I understand completely. The government promises long-term involvement and stick-to-it-iveness. They maintain you don't get that in the private sector and especially in the for-profit sector.
Well, a democratic republic cannot promise any longer-term commitment than can a joint-stock corporation or corporate group. Especially when the constitution of said republic declares that no person shall be eligible as chief executive more than twice!
And the government manages to foul up even its **** functions of policing, the military, and the courts.
Project Apollo achieved the sonorous-sounding goal of John F Kennedy. But--well, here's what Hal Holbrook, as Dr. Kellaway (head of NASA) in Capricorn One, said:
"I remember when [Col. John H.] Glenn made his first orbit in [Project] Mercury....they set up TVs all over Grand Central Station! Thousands of commuters missed their trains to watch! But when Apollo 17 landed, people were calling up the networks to [kvetch] that the reruns of I Love Lucy were being pre-empted. Reruns!"
The chief obstacle to the private sector is: commanding enough resources to get the project done in enough time for the investors, or foundation members, or whoever, to hold their interest. Fifty billion dollars a year is one **** of a lot of dough to raise.
It might t...
I understand completely. The government promises long-term involvement and stick-to-it-iveness. They maintain you don't get that in the private sector and especially in the for-profit sector.
Well, a democratic republic cannot promise any longer-term commitment than can a joint-stock corporation or corporate group. Especially when the constitution of said republic declares that no person shall be eligible as chief executive more than twice!
And the government manages to foul up even its **** functions of policing, the military, and the courts.
Project Apollo achieved the sonorous-sounding goal of John F Kennedy. But--well, here's what Hal Holbrook, as Dr. Kellaway (head of NASA) in Capricorn One, said:
"I remember when [Col. John H.] Glenn made his first orbit in [Project] Mercury....they set up TVs all over Grand Central Station! Thousands of commuters missed their trains to watch! But when Apollo 17 landed, people were calling up the networks to [kvetch] that the reruns of I Love Lucy were being pre-empted. Reruns!"
The chief obstacle to the private sector is: commanding enough resources to get the project done in enough time for the investors, or foundation members, or whoever, to hold their interest. Fifty billion dollars a year is one **** of a lot of dough to raise.
It might take the leadership of one who, having been elected President of the United States, oversees the systematic dismantling of our overweening government, with a reduction of the debt and tax burdens. As a result, the government would get on a track to repay the national debt--not all at once, certainly. It would take decades. But let's say this hypothetical President, and an equally willing Congress, could achieve a surplus of, say, fifty billion dollars a year. And put in place an ironclad provision to maintain it until the debt is fully repaid!
This President then does something dramatic: resigns after the midterm day of his second term has passed, turning things over to his Vice-President (who then would stay eligible for two full terms under the Twenty-second Amendment), and announces his intention to take over the Project Enterprise Group as its Chief Executive Officer. Now what happens? Holders of U.S. debt, seeing prices on the debt auction rising because the government intends repayment by attrition, will be looking for other long-term bonds to buy. The bonds of the Project Enterprise Group would suddenly look very attractive, and would be inherently sounder and more transparent. With a former POTUS to sell them, those bonds would sell well.
Well enough to finance a space-to-space ship and everything connected with it. And to attract enough attention to induce the airlines to try to get some of that Virgin Galactic business; hence Spas Lingus, Espace France, Weltraumhansa, and Kosmoflot, as I described last time.
(more)