The Aftermath of Abandoning Constellation

Back in October I wrote about how Constellation was in danger....and I asked you to write letters to the president asking to keep his promise to keep the space program as a top priority.  Many of you joined me in the letter writing campaign but I still feared this day was coming.  The end of a dream....I wrote about how excited we were that Calvin would be a part of this:

Calvin and I discovered that we had both had a fascination with space as children.  Calvin even has a carefully folded and protected diagram of the moon that he had gotten at Mc Donalds when he was a little boy.  The prospect of being involved in a project that was going to take people back to the Moon was so exciting!

The last few days, as I've sat and pondered what this horrible decision really means for American...I've become more and more angry.  It isn't just my husband's job and career that are at stake here.  There are thousands of people and companies that are going to be effected by this.  People and companies that have invested time and money into this project.

Long term, when you abandon American's space program...you are effecting thousands of people across the country who have dedicated their lives to the endeavors of space.  There will be Engineer's with no jobs to go to and no prospects, Astronauts without missions to go on, and families displaced because there is no longer work in the United States for them to do.  Companies that depended on NASA for contracts....will go out of business. 

And then, I get really sad when I think of the young boys and girls that dream of being astronauts and engineers.   Sad that they had the unfortunate circumstances of being born an American under the leadership of Barack Obama.  Because their dreams will not be realized....not as long as Russia, China and India (yes...India is building a rocket) are leading the world in space exploration.

Calvin and I have talked about what we are going to do now.  What he is going to do for work.....and the prospects are slim.  There are so many people out of work right now....and with 7000 (and probably more) people joining the unemployment line, it's going to be tough.

Calvin came home from work Tuesday night and he looked like he'd been through the ringer.  I was almost afraid to ask how his day went but I did anyway.  He said the atmosphere at work was like going to a funeral.  Everyone is upset and feeling rather lost.  I told him that I'm so sorry that Obama killed his dream.  And that is exactly what is happening.  He is killing the dreams and careers of so many people. For Now, Calvin still has a job but they are eliminating two of his responsibilities. 

I read this article on Fox News and I was encouraged that maybe Calvin can get one of these jobs.  Here is where some of your tax money is going in the name of STIMULUS. 

• $233,000 to the University of California at San Diego to study why Africans vote. Jobs created: 12, but seven of those are Africans in Africa. 
• In Nevada, $2 million in stimulus money built a new fire station, but because of budget cuts, the county can't afford to hire firefighters to work there. 
• Penn State University got $1.5 million to study plant fossils in Argentina. Of 5 jobs created, 2 belong to Argentines. 
• Researchers the State University of New York at Buffalo got $389,000 to pay 100 Buffalonians $45 each to record how much malt liquor they drink -- and how much pot smoke each day. Consumption is then reported via an automated phone hotline. Cost per job: almost $200,000.
• The Obama administration is spending $5 billion to weatherize homes. But one Texas county spent $4 million to weatherize just 47 homes. That's $78,000 per house. Each retrofit is supposed to save homeowners $500 a year in energy costs. That means taxpayers will recoup their investment in 156 years, long after the home is probably torn down.
• Two Arizona universities got almost $1 million dollars so 3 grad students can study how ants work. That's more than $300,000 per job.
• Companies that raise tropical fish, shellfish, catfish, alligators and even turtles qualify for $50 million in tax money to buy fish food.