Science!! Fucking magnets, how do they work?

I'm sure we could if the funding was there.

You need the engineers more than you need the designers. Somebody has to build the damn thing. And right now it's 2 labs doing all the legwork?

I'm largely ignorant on how NASA contracts out components but my feeling is that back in the 50's and 60's it was a huge operation involving most of the aerotech corporations in the nation. These days it's been distilled down into a small core.

Iannis_sl said:

I'm sure we could if the funding was there.

You need the engineers more than you need the designers. Somebody has to build the damn thing. And right now it's 2 labs doing all the legwork?

I'm largely ignorant on how NASA contracts out components but my feeling is that back in the 50's and 60's it was a huge operation involving most of the aerotech corporations in the nation. These days it's been distilled down into a small core.

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The Space Program was akin to the Manhattan Project in terms of national resources. Hell, it was bigger, we planned to have enough engineers by giving out more scholarships in related fields so we had these technically certified guys graduating just when we needed them. So yes, it was a huge national effort. Even at that it was like a few cents per American per day.

Also the only Government program to have ever paid for itself.

The interstate system pays for itself as well doesn't it?

Yeah, that was a pretty stupid statement.

Burnesto_sl said:

The interstate system pays for itself as well doesn't it?

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Nope. It pays for about half of its cost. Roads in general have that problem, like the first three hits on Google.

Again, only Government program to have ever paid for itself. Not hyperbole. Further the return was $14 for every $1 spent. 1400% return is insane.

The Master_sl said:

Nope. It pays for about half of its cost. Roads in general have that problem, like the first three hits on Google.

Again, only Government program to have ever paid for itself. Not hyperbole. Further the return was $14 for every $1 spent. 1400% return is insane.

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Derp. Public infrastructure pays for itself by allowing business to function, your first hits on google describe whether or not gas and tolls pay for the cost of roads. Your statement remains idiotic.

Maybe you were being very literal and talking about direct traceable costs and revenues in which case you are still wrong.
The Straight Dope: Is NASA the only federal agency that makes a profit?

Ha, the Internet as a government service.

Brando_sl said:

Much like Health Insurance I'd have no issue if the government controlled and owned the ISP's if companies like Comcast and Time Warner keep going down the path of less service, higher cost and no competition in the majority of their service areas. At that point it's a monopoly and should be controlled like one.

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Lack of competition is a serious problem in the industry but what really pisses me off is the government paid for the fucking infrastructure and they made all the money off it and then decide to shit on the people who paid to make them a metric fuck ton of money. To top it off these fuckers managed to get one of their best lobbyist as the head of the FCC so now the patients are running the insane asylum. God forbid they fucking spend some of that money to provide a better product to customers but no fuck that, the government should pay for that too, I mean for fucks sake these guys make bankers blush in just how fucking blatant they are in this shit.

The Ancient_sl said:

Derp. Public infrastructure pays for itself by allowing business to function, your first hits on google describe whether or not gas and tolls pay for the cost of roads. Your statement remains idiotic.

Maybe you were being very literal and talking about direct traceable costs and revenues in which case you are still wrong.
The Straight Dope: Is NASA the only federal agency that makes a profit?

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Matter of opinion. Also your link addresses NASA right now, not the overall effect of the original space program. Calling the IRS profitable because it takes in more money then it costs is also pretty ridiculous. Worthless link. Sorry your understanding of what Government programs cost is so shallow.

BrutulTM_sl said:

I have no faith in the government's ability to provide decent service. If it's like most other government services it will hemorrhage cash and provide mediocre to bad service which is what we already have with the big fat monopolies. Competition is the way to go.

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How do you get competition when the "free" market rewards monopolies?

When in doubt I tend to lean libertarian, but cable companies are so horrifically terribly that I'd be on board with government control of ISPs, tight regulation, gassing executives, etc

Big Phoenix_sl said:

You realize the government is what supports the fucked up state of the American telecom industry right? What people fail to realize is that corporations just dont magically think up laws and regulations that suit their motives.

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Huh? Perhaps you haven't been paying very close attention to American politics for the last 200 years but that's EXACTLY what happens. Corporations have had our politicians in their pocket to do their bidding for so fucking long that our country knows of no other way to conduct its business. Are you really that clueless to think that the regulatory roadblocks put in place were all just put in by contrarian liberals to stifle business in general rather than put in by our politicians at the behest of their corporate overlords in order to stifle the competition?

At what point do you grow out of that naivete?

That's kinda what laws are. The dudes with the money reach an agreement on how to fuck each other over.

You add in a popular vote and a referendum per-period for representatives and you've just added another interest, you have not changed the nature of the beast. Lots of poor people = a few rich people. And that's a great thing. That's the entire idea of it. But it's kinda gone sideways in the past generation. It's the only defense of super-pacs that I personally think has any real credibility, that they can be used as an organizational tool for the dumb poors to voice their concerns in a way that the dumb 1%ers can relate to.

Of course if a bunch of dumb poors were willing to do that they probably wouldn't be poors, so it's not much of a defense.