🚀 go-pugleaf

	15th century explorers of the Atlantic certainly cannot be 
compared to the space explorers of today.  Unlike the Cabots and 
Columbus', we already have a good idea what out there, and we also know 
it going to take WAY TOO LONG (at the present moment) to reach a feasible 
destinatinations. The years exploring space just can't be compared to the 
months it took to cross the Atlantic.

: >    Space exploration and development at a modest scale will have little
: >    or no impact on our national debt and our decaying social structure.
: >    If anything, it would probably help improve Canada's situation.

	Oh, come on now!  How can it help Canada's situation?  Let see 
some facts, some sort of study!  All I can see is a programme to eat at 
our debt (anything that wastes the nation's money affects the debt.  
That's what the debt is), with NO ECONOMIC OR SOCIAL GAIN/BENEFITS for 
years to come.  With no gain, it certainly can't help the Canada's 
situation (and please don't explaing to me how a moon rock will solve the 
welfar problem).
	I almost forgot, our social structure is decaying BECAUSE there 
is no money left in the kitty.  The social safety net is based on a 
surplus of funds, which we don't have, and which a space programme won't 
help.

: >    The only argument people need to go to space is the same one
: >    used for any explorer / adventurer:  Because it's there.

	I agree.  It is there, but it is too expensive to bring here.

: >    If you think otherwise, you may as well pack everything up and
: >    go home.  

	I do think otherwise.  Lack of funding to a space programme will 
not hurt my position, nor any one else's, with the exception of people 
working insuch an industry.  I don't mean SPAR, either.  I mean 
government agencies.

> : >    People have a simple choice:  move forward, or backward.  : >
: >    I'd rather move forward.

	I'd like to move forward, but if we try to right now, we will 
actually move one step forward and two steps back.  Face it, Canada is 
broke.
: -> Dmitry Nekrasovski    
: ->
: -> sdecont2@bnr.ca

(I apologize for being hot-headed.  I just LOVE to argue...  No hard 
feeling, eh?)

-- 
Mike Steele			| St. Catharines -- Canada's Canal City
msteele@freenet.niagara.com	|              Go Leafs!