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Quote by: sdbest As for you bridling "at the assumption that all we needed was for free-marketeers to get into the space race and all would be solved" one can only wonder what the state of passenger aviation would be if it weren't for "free-marketeers". |
Or at what state American aviation would be at without such other visionaries as Jack Northrup, Kelly Johnson or Werner von Braun, who, alas, produced their visions on the government's dime. I daresay America's current lead in aviation technology sprang forth from U.S. government contracts.
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Quote by: sdbest Commercial aviation as you must know was funded in part in the early years by giving rides to the rich. |
But in even larger part by the U.S. government, in league with American corporatism. Anyone here recall that the airliners of the late 40's and 50's flew on wings designed for the B-29? You think the 707 would have happened if the military didn't also need jet powered refueling for their fighters and bombers?
NASA took us from the first sub-orbital Mercury launch to a moon landing in less than 10 years. Since the 2005 maiden flight of SpaceShipOne, Rutan should be taking wealthy tourists for sub-orbital joyrides in SpaceShip2 in, what, half that time? Wowie zowie. And then?
Don't get me wrong... I'm sorry for the tragic losses, and the truth is I've always been a big fan of Burt Rutan. But this near mystic belief that the free market is going to re-invent our space program is silly and this accident should point that out.
Too bad Libertarians don't put as much faith in American know-how, Yankee ingenuity and independent, entreprenueral spirit when it comes to solving really serious problems, like, say, Global Warming. Oh, that's right... Libertarians don't believe in man-made Global Warming, because to do so would mean telling some free-market capitalists they have to change their ways.
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