I have five big issues in federal politics. First is fiscal prudence. Whatever money is spent must be well spent. None of the candidates have a stellar record in that regard.
My second issue is the preservation and extension of our freedoms under the US Constitution. Obama and Clinton are challenged with the Second Amendment. Obama and McCain are challenged with the First. I do not trust any of them with the Fifth or the Fourteenth. In fact the Seventh and the Thirteenth may turn out to be problematic for this crew.
Third is free trade. I'm for it. None of the candidates are enthusiastic about it. I'd love for us to extend trade with Chile and Colombia at a minimum.
Fourth is nuclear power. I'm also for that. While waste disposal is not perfect, it has a very good track record and it offers the prospect of extremely low emissions. Given that wind and solar power will never amount to a significant part of the energy we use, coal is dirty, and gas and oil may be getting scarcer and more expensive, nuclear power offers us the best shot at getting off of our Saudi oil diet. None of the candidates are really keen on a radical nuclear power policy either.
Fifth and last is space. I am a space nut, a sci-fi geek, a propellor head. I am so much in favour of space exploration, colonization and exploitation that it isn't funny. If ever I had one issue, this would be it. And now it appears that on this issue as well I am out of touch with the three candidates.
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I'm trying to write a well-thunk blog post on this - but I may just give up and post a link and snarky comment.
Dennis Wingo on why NASA has let us down for the last forty years - http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1285
I agree a great deal with that critique. NASA has been pursuing prestige targets for a long while as they consider them a better sell to Congress, from whence all funding flows.
What we really need is an infrastructure that will enable economical space exploration, exploitation and colonization. And to get that, we need a President for whom that is a priority.
Told you I was a space geek!
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