Reply #132: As a business owner I can tell you...

[wolfgangmo]

That when adjusting a budget you start with the BIG TICKET ITEMS first. One does not set a budget starting with the expenditures for paper clips. You start with rent, salary, cost of goods sold, etc.

And yet this is EXACTLY what those who advocate cutting NASA's budget due to "those in need." Don't get me wrong, I support social safety nets completely, but let's start with the big ticket items; estate taxes, capital gains tax, the BFM (big fucking military - see this video for a plan to reorganize the military rationally from a national security expert - http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/thomas_barnett_draws_a_new_map_for_peace.html ), etc..

There are many rational cuts that could be made to divert funds into R&D, infrastructure, education, etc. which would return many benefits for generations. We stopped doing that under Raygun. And the scentiment that NASA is a waste of money is nothing more than a Raygun meme.