COMMENTARY | Space reports that Newt Gingrich intends to have a manned colony permanently on the moon by 2020 if he is elected president. Gingrich talked about his space plans to a crowd in Cocoa, Fla., and he also has ambitions to explore Mars. As an American citizen that is concerned with the future economic state, here is why Gingrich is out of touch with the American people regarding his space ambitions.
The fact that Gingrich wants to re-energize the United States to get back to space only proves he is not looking at the real concerns facing this country. At a time when the economic state of America is not very strong, Gingrich wants to spend millions of dollars exploring space, and permanently putting a colony on the moon. This does not even make sense considering the amount of money a permanent colony would require from the government and private business. As an American, I am glad that people are still ambitious to explore space, but now is not the time to do so. I feel that the money could be better spent on creating jobs, increasing technology, and securing our borders.
Gingrich wants to set up a fund that would give a $10 billion prize to the first company that could send an astronaut to Mars, which would essentially privatize space exploration. I feel that companies should be taking their time and resources to hire more employees, and not trying to build a shuttle to get to Mars. Gingrich said he would cut the budget of NASA so that it is more focused, but NASA should not be getting any money. Gingrich should be focusing on giving companies tax incentives to hire the most unemployed groups of Americans, such as veterans, teenagers, and felons. The space shuttle competition would be too much of a financial burden for most companies, and is not a huge priority when most companies struggle to just survive each month. I would be angry if a company was spending time and resources on this competition, and not spending resources hiring or training workers.
America is relying on Russia to continue the space program, which does not have to be a bad thing. I agree that exploring space is important for the advancement of science, but America does not have to be the country to do so. Gingrich should be telling the American people what he will be doing about the lack of jobs, how he will cut spending, and make America a leader in innovation again. Having private companies compete for money to get America back to the moon is just not logical. I feel that any competition Gingrich wants to have should be focused on things that would better the American economy, such as a competition for new technological innovations. I want to hear him talk about his ambitions for reducing the debt, getting people off of welfare and putting people back to work, not about his goals for space.
Myself, Personal Opinion
Denise Chow, Mike Wall, “Gingrich Space Plan Promises the Moon, Literally: Lunar Base by 2020″, Space