Comment by stcredzero | Hacker News Reader

Comment by stcredzero | Hacker News Reader

I'm beginning to suspect that the powers that be in American politics and in the military industrial complex simply lack long term vision.

In the next several decades following, continued US dominance is dependent on effective education and a strong economy supporting a healthy middle class. In the next several decades after that, whatever nation/culture succeeds in expanding the scope of human civilization is going to dominate through its progeny. (In much the same way that European and in particular WASP culture that originated in England became dominant through the ascendance of the United States.)

However, the system is set up to reward those who enter the financial sector, with its tendency towards rent seeking, and the realm of law/politics, which tends to engender a viewpoint somewhat distant from the first principles that govern reality.

China, with its largely technocratic leadership, and with its pent up desire to express its pride and prowess as a civilization-state may well have the means, knowledge, and impetus to engage in such an expansion of scope. This would be the smart strategic move -- instead of directly challenging the US for power on Earth, they would expand into an even larger context.

Another beauty of such a strategy: the entrenched short-term interests of the US military industrial complex might well assist them in gaining an insurmountable lead by staying fat and happy in their status quo.

Oh I am quite sure the powers that be have long term vision, they just don't align with some of what we want. They are quite willing to promise the moon and the stars; not the celestial kind; because it works.

Space exploration does not garner votes, raw science does not garner voters, and neither do they garner blue collar jobs. Politicians route money to where it buys them most influence. They rely on this money and positioning people against each other to maintain their standard of living. See, they are safe and the masses will stay in their irrational world grousing about the lack of change they do little to change.

They count on the irrational decision, the rally behind a thousand page health bill no one reads, the three hundred page net neutrality bill no one is allowed to read, and they make sure you don't want to by portraying the challenge to such as an affront to privilege and intelligent and we want to be considered both. After all, if they tell us its not smart to do otherwise well those who say otherwise must be wrong.

So they play the people off each other while they keep their backroom deals and move along merrily laughing at an electorate whose current concern is their internet connection so they don't miss the latest streaming movie.

Who needs space exploration when Game of Thrones is on.

Well put. Of voters that have long term vision, I can't see them wanting space exploration over many better investments. We have so many huge problems to deal with that need funds before space exploration and its relatively small chance of payback for the average voter. Especially when it's all borrowed money.

Oh I am quite sure the powers that be have long term vision, they just don't align with some of what we want.

Everyone thinks they have "enough" long term vision. I'm sure many of the Roman emperors who we now think of as being short-sighted thought they had it all figured out in the way you outline above.

Space has never been a lucrative enterprise in the U.S., though, unless you were a senior executive at one of the few large contractors. Even in the Apollo era, I'm pretty sure bankers and lawyers tended to make more money than NASA engineers.

I agree with you about the essential importance of education and a strong economy. I also agree with you that China see space achievements as a good way (among many) to express its desire for leadership.

But China lags significantly behind the U.S. in areas of education, economy, and freedom of expression. The latter is important because it is an essential ingredient for long-term innovation.

I think we'll see China do some great things in the near term, perhaps even put people back on the moon. Americans will be freaked if that happens. (I'm sad to say--I wish people would take a broader view of humanity, but oh well.)

But in the long run I think we'll be doing big things in space too. It just looks shitty now because we're between big launch systems.

But China lags significantly behind the U.S. in areas of education, economy, and freedom of expression. The latter is important because it is an essential ingredient for long-term innovation.

We're at the point where China can simply use existing technology to gain a lead in space presence. More permissive societies are bound to appear, given a serious program of Chinese space settlement. Also, the Soviet experience shows that you can have technological innovation in aerospace without freedom of expression.

It's fine by me if a dictatorship takes the lead in space. Their people might suffer as a result. Our goal should always be to raise the average standard of living. If that means taking a back seat in some area, why not?

Maybe it's the voters? I'm all for space exploration paid in advance, when the national debt is falling as well. Otherwise, no way. Why should my kids get only the bills? That would be rude. Let downvotes commence.

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