Let's Play Politics

> One problem with making the case to the politicals is that as soon as
> you have made a good case for, say, powersats, somebody else will
> come along and make a case for something else.
>
> "We need to do a moonbase!"
>
> "Forget the moon; we need to mine asteroids!"
>
> "Mars! Mars! Skip this little stuff and do Mars!"
>
> "We need to do a moonbase because it *enables* Mars stuff!"
>
> "Screw the moon! We can do Mars without it!"
>
> "Powersats? Anybody remember that great case I made for powersats?"
>
> "Unmanned exploration is where all the *real* science is!"
>
> And so forth. What we need to do is to identify one thing, without
> which it is difficult to do powersats, moonbase, habitats, Mars, or
> asteroid mining. Identify the thing that, if it is proposed, the
> various space groups can look at and say, "Yeah, that'll make
> powersats/Mars exploration/asteroid mining/moonbase/habitats/unmanned
> exploration a lot easier and cheaper."
>
> Then tell your Dems and Reps and Libs and Greens and whatever else
> that THIS THING is what is important, and have all the other space
> fans back you up.
>
> I nominate CATS.
>

One problem is that any one thing will have lobbyists and interest
groups. You might never get them all to agree.

I submit a prize for a goal that would - as a side benefit - make
everything else doable would be your best bet. It's simple, won't get
swallowed up by dissenting opinion, does not require a lot of
complicated finagling among competing interests, and you only are
required to lay out cash when/if.

10 billion (could be more) in tax free money for (say) a moon base would
probably do it.

Brian Dunbar
System Administrator
Liftport

brian.dunbar@...
aim: bdunbar1967

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Remember.
But move forward, too. Light a candle, yes. But also drive a rivet.
~Lileks