Volume 2 Issue 2

February 4, 2003

Budget Follies... Part II?

Hail, Columbia, the Budget wars continue, and you can't see the d octor

More stuff on the aftermath of the Columbia today, as well as coverage of the overshadowed story, the Bush FY04 budget, which could be one of the more disastrous documents in US history...full breakdown isn't quite there yet, but you'll see some articles below.

By the way, if you think it's been a snowy winter, especially in the mid-Atlantic region...you would be fascinated to know that the January snowfall in DC was actually, below the annual average, even though it snowed 10 days out of the month!

Oh, and yesterday when I alluded to the fact that Bush's tax cuts would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, money that could have been used on the space program or other worthy causes, I was mistaken. As announced in the FY04 Budget yesterday, Bush's tax cuts cost a clean trillion dollars. Sorry. Stupid me lowballing figures again.

Hail, Columbia: Here's some interesting articles on the Columbia accident -
A NASA advisory committee last year was preparing a report that noted budget cuts were hurting safety considerations for the shuttle program. So what did NASA do? It fired the committee. -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/03/national/03NASA.html
The Space Station and its crew may be all right for now, but if a shuttle can't boost it into a higher orbit within a year or two...we may be fishing parts out of our yards again -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/science/space/04STAT.html
And while the Russians can assist us, they are nowhere near in a position to run the station by themselves -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/international/europe/04RUS S.html
NASA is now saying that even if they had determined that tile damage on liftoff was serious, there would have been no way to help or fix the Columbia while it was in orbit. Further proof that we can no longer dream big ideas, come on they wouldn't have come up with anything? Not even something to try? Just, "sorry folks, sucks to be you"? Please. -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/national/04OPTI.html
Writer Gregg Easterbrook, in one of his first pieces, wrote about the problems with the Space Shuttle in 1980, specifically the tiles and the Solid Rocket Boosters (which caused the Challenger accident in 1986). A very eerie essay to read now -
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/8004.easterbr ook-fulltext.html

Greg's Pick of the Day: An excellent essay about exploration by Dennis Overbye. Who ever said exploration is easy? -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/science/space/04EXPL.html
Some good editorial cartoons -
http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/ShuttleColumbia/shuttle03020 3/horsey.gif
http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/ShuttleColumbia/columbiaGIFS /evans.gif
http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/ShuttleColumbia/Columbiagif2 /cole.jpg
http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/ShuttleColumbia/shuttle03020 3C/E0204KOTERBA.gif
http://cagle.slate.msn.com/news/ShuttleColumbia/shuttle03020 3C/ColumbShutlDisastEmmer.gif

And finally, an excerpt from the song "Hail, Columbia", written in the 1790's, when the young US faced dark moments, and imminent war with both Britain and France -

Hail, Columbia! happy land!
Hail, ye heroes! heaven-born band!
Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause,
Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause,
And when the storm of war was gone,
Enjoyed the peace your valor won.
Let independence be our boast,
Ever mindful what it cost;
Ever grateful for the prize,
Let its altar reach the skies.

Firm, united, let us be,
Rallying round our Liberty,
As a band of brothers joined,
Peace and safety we shall find.

Behold the chief who now commands,
Once more to serve his country, stands -
The rock on which the storm will beat,
The rock on which the storm will beat;
But, armed in virtue firm and true,
His hopes are fixed on Heaven and you.
When hope was sinking in dismay,
And glooms obscured Columbia's day,
His steady mind, from changes free,
Resolved on death or liberty.

Firm, united, let us be,
Rallying round our Liberty;
As a band of brothers joined,
Peace and safety we shall find.

The Bush Budget: The Bush administration issued its FY04 Budget yesterday, even though the FY03 budget hasn't been passed yet, but that's a different story -
Looks like the compassionate conservative thing is finished -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21029-2003Feb3.html
Combining the Columbia disaster with the budget, the debate over NASA funding is heating up. And, I would like to correct what has been a common media misconception. Everyone is going around talking about how the budget contains an increase for NASA. Yes, it contains an increase to keep up with inflation - 2%. Every item in the budget was increased by at least 2%. So it isn't an increase, it's a steady-state funding level -
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/5098877.htm
Some members of Bush's own party think he's nuts -
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-congress4feb04,0,5574366.story?coll=la%2Dnews%2Da%5Fsection
And we apparently don't care about deficits anymore -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/politics/04ASSE.html?pagew anted=all&position=top

It's just like college...feed them: One amazing government program in Iraq is the food rationing program, which is considered by the UN to be the most efficient and fair food distribution system in the world. Do you think a US-occupying force could set up a program that runs as well? Heck, just look to Afghanistan to see the wonder's we've worked there -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16499-2003Feb2.html

Oh, yeah and um, North Korea has nukes: While we prepare to invade Iraq despite the fact we have no evidence of them building weapons of mass destruction, we ignoring a nation that is activity building them, and which we have proof of. This is the foreign policy you want to protect you?
http://slate.msn.com/id/2078063/
But the US is considering now to at least put bombers, and maybe an aircraft carrier in the area, after the US commander in South Korea issued a public plea for more resources. I suppose the Bush administration is just planning to not defend the 60,000 US troops already in the area? -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/international/asia/04KORE. html
Nick Kristof outlines the worst case scenario, and discusses why no one want to talk about North Korea. -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/opinion/04KRIS.html

The Doctor is not in: Over 70% of New Jersey doctors went on strike yesterday, closing down their offices, and resulting in massive overcrowding of emergency rooms, as patients went to the only place providing treatment. The doctors are striking over the high cost of malpractice insurance, and the failure of the state to do anything about it -
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/5098401.htm
A profile of one doctor, who can barely pay his rent and regrets having to shut down his practice -
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jer sey/5098451.htm
Doctors also held rallies around the state, some of which turned violent. Today, a major rally is planned in Trenton -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/nyregion/04DOCS.html
One of the possible solutions to this, other than tort reform, would be to have state boards actually take away the licenses of bad physicians. One report today said that over 40 NJ doctors have had 4 or more lawsuit judgments against them, but have never had action taken against them by the state -
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-3/104434387447750.xml

Look Who's Running for President: Rumor has it Chris Dodd is close to putting an end to his plans to run -
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ct--dodd-20040131jan31,0,974937.story

Look Who's Running for President 2: But Ohio maverick Dennis Kucinich may still be in the mix -
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/1951586/detail.html

Look Who's Running for Congress? Ben Affleck is considering running for Congress. And we thought Tom Daschle had a "Hillary" problem? -
http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/inside_track/track02042003 .htm

Losing our liberty to save it? Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who helped design the articheture of the "new" Pennsylvania Avenue in the 1960's, decry's our new need for massive security in buildings, noting once again that the terrorists are winning, despite what Bush may say -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16721-2003Feb2.html

Now Boarding: Southwest is petitioning to let penguins fly on its planes. -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/02/04/offbeat.southwest.pengu ins.ap/index.html

Still unrepentive: Looks like Pete Rose won't be reinstated to baseball anytime soon -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/sports/baseball/04ROSE.htm l

Have a great day!

Gregory S. Gadren