23 years waiting for White House action on SPS

Perhaps Tangoman can critique how a 14-year-old advocated SPS. In Generation X, a 14-year-old could encompass this much... Also let me say happy holidays while I'm re-releasing it-- A stronger space program
December 21, 1980
Dear Mr. Reagan:
We, the students of Holy Cross High School, would like to call to your attention the possibilities of utilizing the resources of space to the benefit of Earth. These possibilities have, until now, been largely ignored by the government. We have the technology to access these resources, and studies have shown that we could obtain large amounts of electricity from collectors in space.
We believe that a program of this nature would be consistent with your stated policies of reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources and increasing domestic production. Plus, this is a way of obtaining energy without destroying the environment, an effect of your policy which has been criticized.
We feel that this program can compete successfully with any plan of developing new sources of energy here on Earth, and deserves your serious consideration as soon as you take office. The taxpayers of America paid for the space program, which has been cut because it has been viewed as wasteful. To the contrary, the space program developed our ability to operate in space and has given us this capability to use its resources.
It doesn't make sense that we now have this technology, and need the program, but are not taking advantage of the opportunity. If we abandon space and don't derive any practical benefit from it, then the space program will have been a waste of taxpayers' money. Our great American ingenuity can overcome anything. It did so in landing men on the moon, and the same effort can get us out of our energy crisis.
We wish you the best of luck in coping with today's complex problems, and sincerely hope that you explore the possibilities of using the resources of space to solve our problems here on Earth.
Very truly yours,
/s./
John Kusumi, organizer (age 14)
Holy Cross High School
587 Oronoke Road
Waterbury, CT 06708 [petition / numerous signatures followed]