesota Governor office. What made his victory stand out was that he beat out Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III and St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman, two better-known and better-funded candidates. His message of "social liberalism and fiscal conservatism" along with what he himself referred to as "common sense policies" helped him win over the people of Minnesota. The ideas he focused on during his campaign were on strengthening the public schools, reducing crime, and helping the average American reduce their reliance on government.

I especially agree with the reduction of government reliance. Too much government is never a good thing, and relying and depending too much on anything other then yourself and your family is a setup for disaster. In the last 2 administrations alone, the government has expanded by almost 14%. That is unacceptable by my standards, and was one of the reasons I support the libertarian party, a national political party that focuses on less government and more of our constitutional freedoms. Whenever you involve government in your life and allow them to make decisions for you and your family, you slowly move towards what George Orwell wrote about in his novel "1984" and what history has shown us with the Nazi party and communist nations. The key word is freedom, and that is what makes America the greatest country on Earth.

......NatureDevil continued.....

[NatureDevil]

As Governor of Minnesota, Jesse launched several important initiatives. The one he was most noted for was the sales tax rebate, where during each year of his administration, Minnesotans received a tax-free check in the late summer. He led a delegation to Japan in November of 1999, where he secured a lucrative market for pork sold by a cooperative made up of small Minnesota farmers. In the fall of 2000, he went on a trade mission to Mexico to help establish contacts with Mexican business owners to work with Minnesota businesses. By the end of his single term in office, he had been instrumental in decreasing classroom sizes through various methods of education funding and worked to increase affordable housing opportunities in the state.



During his administration, he broke away from the Reform Party when he refused to back Pat Buchanan for a Presidential run after Buchanan unofficially became the Reform Party leader. Pat Buchanan, who is known as being a far right wing conservative, was someone that Jesse didn't want to be associated with. Although not quite a leftist either, he leans to more social liberal ideas while remaining fiscally and culturally conservative.

Supporting gay rights and abortion rights, Jesse definitely is a mixture of ideas from all over the board while remaining very firm on his beliefs and never being wishy-washy on his ethics. He proved that a tri-partisan government structure can work.

Jessie big statement is best summed up in something he said during an interview with AskMen.com when asked about what his overall "big ideas" were for government: "For me, it is working extremely hard to break people's reliance on government. In today's world, we have allowed government to become the main focal point. And everything surrounds protection of government, and I am all for having a good strong government, but I think that individual rights and freedom are more important than the government, and I think that we're losing sight of this."

He looks at things from both sides of the table and chooses what he feels are the best. He supports the right to bear arms, but expects the laws to be adhered to and respected. Women should have equal rights but also equal responsibility. Drug addiction is not a crime but a health issue. Very moderate and very libertarian, but he sticks to his guns. He has a very low record of ever changing his views or opinions on anything he believes in; I have managed to only find two.

One of these is his stance on the death penalty, and it can be understandable when you think about it. He was a big supporter of the death penalty until he became the Governor. He was then opposed to it. Interesting, huh? The other issue he flip-flops on seems to be the one that sparked this nugget in the first place: whether he wants to be the President of the United States of America or not. As he has stated before during his administration, "I didn't need this job." He did it because he wanted to. He has, however, made many references to how he wanted to be a mayor and a governor but never the President. In many interviews he talks about why he would not want to have the burden of being the President and how it isn't something he feels passionate about.

Until recently.

A few weeks ago, in April of 2004, Jesse Ventura mentioned how he may possibly seek out and run for the Presidency in 2008. After his single term in the Minnesota governor's chair, he felt he had lost the passion for his job through the hardships that had hit him during the 4th year of his term and thus did not run for re- election. Instead, the former Navy SEAL armed only with his high school diploma and title of former



Governor if Minnesota began to seek out a position at Harvard University, where he has become a very popular and well respected visiting professor. It was during his time there that he has regained his political passion and felt ready to think honestly about a possible run for the Presidency. He has begun to seriously think about a possible campaign, and has even talked about certain ideas and policies he would want to enact. One of his first acts would be to try to abolish the income tax in favor of a sales tax, which is a better indicator of wealth. I think that is a brilliant way to handle taxes, because that way, the rich must now pay the same taxes as everyone else no matter what wealth they posses through any means. Also, it allows people to keep all the money they earn to do with what you please, whether it be investing it in an account or a fund or invest it in your home or education. The taxes you pay would be directly proportionate to what you spend your money on, and you have control over that.

He won't make a decision until sometime next year so he has enough time for planning and getting on the ballot. When asked about his party affiliation he responded with "No party, no nothing," meaning if he does run, it will be as an independent. He's already come up with a campaign message: "Elect someone who truly is not controlled by special-interest money. With me, you would get a true check and balance,"

Something that Jesse said about freedom struck a chord in me in this statement he made to the press when he made his announcement for a possible campaign a few days ago; "That's an issue with me. I love my freedom. The part that would bug me is I wouldn't be able to get up in the night and drive to the 7-11 for a Slurpee, not without them blocking off the roads, welding the manhole covers shut, and everything else that goes along with it."

That says a lot more than just what he is saying. The man understands personal freedom. It makes him much more relatable than your big wig politician who makes $140,000 a year as a politician and another $2 million through other means. He is much closer to the average American than most other politicians are, no matter how hard they want to convince you otherwise.

"What would hold me back would be my family.The brutality of the campaign, the ruthlessness of the Democrats and Republicans. If it looks like I might win, there's no telling what they would do. They're very desperate people when it comes to third parties." was another comment he added in his statement.

Much more research is needed on my part and yours as well, as I have way too much info to dig through here. Could Jessie Ventura be President of our country? With the disappointments I have had from current and past administrations, all I can say is he would get my vote in a heartbeat. It's all about the issues and all about honesty.

NatureDevil

[stargazer]

Brian,

Can this guy really do a good job in the Oval office and will he listen to the voices of us Astronomers. I wont vote for anyone who wants to shut down Nasa, Shut down any voting for light pollution bills, We need someone in there who will listen to us. Find out what we want or may need.

Now if we can get someone like that I would be willing to vote.

B

[NatureDevil]

I'll send him an e-mail about it, but I never voted before on the premise of light polltution. The space program is dearly important to me, but it isn't the heaviest weight on the barbell, not in my gym.

NatureDevil